Some questions on hearing aids... (2024)

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salsarla Posts: 12 Forumite

11 March 2010 at 6:51PM in Disability money matters

Well basically im 24 and i have had the nhs oticon spirit 3 open fit hearing aids for a few months now, i have only wore them a few times inside but cant get myself to wear them normally. Here are a few questions and i would appreciate it if i could get any answers.

If i were to take these hearing aids back, would they offer me either cic ones or smaller open fit ote ones? and has anyone ever been successful in getting any real discreet hearing aids?

I have heard of access to work and that they help towards hearing aid costs, i am not working at the moment but i am applying for jobs, if i were to start work and then said that my hearing is affecting me at work and i dont want to wear the nhs ones, would they help towards the cost of more discreet hearing aids?

My last question is that i went to boots for a free hearing assessment and was told that if i bought one hearing aid then it would cost me £600, this would be either cic or a very small open fit one, has anyone here had success with buying any from boots?

As you can tell i have alot of research to do but cheers for any help anyway.

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  • Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,514 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (3) Some questions on hearing aids... (4) Some questions on hearing aids... (5)

    11 March 2010 at 7:29PM

    Welcome to the boards!

    We have a long thread here, which may help you.

    But I don't think Access to Work will help if you just have a preference for something more discreet, only if NHS aids aren't adequate for your needs. Could be wrong, but ...

    What's the problem with wearing your hearing aids out? I don't wear mine out, because I don't need to do so, and find wearing it all day not completely comfortable, but then I only have one aid, which is better since I got an open fit mould.

    Signature removed for peace of mind

  • Hear-Hear Posts: 325 Forumite

    12 March 2010 at 11:20PM

    Hi salsarla,

    The long thread that Savvy_Sue pointed to is certainly worth reading. To answer your specific questions:-

    1. No, the NHS will not provide an alternative hearing aid for you. If you are in a PCT area that uses 'Oticon' as a supplier, you will be given the old-fashioned Oticon Spirit, or the more-recent Oticon Zest models. Both are Behind-The-Ear or Open-Ear styles.

    2. The NHS will not supply CIC hearing aids, unless there is a medical condition that prevents you having an instrument behind your ear.

    3. 'Open-Ear'/'Open-Fit' (essentially the same thing) are amazingly discrete. Have you seen them ? If not, go and see them. In many respects, they are more cosmetically attractive than any all-in-the-ear hearing aids. The NHS do supply these.

    4. 'Open' is unlikely to be suitable if your hearing thresholds are poor in the low to mid frequency range, as well as in the highs. I suspect this may be true in your case, since you have only had yours a few months. Your local Audiology Dept would probably have given you 'Open' style if you had been suitable. Do you know your audiogram readings ?

    5. ATW used to help towards the cost of digital hearing aids before the NHS switched over to all-digital about 7 seven years ago. ATW will now only support accessory items like bluetooth transmitters and radio links (provided your hearing aids are compatible with either or both of these). Like the NHS, ATW ar not concerned with cosmetic appearance, so will not fund.

    6. Why would you want

    one

    hearing aid from Boots when you need

    two

    ?? This is what the NHS have given you, and they would not have done so unless you needed both. Simply on that basis alone, you seem to have had poor advice. Look around for a second opinion if you do intend to go private.

    7. At £600.00, that would be at the bottom of the scale of Boots prices. It would help to know the specific make and model suggested, but bottom-of-scale equates to a 'budget' model, probably with 5 or less channels. Even the NHS is supplying 12-channel hearing aids as standard now. So, it looks like you would be sacrificing quality as well as quantity. Definately seek a second opinion in my view.

    In defence of Boots, they are the second-largest (private) supplier of hearing aids in the UK, so they must be getting it right most of the time !

  • salsarla Posts: 12 Forumite

    13 March 2010 at 2:59PM

    I did ask for a printout of my audiogram at boots and this is what it looks like:

    Right ear - 50db at 500hz, 50db at 1000hz, 45db at 2000hz, 40db at 4000hz and 25db at 8000hz.

    Left ear - 45db at 500hz, 55db at 1000hz, 55db at 200hz, 35db at 4000hz and 30db at 8000hz.

    I guess the loss is similar in both ears and two would be neccessary because the nhs did supply two, the only reason i was thinking about getting one at boots is because of the cost and also that getting one cic might reduce any plugged up effect.

    Well now i know nhs wouldnt supply cic hearing aids and also access to work is not likely to help towards costs, although i might still give them a try.

    So i am assuming the oticon zest are the mini bte ones? i went to royal hallamshire hospital in sheffield and they gave me a pair of oticon spirit 3's would i be able to return these and get the mini zest ones instead? because the tube itself can be hidden with my hair but its just the back bit is a bit too visible.

  • summerof0763 Posts: 825 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (9) Some questions on hearing aids... (10)

    13 March 2010 at 3:23PM

    salsarla wrote: »

    I did ask for a printout of my audiogram at boots and this is what it looks like:

    Right ear - 50db at 500hz, 50db at 1000hz, 45db at 2000hz, 40db at 4000hz and 25db at 8000hz.

