Age related hearing loss

[Richard Tarleton]

Wish me luck. Specsaver are coming herat 8.15 am on Friday. Can't hear music at all.

Hmmmm, Saly (great to hear from you - is this really you )....my wife's experience (after some persuasion on my part, when it became increasingly obvious she wasn't hearing me, or the TV, much of the time ) was more like Ams's - she was tested by a consultant audiologist on the NHS (various tests, the progress of which I could observe on computer screen) in a soundproof room in a hospital with a battery of kit to hand.

I wonder what level of testing they can do in your home?

The result was a hearing aid of the discreet variety in one ear only, She seems to find that satisfactory inc. at concerts, but obviously I can't describe what she experiences as this is unique to her. Follow-up service is also outstanding, and of course entirely free. Why go to a commercial operator and pay for a lesser service?

[amateur51]

That's very kind Ams, I wonder, could you tell me, do you have aids for both ears or only one? They have recommended that I begin with one to see how I get on. Do the aids make music sound artificial, or does the brain adjust, I wouldn't like it if my sound perception deteriorated.

Bws

Ferret

I've got an aid for each ear, Ferret. They provide me with much better 'top', volume and clarity.And you're right, your brain does adjust. The staff are usually very interested in feedback and adjustments can be made, never fear

[Ferretfancy]

Hmmmm, Saly (great to hear from you - is this really you )....my wife's experience (after some persuasion on my part, when it became increasingly obvious she wasn't hearing me, or the TV, much of the time ) was more like Ams's - she was tested by a consultant audiologist on the NHS (various tests, the progress of which I could observe on computer screen) in a soundproof room in a hospital with a battery of kit to hand.

I wonder what level of testing they can do in your home?

The result was a hearing aid of the discreet variety in one ear only, She seems to find that satisfactory inc. at concerts, but obviously I can't describe what she experiences as this is unique to her. Follow-up service is also outstanding, and of course entirely free. Why go to a commercial operator and pay for a lesser service?

I agree with you Richard, it certainly makes sense to be wary of commercial pressure, as I've mentioned in earlier posts. In recent experience, the hearing tests I've had on the NHS have made those made by a commercial salesman seem almost perfunctory by comparison.
My own condition is nothing compared to Salymap's problem, let's all hope that there's a great improvement.

[salymap]

It is my GP that sent me to Specsaver as they are doing NHS tests. I am now housebound so we shall see.

best to all, saly

[Ferretfancy]

It is my GP that sent me to Specsaver as they are doing NHS tests. I am now housebound so we shall see.

best to all, saly

Saly

I hope that all goes well for you, as I'm sure we all do. One good thing is that you won't be waiting in a hospital corridor, no need to take a good book!

Bws.
Ferret

[Barbirollians]

Very best of luck with this salymap

[alycidon]

Hello Ferret

I had much the same experience with private aids. I was convinced by a slick saleswoman, but I felt like a freak with these two things perched on my ears, and I couldn't handle the psychological aspect of having so much money balancing on my listeners. Like you, I returned them and had my two thousand pounds repaid.

Bearing in mind that I tend not to use my one NHS aid most of the time, I am reasonably happy with it and certainly do not see the need for a grossly overpriced private one. Yes, I am cynical, but I have always done OK with the NHS for a variety of conditions and see no reason to change that. I think private medicine is generally a massive con, and it grieves me to hear of old people who can scarce afford it, shelling out vast sums of money for treatment that simply does not help.

[Anna]

Looking at SpecSavers website it says if you are over 50, referred to them by a GP for hearing aids and if you are in a postcode area where SpecSavers are an accredited NHS provider (all of which apply to Salymap), then your aids are funded by the NHS.

[salymap]

Looking at SpecSavers website it says if you are over 50, referred to them by a GP for hearing aids and if you are in a postcode area where SpecSavers are an accredited NHS provider (all of which apply to Salymap), then your aids are funded by the NHS.

Thanks Anna, Now I've got to get used to them.

