Hearing aids.

[dewsweeper]

Anyone on the forum using the above?
I have one for each ear and have worn them for about 10 years.
They are National Health ones and do a reasonable job.
In certain conditions they are limited, outside on the course for example in windy conditions and also in a crowded clubhouse.
I decided to have a hearing test and was amazed at how expensive the new technology is.
Just wondered if any forummers have any experience of how much better they are.
I am on old ugly beggar am not bothered about the better cosmetic look of more modern aids, just getting fed up at times saying "what was that?"
Thanks
Dewsweeper

 

[Norrin Radd]

i wear them as well ,both ears ,like you i find them very limited on the course and if there is a lot of background noise. i was tested for poor hearing only this year and am still trying to get used to them ,i cant wear them when i eat as the chewing action causes too much movement of the ears and as such i cant hear a bloody thing.
I will take your word that the new stuff is expensive as i havent looked beyond what i was given by the NHS, and like you im past worrying about the cosmetic look.
must say that the wife is happier when i wear them as she is fed up of repeating herself all the time . im sure also the neighbours are happier as well ,the tv isnt on full volume now.

 

[dewsweeper]

Yes you obviously have the sme problems.
My wife is pretty understanding and we do have some laughs at things I mishear.
As a longer user than you I find subtitles really helpful but again a source of amusement on live broadcasts .
Dewsweeper

 

[Norrin Radd]

watching tv can be a problem at times,when it is just dialogue i have the volume according to the wife quite low ,but when any incidental music or action starts im turning the volume even lower as it can be painful ,it comes across so loud.
i dont mind the subtitles but wifey isnt keen so we dont have that function switched on.
driving is an experience ,the noises i heard before dont even come close to what the aid picks up .im always thinking the engine is making weird noises,and traffic is so loud ,especially lorries.

 

[Chisteve]

I wear them all the time as I have been losing high frequency sound for may years I'm in my mid 50's

I tried national health 1st but they were rubbish TBH, its stupid that you cant offset the cost of NH ones against privatly purchased

I went to a local hearing aid shop - brought a good mid range set of hearing aids - Oticon and been wearing for about 3-4 years with all the other bits and peices about 2ks worth and cheaper than the larger chains, whilst not all singing and dancing they work perfectly for me and a goodsend for work meetings and phone calls etc

I do wear them when playing golf as I'm fairly new to my club and dont know that many people and they dont know me, it saves me telling them I cant hear and them not having to talk loudly - like others have said - alot of background and wind noise although they are adjustable to reduce this .

I did have a problem with one earlier this year, but got it fixed for £ 110.00, overall I've been very pleaseed with them

The other thing I've found is that the kit that comes with them is designed for a much older generation large buttons etc, its not a problem just an observation really

My advice is to go for low to mid range hearing aids and not to bother with the all singing and dancing ones they will try to sell you, I recently tried a higher spec pair that were very good but at over 5k they should be, however I struggled in a noisey (pub) envioroment picking up sound from behind me, they advised me to sit with my back to a wall wheresas mine I can adjust for directional sound - this works well

I would advise not to get a pair unless you are really are strugging generally and like glasses its another thing to have to think about and look after etc

Hope this is of some help

 

[dewsweeper]

Thanks Chisteve,
A very helpful post.
I am a lot older than you so larger buttons etc are not a problem for me.
I was rather sceptical about the high spec aids and you seem to have confirmed my thoughts.
Thanks
Dewsweeper

 

[williamalex1]

I have the NHS one, but can't bear wearing it as everything sounds so tinny . My favourite words are what and pardon.

 

[teetime75]

I have worn hearing aids for 20yrs,from £3000 pair 18yrs.ago
to NHS now,and in my experience there is very little to choose between them.

Over6/8yrs.the cost of repairing expensive ones can equal the price new.
At the end of the day they all magnify sound, ALL SOUND,

The claim that some aids can lessen certain tones is in my experience to be taken with
a pinch of salt
Magnify sound yes,cut it down no.
My current NHS ones (made by Oticon) are as good as any I have had.

My advice ,go NHS and with the savings buy a new set of clubs.LOL.

 

[andycap]

I wear them , started with an NHS one, yes one , even though my hearing loss is fairly equal in each ear they said i only needed one ear to hear with and would not give me two . I did not like it , found it big and conspicuous . I then went to Boots and paid about 2k for a pair of behind the ear Unitron element , a lot smaller than the NHS ones , coloured to match hair colour , very thin tube into the ear , most people would not notice them . I have had them about 4 years now , no trouble other than recently started getting some whistling from them , but Boots sorted that in store . I have 2 appointments a year with a hearing test every 2 years and they re program them as needed ,they also replace the tubes at each visit . None of this is charged for . I get on really well with them . They take some getting used to as your brain needs to learn how to deal with it as it has got used to dealing with partial deafness over time . There are times when i struggle , crowded situations , in particular places with hard surfaces like hard floors and glass make sound just bounce around , and i find i struggle to hear the people in front of me because i can hear the people on the next table over them , places with soft furnishings that absorb noise are much better, there is a setting on the hearing aids to help in situations where there is a lot of surrounding noise , but i have never got on with it , there is also a setting for when you are in an area that has the induction loop (shop counters etc) which is very good .
On the whole i would recommend them and Boots for the service , i have been told they only last for 3-5 years , so ive done well to have had no real trouble with mine , but i will continue to use Boots when in the market for a new set .

 

[Ross61]

I've been wearing hearing aids for 26years since I was 28. Started with analogue AIDS (digital not available in those days) that cost me £1300 for the pair. As I have severe high frequency loss but only small loss on low frequency the national health ones were useless to me as they amplified everything at the time (1989 )
when digital became available I purchased a pair for £2500... These were much better with much reduced static noise from the aids.
Bought more about 7 years later as I could not get extended warrantee and yearly service due to their age. The new ones were even better(from boots) but cost £3400. Again after about 6 years repair costs after losing insurance/warrantee due to age of the aids.
At this this time national health had digital AIDS introduced and I got fitted saving me the £4000 that I was quoted. I am now on my 3rd pair of national health that they give me the latest of.
As I said I have high frequency loss ( barely nothing above 2khz ) I need top of the range to handle the small range of frequencies that they can help me with( I can hear up to about 3.5 KHz with no background noise with the aids in)

On the golf course I have the same problems as others have said, in the clubhouse with the background noise I understand very little, but it helps if I can see the speaker's lips.
Personally I have found directional microphones in aids largely useless. When
I bought my aids I used to have the "in the ear" type, which I prefer. The national health ones are behind the ear type which cause me problems now I'm in my 50's and also need to wear glasses all the time.

I do not know what I could buy now, but when I changed to national health I felt that the difference was minor.

 

[dewsweeper]

Thanks for all the replies.
Very useful reading of others experiences.
I think I am staying with the NHS ones until I win the Lottery .
Dewsweeper