hearing aids

My advice would be to contact NHS audiology and explain your problem. It is not unusual to need different Hearing Aids after a few years as your ears or hearing may change. Commercially supplied hearing aids are very expensive and you have on-going costs re reviews, insurance and batteries. Previous threads on GN have sung the praises of the NHS aids and service. Last year I was called in for a review by the NHS audiologist though I thought I had no problems. I was found to have a build up of wax in one ear which the audiologist removed and my hearing improved a lot with or without the aids in place.

My DH has just had his hearing tested at Specsavers in our local Sainsburys. He has had his aids for 10 days now and he is delighted with them - but not as delighted as me , no more having to repeat myself a 1000 times a day and the tv is now at a acceptable level! Has made a massive positive impact on both of us.

I agree fully with Granny23. I've NHS hearing aids and I find that the service is very good indeed. (Provided via Scrivens in my area, and the audiologist appointments are conveniently available at my GP's surgery.) I'd avoid going down the "private route" if at all posssible. Do try and see your NHS audiologist before taking any further steps.

Agree with Davida. I have NHS ones which are brilliant and not that different from the £2000 ones I tried first from Specsavers. Mine also came from Scrivens and I would highly recommend them. Really good service.

Definitely go back, I was told I had a new model last year, they may be able to change or adjust for you

Another one singing the praises of the NHS aids. I can’t get over the fact that I can talk on my mobile phone through my aids using Bluetooth. Phone is usually in my handbag and I can’t hear it.
You do need to wear the aids to get used to them and that’s when they stop sounding so loud. Also the brain needs to adapt. Must admit I tend to only wear them when I go out with friends or watching the tv so I do go through long periods of not wearing them and then having to get used to them again.
Try and persevere.

I would go back to audiology, they have a range of aids available & they are very good. I don't have bluetooth on mine, have to wear a streamer to use bluetooth with phone ( the clarity is excellent) so that's something I'll be asking about when I get new ones.Having said that, my brother and father in law both didnt get on with NHS ones and have gone privately and found they get on better. (they don't have as severe hearing loss as me). I don't know if it's a case of persevering more when you have paid for them yourself, but the main thing is they can wear them & benefit from them.

Everything does sound noisier when you first start using aids, especially things like rustling paper or cutlery, but if you persist you get used to it and realise that this is how it should have been sounding all the time but you have got used to a more muted sound around you.

You just need to go back to the NHS audiology department and get things sorted. There is no need at all to spend thousands of pounds in order to get what you need. The fittings come in different sizes so you need to get that checked out to make sure you have the right ones.

I have worn mine all day every day since they were issued with no problem, apart from getting used to louder sounds to start with. The bonuses were being able to hear speech better and - oh the birdsong - just magic!

I get mine in Specsavers who are agents for the NHS - I pay nothing at all - for the aids, the re-tests, the servicing, the batteries - all free, gratis and for nothing! Brilliant!

I love my NHS aids. I have the sort with a device that fits over the ear. The only thing is I now can't push my hair behind my ears, something I have done all my life, and I'm wondering if there are other NHS models that are all in the ear, rather than above, so my hair would still fit behind my ears. Does anyone know?

Yes you can get all in the ear aids from the NHS, but they're not suitable for more severe hearing losses I think, and not as user-controlled (I'm not an audiologist) so it's not just personal preference, but well worth asking. Also I know that sometimes with your first aids audiologists don't always give out aids with volume control, as I think they see people who come back complaining they don't work, & it's a problem with the controls & they can be difficult for arthritic fingers. But if you find you long for volume control to the point of not using them, again it's worth asking. I don't think either of those features make much difference cost-wise, it's just what experience has shown is easiest for most people to get used to, so it's a case of asking your audiologists if they would be practical for you.

I'm with everyone in praise of the NHS service we get for Hearing Aids. I have had mine for nearly 2 years. If they don't suit you initially you must (please) go back to the Audiology Dept and tell them this. They will be readjusted or even changed for another type. The batteries and maintenance are free which I know have to be paid for if you go the private route. Of course not knowing your circumstances if you can easily afford to do this privately then probably do this. The saving to the NHS by your not using them will be considerable and you will feel happier insisting they provide you more quickly with what you want.

New Hearing Aids always take at least a couple of weeks to get used to wearing. At first, everything sounds very noisy - to a point of annoyance. As you wear them so the brain slowly adjusts to the better audio ability. Anyone, getti ng such aids for rthe first time, should take a good month to climatise to them, strting off with wearing them jujst a couple of hours for the first couple of days, and slowling increasing the amont of time they are in use.

NHS Audiology is one of the few NHS services that is still operating as it should be. They are great, although increasngly, using such places as Specsavers to cafrry out the work.

Rathe rthan rush into highly expnesive privfate Hearing aids, the OP should go back to to the audiology department and try again - slowly.

Hearing Aids really change a person;s life. Hearing loss is one of the most isolating of illnesses.

