Well, here I go, down the rabbit hole of hearing aids.
I was surprised in the last post how quickly the topic turned to the performance of hearing aids. So in this post I will comment on the function of my hearing aids and I, and some of my readers may get some good tips.
I've had problems wearing masks during covid. The hearing aids have popped out when I'm taking the mask off and on.
Hearing aids are good for some things but they aren't a complete solution. Hearing aids make all sound louder including what you're trying to hear. In noisy places like restaurants hearing is very difficult.
Partners quite often have difficulty with the hearing aids. They are disappointed with the performance. The MM thinks I'm ignoring her and asks me to turn up the hearing aids. There are some frequencies where we don't hear well. Sometimes much of the partner's voice is at the frequency that you don't hear well .
I use batteries. The batteries die in about 4 to 6 days. So you go with one aid working for a while before you get a chance to change them.
Changing some of the wax protection devices can be a challenge.
So I would like to hear some advice to get more out of hearing aids. I hope readers will pick up tips as well as give tips.
I've noticed my hearing is getting much worse, although I can still hear better than my husband. I was listening to CBC Spark I think, and they were talking about the next level of hearing aides to be developed, aides that filter out sounds, like background noise, and allow you to hear better. I'm hoping they come sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteThat would make hearing aids much better. You hear some good stuff on spark.
DeleteSo far, I haven’t had to deal with hearing aids, so I can’t be much help here. The thing in the post that strikes me is your batteries die in 4 to 6 days. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised as so many things these days need to be put on a charger every night … phones, tablets, mobile devices. Are there hearing aids that can be recharged so batteries do not need to be replaced?
ReplyDeleteThere are hearing aids with rechargeable batteries. You get free batteries for 5 years so you look at cost. However it's handier with rechargeable batteries.
DeleteAh, Mr. Red. Yes hearing aids can be a pain in the butt or ear. Glasses can pretty much fix vision, but others don't understand why hearing aids don't fix all aspects of hearing.
ReplyDeleteMake notes about what you aren't understanding. (Yep, I can hear if you're laughing or yelling angry, but understanding the words is the problem. ) Take your notes to your audiologist and ask them to fix what's perturbing your ears and brain. Sometimes getting the program better adjusted helps. They know how to translate your descriptions, like it's too tinnie, or punches me, or I need more bass.
I hate fidgeting with the tiny parts, and prefer to let the audiologist do it. I liked my old ones with the wire instead of the air tube, because now I still have to make sure moisture doesn't block the tube.
My current right aid is matched to my left cochlear implant. If you ever qualify for cochlear implants (my hearing dropped to 5% in my left ear: rather useless, eh?,) they DO help with word understanding much better, especially if you use the hearing computer programs to "re-teach" your ear how to hear.
I use a drying device and that helps their length of use. I presume you're taking out or exposing the batteries when you're not using the hearing aids. I just change my battery every Thursday, that way I know it's not going to need a battery for over a week. Thursday is the day before I work for 4 days in a row, so I don't have to mess with the battery konking out on me in the middle of work.
My audiology office has the cheapest batteries compared to other places.
You just have to be careful when removing the masks. Hearing aid healthcare workers have learned to deal with it. It helps if the straps aren't too thick. Mine are pretty thin. I have a fine cloth 2 layer mask that has a filter, and that's good enough for being a home health nurse and shopping. I've got to be able to SEE those little covid cooties to wear an N95 mask these days. When I do, I don't even put the lower strap on most of the time to avoid the hearing aid.
Don't get cheap batteries, they don't last as long. If you get batteries with the little sticker on it, remove the sticker for a least a minute before placing the battery in your hearing aids.
Let me know if you've got specific questions. Mine is a very programmable Phonak aid and can have several programs, but is so REALLY automatic now compared to older aids.
I was born with a 25% bilateral hearing loss, started with one aid in 7th grade, when the doc should have put me with two, so I spent years hearing lop-sided. Finally got the second aid at 40 years old. Dropped my hearing to 50%, then within a couple of years, lost all but the 5% remaining in my left ear. Life with a cochlear implant is really cool!
Don't let you cold weather freeze them to your head! Linda in thawing Kansas
Wow! A lot of god information here. I have phonak and I like the brand. They do check my hearing and reprogram things. My hearing has changed very little in the last 4 years. hat you're saying is be more assertive in getting things adjusted. You have a long history of hearing impairment and have had to advocate for yourself.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy hubby has become a pro handling his hearing aids, he has been wearing since he was a child. It does seem like he is always changing the batteries, he keeps extras all around and in the car. Take care, have a happy week ahead.