[clive heath]

This is definitely not for someone just getting used to new aids but if you have had them for sometime and feel that there are some slightly odd effects such as an after-echo when a loud sound ceases this is probably due to some whizz-kiddery in the electronics and you might like to try to negate the effect as follows:
1) Examine your aid and see if you can identify a pair of holes toward the front ( mine, no more than 1mm in diameter,are in a little groove to allow them to be roughly forward facing) and also see if there are a pair of holes on either side further back (mine are also in a groove but facing out). What the electronics does is to try and subtract the rear signal from the front signal to make you hear those directly in front of you better. However it seems this cannot be done without introducing a delay in the circuitry and I think it is this that interferes with what I imagine a lot of us do which is simply listen to music.
2) Take a small strip of sellotape say 3mm by 10mm and stick it over the rear holes. Now the electronics can only act on the forward sound as you have blocked the rear (ambient) sound off.
I did this for the first time today and here I am telling you about it.........!?

[Ferretfancy]

This is definitely not for someone just getting used to new aids but if you have had them for sometime and feel that there are some slightly odd effects such as an after-echo when a loud sound ceases this is probably due to some whizz-kiddery in the electronics and you might like to try to negate the effect as follows:
1) Examine your aid and see if you can identify a pair of holes toward the front ( mine, no more than 1mm in diameter,are in a little groove to allow them to be roughly forward facing) and also see if there are a pair of holes on either side further back (mine are also in a groove but facing out). What the electronics does is to try and subtract the rear signal from the front signal to make you hear those directly in front of you better. However it seems this cannot be done without introducing a delay in the circuitry and I think it is this that interferes with what I imagine a lot of us do which is simply listen to music.
2) Take a small strip of sellotape say 3mm by 10mm and stick it over the rear holes. Now the electronics can only act on the forward sound as you have blocked the rear (ambient) sound off.
I did this for the first time today and here I am telling you about it.........!?

Interesting. I've just been to the audiologist today for a hearing aid fitting, and obviously I need to get used to wearing it. I was puzzled by the recommendation to start with the aid in only one ear, my left, since the loss is supposed to be only moderate with no significant difference between left and right ears. So far the results are distinctly odd, with a very crisp response on my left side, a sort of cornflakes crackling effect in which stray sibilants seem to be laterally displaced.

I have briefly tried listening to my Meridian system with a few very familiar recordings, and the artificial effect is very pronounced. It will be interesting to see what it's like at the Prom on Wednesday. I suspect that for serious listening it will be necessary to remove the aid, or perhaps my brain will adjust (what's left of it! )

The odd thing is that I've never had any difficulty judging the nuances in music, it's only when people complain that I'm not listening to them that I have a problem.I think it's probably got more to do with inattention when I'm otherwise engaged rather than a real difficulty, anyway I'll persevere with the little beast in my ear, and we'll see.

[salymap]

I have new spex bu the [obvious firm recommended by the NHS for home visits have called here twice with no good results re my hearing so far.

I can just hear one person if they speak clearly and sit next to me but music is still just a jumble.

New aids are to be delivered soon. Ah well, I can think music and have my memories.

best wishes

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Good luck with the new aids, sals, and I hope they're delivered very soon - it sounds like you're having a rotten time without them. (no pun intended!)

Bestio!

[salymap]

Thanks a lot ferney.

Bestio to you.

[clive heath]

re #86 from Ferretfancy; there should be a volume control somewhere, a knurled knob, which with my Siemens aids, if you roll it "up" (i.e. towards the front of the head as normally worn) it increases the volume and vice versa. If the audiologist has set the range and level of the machine too high then at switch on and with no adjustment from you, the treble boost is more than you need. Step one is to turn the volume down to minimum (usually indicated by bleeping). If it is still too loud in the treble then you need to go back to the clinic and ask for a second setting with a lower median amplification and smaller range (we're talking dBs here). I requested that this second setting should start from no amplification at all and at maximum should be the median setting of their first OTT setting. Then when it is switched on I automatically get the median/centre point of the amplification. The problem seems to lie in the fact that they audio test you with single tones but when you are listening to normal sounds with a mélange of tones and harmonics their correction for the assessment of your loss seems excessive. I hope your aids are sufficiently similar in operation for this to be helpful.