Hearing aids

[druiaghtagh]

I finally , after my wifes insistence have been to docs re my deteriorating hearing. He has referred me to hospital and its fairly obvious i will need a a hearing aid. Its my pride been stopping me, does anyone else here use one anf if so what are they like... do they give much improvement, are they comfortable, are they very noticeable. ?i am particularly bad at hearing conversation in groups of people, one to one conversation is not so bad. According to a scan i had at my employers health centre shows a lot of high tone loss, i suppose listening to loud rock music in late 60s annd 70s did not help, or working in heavy industry for 20 years with no hearing p[rotection . thanks for any answers.

[flaming]

First, things have changed a lot. Much more funding has gone into appliances, care of the deaf.etc.  If you go to hosp. clinic you will get a hearing test.  If your hearing is a certain percent 'down' you qualify for an NHS one, and nowadays they are the digital unobtrusive ones.  For two hearing ears you should wear two, so there's equal sounds coming in.  One of my ears was completely deaf and the hearing ear had enough loss for me to be givenm an NHS one. I don't wear it all the time but in certain situations it is very helpful.  I expect a person with two would be infinitely better off.  TV/radio need not be so loud - driving other people nuts - and in normal backgrounds will be good in group conversations, or lecture hall situations.  Some public places are fitted with a 'loop' system and your aid(s|) can switch in to it .  Social services can help more when you have a hearing aid by fitting things at home for you, if your Council islike mine. But be aware that in very noisy background places, like a pub. you will get the extraneous stuff amplified as well.  Out on roads wth traffic noise you are better off being a bit deaf!  Go for it.  Give it a try.  It's only like wearing specs.  Certainly at home or amongst friend groups you will be better off, and those round you will be.  The trouble with being a bit deaf is that you give up concentrating after a bit and don't join in a conversation.  That's miserable for you.  The very tiny ones, privately available, are very expensive.  They go right in the ear and until you buy you don't know how you will get on, so you risk wasting a lot of money.  Also, scrabbling the little device out of the ear when you want to is annoying.  If you qualify foran NHS one, repairs and batteries are thrown in.

[druiaghtagh]

Thankyou very much Flaming for such a thorough answer! .

[shaneystar]

My brother and sister-in-law are both deaf.My brother has a hearing aid in both ears.He became deaf from being a welder and doing a lot of rivetting many years ago .My sister-in- law was left deaf after contracting TB as young girl.They are both now 70 years old.They have digital hearing aids and a loop system in the house for television and special speaker phones.It is nothing to be ashamed of.You would not know they were wearing hearing aids if you were to meet them.My brother loves the fact that he can turn them off when the grandchildren get too noisy!! Go for it . Otherwise you will miss out on such a lot.

[flaming]

Sorry, the typing is 'off' this week as I have had an eye op.   Until recently deafness was the 'poor relation' of disabilities but there so many people are deaf to some degree (younger now because of the loud music played in clubs), or deaf in one ear, it is much more recognised.  There are Hearing Therapists are being attached to hospitals.  The RNID (royal National Institute for the Deaf ) has quite a few helpful gizmos which you have to buy, to supplement what's available on the NHS. It's worth getting their catalogue. Good luck!

try: [email protected]     and  www.rnidshop.com

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Tel [phone].

[toecrusher]

excellent answer from flaming, my 11yr old has high frequency hearing loss and wears aids in both ears and copes very well. She is too young to go for digital as she is still growing.she found them a little uncomfortable at first and she would throw them out after school, but is now used to them and wears them all the time. good luck and dont worry!