pardon, WHAT DID YOU SAY ??

[geoff]

I've just been trying to talk to my mother on the phone

Does anybody have any good recommendation for a phone for someone who is old and somewhat deaf?

[Owain]

[OG]

Try the RNID website.

If she has a hearing aid with a T setting, there are phones that can have a loop system added. Mini-loop fits like a necklace.

Also phones with a second earpiece.

Also phones with speakerphone (probably widest choice)

[The Medway Handyman]

You have to expect these things at your age Geoff :-)

I expect your mum finds it very frustrating.

:-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

I know in principle what is required.

You can get it from the curves of any ear test. Basically 18db per octave boost above about 800hz to about 4khz, at which point give up, cos she hasn't anything left up there.

[geoff]

But surely her rip off priced hearing aid should do this for her

[The Natural Philosopher]

It would, if she could get over wearing it.

Despite tests showing she desperately needs one, my wife still thinks she can 'hear fine without it' and 'its just people mumbling and not speaking up' and 'stop shouting at me' her father saying 'its awful: I can hear the sound of my trousers rubbing against each other when I walk' To which I replied, 'so can I , all the time, and can you hear the clock ticking?'

'What clock?'

Its the singular oddity that nearly all nearly deaf people think its someone else's fault.

As when my late mother started to lose her memory, it was other people coming in to her house and doing things that she "certainly didn't (remember) do(ing herself)".

My small dog also thinks its a cat. But thats a different aberration.

[Matty F]

I was once in a very quiet place in a mountain hut. There was an eerie chiming noise that I discovered was the escapement spring of my Swiss watch. I think many people have ruined their hearing.

[Peter Twydell]

In message , Matty F writes

Lying in bed a while ago, I could hear a group of four or five very soft beeps repeating at regular intervals. It turned out to be the charging base for the DECT phone on the bedside cabinet, close to my head.

I can sometimes hear noises that SWMBO can't, but OTOH I frequently suffer (?) from selective deafness, like most married men.

[Matty F]

Is that because of the buzzing in the ears that you get several times a week? :) There's a "scientist" in my city who is trying to find the source of a noise. He can't hear the noise, so he talks to people who can, and tries unsuccessfully to record the noise. I can hear the noise and record it on my digital camera. He is not interested, because he is the "expert".

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Peter Twydell writes

We were gifted a PVR (toppy) which allowed the digi-box for the bedroom tv to be used elsewhere. Shortly thereafter, two moderately deaf adults realised there was an audible click every 7 seconds which made sleep difficult.

Too right:-)

regards

[Reentrant]

My missus has just started to wear hearing-aids occasionally, but when she does she talks much quieter (presumably too much feedback of her own voice - the opposite of someone listening to music on headphones seeming to shout). So now I can't hear what she's saying and she says I'm the one going deaf.

[fred]

In article , geoff writes

Specific no but general yes:

Good quality speakerphone[1] with the old duffer just using the hearing aid in normal mode, apparently the buttons on the latest ones are fiddly so putting them in T mode is more trouble than it's worth.

[1] Nothing cheap, tinny or quiet on receive so no BT and definitely no Binatone, something like a business grade panny with good tone. Philips can be a bit hit or miss.

[Sarotrob]

It's no joke if you're deaf. I use a BT converse 2200. It comes in black or white. It has a good inductive coupling, an easy to use volume control and a loud -ish handsfree facility among other business type facilities.

[Lobster]

Spotted in one of those catalogues which fall out of the weekend newspapers:

David

[geoff]

Thanks all

a few things to look into there

[Alan]

In message , Tim Lamb wrote

If you still have it, turn off time shifting in the menus. Install the HDDInfo TAP (third party software applications) and select the disk quiet mode.

For anything Topfield (Toppy) see the user forums at:

[Alan]

In message , fred wrote

That's maybe too much of a generalisation, I have BT branded phones (made by Sagem) that on a press of a button give a loud and clear speaker function from the handset.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Alan writes

OK. Next time the younger generation call. It is very quiet when switched off and can still be used for digital reception. All recording/viewing is done on the main machine, downstairs.

Yes. Been there. I guess hard drive recording is such a huge step forward from tape that I am prepared to accept a few glitches.

regards

[<me9]

We checked the RNID website when Father in law (aged 90 and stone deaf) needed a phone he could use. He's very pleased with the one we got from their recommendation.