Hearing Aids

[rainydaywoman11]

I wondered if anyone out there could help me?  My husband has what I will politely call 'diminished hearing', something he has been in denial about for the past year at least.

He has now given in and been to see the consultant who says that yes, this is indeed the case,  He was asked if he wanted a hearing aid, was it affecting his quality of life?  He said no, no, not that bad.  It is driving me round the bend, lol.  So he is going back to the doc next week to ask to be referred again.

What I want to know is - are the hearing aids given on the NHS those very visible ones or are you given one that fits inside the ear?  I just keep seeing all these ads for Boots and others offering X percent off, so I assume these are better cosmetically?  He (I know) will not wear anything that is easily visible.

Thank you in advance.

[stroppy*cow]

Can't speak from personal experience, but I am told that paying a lot of money does NOT mean any better quality. They may be cosmetically "better", but functionally some of them are not even as good as the NHS ones.

The ones provided by the NHS are the small flesh coloured "behind the ear" ones. It depends on your hair, but mostly they are not very obtrusive.

[millielilac]

My mum has worn hearing aids for years ...she needs one in each ear ....her hearing is very bad ...

She has always had hers via the NHS . A few years ago I took her to Boots for an assessment and was told that in truth they could not better the aids she already had ....

It really does depend on personal circumstances ....best to take professional advice although there is nothing to stop your husband from going to Boots or Specsavers just to get an opinion ...sure the tests might be free anyway ....

[ilove2patch]

My friend's hubby has ones he has privately. They were a LOT of money but he didn't get on with the NHS ones. He is pretty deaf though.

[stroppy*cow]

Another thing that has been pointed out to me is to consider the "running costs". The NHS not only provide the batteries, but also "re tube" them free, and there is a good back up service if you have any problems with them. The batteries are quite costly to buy and seem to need changing frequently.

If buying privately, check carefully what the "after sales" service is like.

Another tip that I have been given is to ask what other aids may be available, things like vibrating alarm clocks, vibrating pads linked to the smoke alarms, extra loud doorbells or ones with flashing lights. I am told that it varies from area to area as to what they will provide.

[ed_blackadder_1]

My father denied being deaf for years. He has now got a hearing aid he doesn't use it because he says it's too noisy even though he was told he would have to be patient until he was used to it.
He has a NHS one and it is very small and the bit on the outside is clear and the bit inside his ear is skin colour. Very difficult to see unless you know it's there.

[aernethril]

Reassure him that they are much improved cosmetically from the early prototypes.

[rainydaywoman11]

Thank you ladies for your replies - it has helped me a lot.

 naughty aernethril  

it is driving me round the bend - tonight, I got all his dinner ready and said 'keep an eye on the sprouts - they only need a couple of minutes or they'll burn dry' - anyone for burnt sprouts?

It is only vanity and he hates to admit he's getting older and I understand that, but I have enough on my plate without that.  It has caused quite a few amusing scenes between us - he does not watch a lot of telly, but the footie is on tonight and it is so LOUD.  So we'll see how it goes, thanks again.

[lucylou222013]

My husband is now the proud wearer of two nhs hearing aids. They are digital and very discreet.the batteries do need changing very frequently but are supplied on the nhs. to get new batteries you are given a list of places near to where you live .you take your old batteries back and they give you new ones. hope this helps.

[rainydaywoman11]

Hello Lucy, welcome   ........ and thank you, all the info helps, because, you will not be surprised to learn, although he is the one wearing them, I'll be the one who has to do all the bits and pieces that go along with them.

Don't be a stranger ................................ please!

[peteryola]

Tell him there's nothing wrong with visible hearing aids - I even have my hair cut to be clear of them so that people know I'm cloth eared and they need to speak more clearly. In my case it's one hearing aid ( right ear ) and one cochlear implant ( left ear ).

[cookiecookuk]

my oh has a nhs  one and as stroppy has said the after sale service is second to none.oh keeps breaking his tube or getting water in it etc etc and they are mended within day..

private ones are very expensive if they go wrong...

we have a resident at work who is as deaf as a post literaly and he will not under any circumstances wear a  hearing aid as it will make him look old ( he is 103 in 6 weekse time )

[millielilac]

Awww...... Bless Him .....