I have used NHS hearing aids for over 15 years now, and couldn't manage without them. Private ones cost £4k or more, and are no better, as Mum has recently had private and she says she cannot hear any better than with NHS ones. She only had private so she has a back up when she loses one!! Which she has started to do now her memory is failing.

I had a hearing test a year ago, where they issued new ones which connect to bluetooth on my phone. It has made phone calls so much easier now, as the call goes straight to hearing aids. No more saying "I can't hear you very well"....game changer!

I had hearing aids prescribed by an NHS audiology clinic around 4 years ago. I wore them all day every day and battled through hearing everything for probably the first time ever. After a while I started suffering symptoms of anxiety and would have mini panic attacks (never coming to a complete loss of control).
It wasn’t until the first lockdown where working from home, when I stopped wearing them all the time, that I slowly realised that the cacophony of noise was what was affecting me.
The upshot is I’ve retreated into my nice cosy muffled world. I still work from home 4 days a week but cannot bear to put the aids in when a do go in - onto a large open floor plate with a bit of an echo. I know it drives my husband daft and other people too. But I have an inability to cope with the level of noise brought about by the aids.
I’m housebound at the moment recovering from ankle surgery - but have decided to tackle this as soon as I can get about again. I think selective wearing is the only way forward.

I had NHS hearing aids for many years but the service here is awful- 2 year wait for an appointment.
I now have ones from Specsavers, they’re discreet and Bluetooth, far more comfortable than the moulded ones because they sit in the ear canal with very thin tubes so barely noticeable.

I have had my NHS Specsavers hearing aids for 2 weeks and a game changer. A friend did the same, paid over £1000 at Specsavers and for what? I have no idea.

I blamed the sound on my newish TV-it could not possibly be me!

It did not take long for me to adjust and I now notice my slippers squeak!

It is good the batteries are free because over time that cost would mount up.

The audiologist noticed a problem in one of my ears so I am waiting for a local ENT appointment. Superb service.

The local NHS service moved audiology from a department on the hospital premises which was excellent , and outsourced to Specsavers.

On my last visit to Specsavers the audiologist(if such he was) did not renew the tubes on the hearing aids, failed to offer batteries, and tried to promote his new commerical outlets for ear syringing.

The actual aids that I originally got from the hospital audiology service are better quality than the brand supplied by Specsavers as outsource on behalf of the NHS.

My DH had NHS hearing aids, he got on ok with them, but because his hearing loss was quite bad, he had to have the moulded ones, which in the hot summer made his ears quite sweaty and uncomfortable.

After chatting to the Specsavers audiologist, we decided to get private ones. Just under £2000, much more discreet and neat, no batteries. (They weren’t pushy either).

If we couldn’t have afforded to pay, we would have stuck with the NHS ones, but we could, and they are much better for him.

(The audiologist wore hearing aids, his were the private ones)

I think if DH hadn’t needed the moulded ones, the NHS ones would have been fine, but there is no comparison with the appearance and he is just happier with the new ones.

valdali

Yes you can get all in the ear aids from the NHS, but they're not suitable for more severe hearing losses I think, and not as user-controlled (I'm not an audiologist) so it's not just personal preference, but well worth asking. Also I know that sometimes with your first aids audiologists don't always give out aids with volume control, as I think they see people who come back complaining they don't work, & it's a problem with the controls & they can be difficult for arthritic fingers. But if you find you long for volume control to the point of not using them, again it's worth asking. I don't think either of those features make much difference cost-wise, it's just what experience has shown is easiest for most people to get used to, so it's a case of asking your audiologists if they would be practical for you.

Thank you, valdali.

Does anone have entirely in-ear aids from the NHS and how do you get on with them?

Nottooold -I don't have them, I have moulded ones, but my father in law did& they were definitely NHS.

Thanks, valdali. I suppose I could have my hair cut instead!

I did a search to see if there was already a thread on this topic, before starting a new one. These positive comments re the NHS hearing aids are so very comforting. I had a hearing test yesterday at Specsavers, referred by my GP, and have been told by the audiologist that I have hearing loss of 30% in my left ear and 19% in the right. I could have had the aids fitted there and then, but chose to digest it before going ahead. My GP had advised that should I need aids, then I should wear them at all times, as Dementia and depression can be brought on by deafness, which makes sense really, as if I’m unable to follow conversations and contribute in larger groups, I can feel isolated.

I bought my aids privately for a silly high price but I am very happy with them. However my friend wears NHS ones and she is fine too.

Whatever you get if you have a smart mobile phone get the audiologist to link them to your aids.

When I get a call on my mobile it goes straight to my hearing aids. If DH wants yo hear the call I do a quick swipe on the screen and we can both hear. I listen to BBC Sounds through my aids and to podcasts whilst I am out and about with no one realising they are coming through my aids.

Thank you for that recommendation NanKate.