That's a long history with hearing impairment. It sounds like he has learned to live with the.
DeleteI was interested in the above comments as I wear two hearing aids, both bluetooth and my hearing has deteriorated. It is clarity which I feel isnt there with my hearing - if people don’t speak clearly face to face, at the cinema, on tv, I cannot hear a word they say. So I have to plump for subtitles whenever I can. I have just enrolled on the British Sign Language course (maximum payment £25 for two years) - I think it helps to remember that some people cannot hear at all so I should count my blessings!
ReplyDeleteChristine
I find that you have to see a person to hear well. Voices have different frequencies so some people are hard to hear.
DeleteMy MIL’s new hearing aids are rechargeable. She really likes that feature!
ReplyDeleteWhen they give free batteries the chargeable are more costly
DeleteI don't think aids increase the quality of the input, just the volume. So, I don't think my hearing is nearly as discerning as it could be. I always, or nearly always, use captions for tv, particularly with the British programs that I adore. I am not always sure how much I am using the captions, but I think I integrate them in some way and often notice when the caption is done incorrectly.
ReplyDeletePrevious aids have been in-the-ear. I think I prefer them to over-the-ear which hurt my ear sometimes. But these have their upside.
Noisy environments can be very problematic. My previous set handled background noise better than these. I could have gotten a more upgraded pair, I guess, but the cost is already so high.
So, no help from me, just some commiseration. 😊
My hearing volume is fine. I have some frequencies that I don't hear well.
DeleteYour description pretty much fits my current experience with hearing aids. I recently got new ones, hoping for better results. The sound quality is better, music is less tinny with bluetooth, and the volume is much greater. I had to have them turned down a bit. But I am disappointed that they are not better at screening out background noise, like in restaurants, and word recognition isn't much better as my hearing loss in word recognition increases. I chose the battery model too, and the new batteries are smaller, making them harder to handle with my every more clumsy fingers. I use closed caption on most TV shows now.
ReplyDeleteBackground noise is my biggest problem.
DeleteAlas, this is not something I know about, though doctors have recommended hearing aids for Dave. (He hasn't gotten them yet.)
ReplyDeleteThings are tricky with Dave being in music.
DeleteI know zipola about hearing aids other than they go in the ears.
ReplyDeleteSorry
You're lucky. I hope you never have to get acquainted with hearing aids.
DeleteBe careful with the tiny batteries around small children and dogs as they can cause burns if swallowed.
ReplyDeleteMy hearing aid batteries are in the aid and are rechargeable. I think most are like that, now.
ReplyDeleteI have rechargeable hearing aids, and I put them on the charger every evening and put them in every morning. They do a good job for most things but yes, it's still hard to hear in loud environments, which don't really have a way to filter sounds, although they advertise that you can adjust them. It's a minor nuisance, but I really do like to hear better. My husband no longer mumbles. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have been very protective of my hearing over the years so hope I never have to experience this. One tip I learned from taking my grandfather to his hearing aid appointments is that at least here in the states, there are companies that sell battery subscriptions for hearing aids. His batteries were mailed once a month and enough for a month at a time. Although there was a premium placed on the price, I still thought it was well worth it consider the mailing fees or fuel costs to go buy some all the time.
ReplyDeleteInteresting challenges for me to look forward to... not
ReplyDeleteI am not able to add anything useful to the conversation, but it seems as if my own hearing might be going, so I probably should read along!
ReplyDeleteI am not using any kind of such add until now but only eye glass.
ReplyDeleteI hope this sharing will benefit many friends and you as well as I see some really nice advices In comments.
Health peace and happiness to you both and family!
Hello. I have the rechargeable type hearing aides that go over my ear and rest on the top. I also wear glasses all of the time. I have longer hair and can't just push it behind my ears. If I wear a hairband along with my glasses and hearing aides.....well. I find them a bother and would go with "in the ear with batteries" next time. The magnified sound helps me to hear what most people (ones that don't mumble) are saying, however background noise seems louder and annoying.
ReplyDeleteHope this info helps.
Art prefers the battery version better too since he says the rechargeable type don't last as long. He's also not hearing me very well these days and I've told him he needs to get his hearing aids checked or buy new ones, but he's not anxious to have to make that kind of decision.
ReplyDelete