[5129frederick]

Hi,

In answer to your question, I wear NHS hearing aids.  When my hearing got progressively worse over a period of months a girl at work persuaded me to go for a hearing test,  At first I felt a bit conscious about wearing them and thought about growing my hair long to cover my ears, but thought what the hell, I wasn't that vain.  I wore glasses which improved my quality of life, and after having seen the prices of private hearing aids - some of them running in to four figures, I decided I had nothing to lose.  They started me off with analogue as opposed to digital hearing aids, and putting them on for the first time was out of this world.  I had the official impaird hearing of a seventy-year old - this was about eighteen years ago.  The girl in question was overjoyed - she told me that previous to that it was impossible to have an intimate conversation with me because she had to speak quite loudly so everybody would look at us.  To say my hearing improved was the understatement of the century.  Everything was incredibly loud, especially the telephone and tinkling of a teaspoon  - it was the higher frequencies I couldn't hear.  It changed my life overnight - I had to turn the volume right down to begin with.  If you're walking past roadworks you just switch them off.  They're 2" in length, curved and fit behind each ear.  I lost my hearing as a result of riding a motorcycle - not traffic noise, but wind noise as it whistles into your helmet - you can lose 10% of your hearing compounded every year without realising it.  My hearing aids packed up completely for two week until they were replaced.  Believe me, there's nothing funny about it - if you can't hear you live in your own world.  Not being to hear the birds, the phone, the kettle, but most of all, not being able to hear the traffic is quite frightening.  I hated driving without hearing aids!  And for the record, nobody stares,  If it "sings" or whistles, fiddle about with the earpiece until it fits.  At first it sounds tinny as if you're listening to a transistor radio with no sound coming from the person who is speaking to you, but your brain soon rebalances itself.  In a word, do it - it will change his life!

[lucylou222013]

My husband says the only downside of wearing the hearing aids is he can now hear me nagging him.lol

[peteryola]

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@cookiecookuk wrote:

my oh has a nhs  one and as stroppy has said the after sale service is second to none.oh keeps breaking his tube or getting water in it etc etc and they are mended within day..

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The water is just condensation - it can easily be shaken out ( but be careful not to let go of the hearing aid! ).  The tubes can break when they get old; the flexible bit of the tube should be changed every 3 months - it's a DIY job - as they can harden with age.  When they harden, it reduces the quality of the sound passing through them and also makes it very difficult to get them off the hook ( the firm bit of plastic between the tube and the aid ) which can then break off the tip of the hook.

When you say he's breaking the tubes, I guess you mean the knobbly grip bit at the end of the hook?

[bhgardeners]

Good luck, Rainy.  The current crop of hearing aids are very discreet.  OH is bald as a coot and I often ask if he is wearing them(because being a man requests such as keep an eye on the bacon tend to be overlooked) because they just blend in. He generally buys his batteries because the place you go to is a drop in but you can't just drop in and the parking is abyssmal.  

As to persuading him, set all volumes to your level, sit on the remotes or ask him why he is turning them up every time he does - he'll soon get the message.. Then point out they are FREE, they work and if he doesn't mention it nobody else will notice(until they squeal!!!!!!!!!)..

Then get used to removing the tiny batteries from every surface and under every chair(big fingers!), then there is the daily, or more often, search for the darned things because some men never put anything away.  The black pouches fade into the under table gloom and piano top, the hearing aids blend seamlessy with all patterned or pictured book covers, table mats, chair cushions, bedding.  I spent 2 days looking(not very hard) for the hearing aids and only found them when he told me they were actually in the pouch(well I knew where that was). Where I wasn't driving he has got used to going for batteries himself and the parking is so bad I am not, not, not pointing out that it is just round the corner from Tescos.

However if anybody knows just how i persuade him to wear them all day for a trip out with daughter(stereo) in car and shopping(piped music) I would be grateful because then he may stop telling me I and son are over reacting(we both have excellent hearing).