Hearing aid...needed

[The Natural Philosopher]

So, we go to the GP, who says

"Go to the hospital"

Who say

"You need a hearing aid".

Big deal. We knew that.

So we ask 'OK how long?'

"Six months. And it will be the one WE decide to give to YOU, but it will be free.."

Great. So..anyone had experience of COMMERCIAL PROVISION - types, models, providers and the like esp. in East Anglia?

For those of you who know what it means my wife looks like her hearing shelves from normal at 100Hz down to -50dB at 750Hz, where it plateaus before falling off a cliff after 2.5Khz..I doubt anything over 8kHz is audible at all..

She wants something in ear, for comfort, rather than cosmetic reasons...but 50dB is apparently the bleeding edge as far as 'in ear' technology goes..

Digital would seem to be a must.

I suppose what we ant now is a place to go and try stuff out without having to commit to anything..Bury/Cambridge/Newmarket/Ely sorts of areas for choice...

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Go to a Centre for the deaf or hard of hearing I think if you're going to buy you can put half to the proceeds and the NHS will pay the other half? Contact the RNID

[Guy King]

The message from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

Nothing wrong with "outside ear" aids....

whole article is worth a read anyway.

[mogga]

Find a situation in which you will urgently need your hearing aid (Perhaps in court suing someone for not getting you a hearing aid quickly enough? ;-)) They might hurry it up.

[Mary Fisher]

Haven't time to read them for all the hospital visiting but I might after tomorrow's hearing assessment.

Bookmarked.

Mary

[Phil L]

uk.d-i-y?

make one from some string, two cans and a megaphone... method: Use the string to tie the wife to the chair, you sit on the other side of the room, drink the cans and use the megaphone to talk to her. :-p

[Mary Fisher]

Mine didn't. He asked if I'd be prepared to wear a hearing aid when I said I had trouble.

I've been told I'll be given a digital one.

Spouse made me one from a long cow horn. Works a treat and it's a joy to see children's faces after they've picked it up and tried to blow it and I tell them what it is :-)

Mary

[Guy King]

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

How's the leaky lad?

[Andrew Gabriel]

In addition to hearing aids which are nothing like a complete fix and are ineffective for some people, you might want to look into some lip reading training. If your wife is good at crosswords, that's a good indicator she might be good at lip reading with some training (very similar skills are required for both).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

300 - 3000 Hz was chosen for telephones as being comfortable for speech.

-50 DB for the last two octaves would make it very difficult to understand.

I would think so. That's a lot of gain to have twixt mic and speaker in something that small without feedback.

[Pat P]

My husband got excellent product and service from "Hidden Hearing" - but horrendously expensive, particularly if the hearing deteriorates furter in a year or so! They come to your home. Based in Maidstone, if I remember correctly. They`re extremely good as long as you don`t mind the price.

Pat P

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I made one for my rich Uncle Walter - who already had a state of the art private one. Some 15 years ago, though, and I believe modern digital ones are so much better. I used a cheapish personal mic (with a long cable) from Maplin, and an 80 dB max variable gain 2 watt amp feeding a pair of walkman headphones. Tailored the response to be rising at about 12dB per octave peaking at

3KHz. For a one to one conversation he just clipped the mic onto the visitor. He used it all the time.

He lived to the ripe old age of 90, and spent most of his money on a decent nursing home. ;-)

[Mark Horton]

It only took me 4 weeks to get referred to an audiologist in Winchester and Eastleigh PCT, Hampshire, and a further 4 weeks for the hearing aids to be issued, the time was taken up with the earpieces moulds.

Mine are a pair of Oticon Spirit 3 digital hearing aids, standard over the ear NHS issue digital hearing aids.

I have found them to be excellent. I would not recommend the analogue type. They are awful.

Mark

[Mark]

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, the figures - and the volume she sets the TV at - suggest an aid is appropriate.

She does lip read anyway..a bit.

[The Natural Philosopher]

It's worse between 1.5 and 3Khz...

yes..they use delays to stop the howlround, and echo cancellation - DSP stuff - but even so its a hard call. However any improvement at all would be useful.

[<me9]

I'd estimate top costs:

Actual hearing aids £20 each (courtesy R of C.)

Hearing test 10 minutes at £100 per hour. £16

Setting up (technician) 10 minutes at £50 per hour. £8

Total £64

Cheapest price quoted. £585

Profit £521, not bad for 20 minutes work.

A good opening for an entrepreneuring DIYer?

[Malcolm Stewart]

I'm an otosclerosis sufferer, and I've had a behind the ear analog type for several years now, and it works for me. (Certainly not "awful" in my case.) Never tried or been offered a digital type, However my elderly aunt (~90) does have a digital behind the ear type, and struggles with the switch/battery compartment lid, and what mode it's in etc. And who said you couldn't put the battery in the wrong way round? Perhaps the designers of the digital types had never met someone living on their own, recovering from a surgically induced stroke and thus having poor control of their fingers, and yet I expect most hearing aids go to the more elderly in our population.

At least on mine the mode switch is clearly visible.

[Phil Anthropist]

Digital hearing aids are available from NHS audiology centres but you have to specifically request digital. There is usually a waiting list for digital but they will supply a non-digital aid first.

[Broadback]

If you can find about £1000 then go to Spec Savers, try them out. As with MOST hearing aid companies your check and advice is free. For that price you will get 2 hearing aids, either the type that hang behind your ears (which I have)those that sit in the ear and those that go right inside the ear. They will of course explain the advantages and dis of all types. Personally I would not have just one.