    Left ear - 45db at 500hz, 55db at 1000hz, 55db at 200hz, 35db at 4000hz and 30db at 8000hz.

    I guess the loss is similar in both ears and two would be neccessary because the nhs did supply two, the only reason i was thinking about getting one at boots is because of the cost and also that getting one cic might reduce any plugged up effect.

    Well now i know nhs wouldnt supply cic hearing aids and also access to work is not likely to help towards costs, although i might still give them a try.

    So i am assuming the oticon zest are the mini bte ones? i went to royal hallamshire hospital in sheffield and they gave me a pair of oticon spirit 3's would i be able to return these and get the mini zest ones instead? because the tube itself can be hidden with my hair but its just the back bit is a bit too visible.

    to be fair hardly anyone notices the bte ones,unlike my first one which was a big box you had to wear on a bit tape hanging round your neck,and wires leading to the most uncomfortable moulds in the ear gah!! was mighty glad to get rid of them.

    i came into the world with nothing,and guess what? i still have it!!!:p

  • Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,514 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (12) Some questions on hearing aids... (13) Some questions on hearing aids... (14)

    13 March 2010 at 6:55PM

    summerof0763 wrote: »

    to be fair hardly anyone notices the bte ones,unlike my first one which was a big box you had to wear on a bit tape hanging round your neck,and wires leading to the most uncomfortable moulds in the ear gah!! was mighty glad to get rid of them.

    That's very true, although probably not much comfort to the OP.

    However, my feeling is that it's worth getting more brazen about hearing aids - all of us wearing them, IMO. Because you have to realise that even with hearing aids, you can still struggle if people mumble, turn their heads away, shake their hair in front of their faces, and generally fail to cooperate in speaking clearly to your face.

    With slightly visible hearing aids, hopefully people will respond appropriately, eg checking to see if you would like to use any induction loop, offering privacy if it's noisy etc. Or, at the very least, speaking clearly!

    Anything's better (IMO) than the twee little badge my mum wears with a teddy bear on it which says "I'm hard of hearing, please bear with me." Because actually she's NOT just hard of hearing, she's extremely deaf, no functional hearing left in one ear, and the other one is only any use with her hearing aid in!

    Signature removed for peace of mind

  • summerof0763 Posts: 825 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (16) Some questions on hearing aids... (17)

    13 March 2010 at 7:18PM

    Savvy_Sue wrote: »

    That's very true, although probably not much comfort to the OP.

    However, my feeling is that it's worth getting more brazen about hearing aids - all of us wearing them, IMO. Because you have to realise that even with hearing aids, you can still struggle if people mumble, turn their heads away, shake their hair in front of their faces, and generally fail to cooperate in speaking clearly to your face.

    With slightly visible hearing aids, hopefully people will respond appropriately, eg checking to see if you would like to use any induction loop, offering privacy if it's noisy etc. Or, at the very least, speaking clearly!

    Anything's better (IMO) than the twee little badge my mum wears with a teddy bear on it which says "I'm hard of hearing, please bear with me." Because actually she's NOT just hard of hearing, she's extremely deaf, no functional hearing left in one ear, and the other one is only any use with her hearing aid in!

    i agree,though having grown up with deafness from an early age,i have virtually none now.i find even a little visability does not always help.
    i have been told its selective deafness,if i do not answer people who are behind me,people can be very rude even if you show your wearing a hearing aid.
    I no longer go out alone due to having lost all confidence in the outside world,i need a placard to carry around proclaiming am deaf :rotfl:never mind the rest of my disabilities,

    i came into the world with nothing,and guess what? i still have it!!!:p

  • NoAngel Posts: 778 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (19) Some questions on hearing aids... (20) Some questions on hearing aids... (21) Some questions on hearing aids... (22)

    13 March 2010 at 10:36PM

    I think you'll find the in the ear ones harder to wear and I honestly think the open fit look better than some in the ear hearing aids. As Hear Hear said, the £600 aid form Boots is likely to be a more budget aid than the ones you're wearing. I don't think people notice hearing aids as much as you may think they do and I'm sure you'll soon start to feel the benefits if you start wearing them out.

  • salsarla Posts: 12 Forumite

    15 March 2010 at 7:43PM

    Well i sure as hell notice them in the mirror, maybe i can colour them to camouflage with my skin.

  • sunnyone Posts: 4,716 Forumite

    Some questions on hearing aids... (25) Some questions on hearing aids... (26) Some questions on hearing aids... (27)

    15 March 2010 at 8:04PM

    I have short blonde hair and wear 2 siemens reflex m`s and people cant see them and are surprised when I say Im deaf, I sometimes wear bright blue moulds and I had them done that colour just to make them visable for enviroments where I cant hear at all to make people visably aware of my deafness.

    My daughter says when she notices them they look like a cress stem around my ear, clear hardly noticable even when you know they are there.

    I wasnt embarrased about my aids when I was younger, maybe its your age and being deaf that bothers you?

  • salsarla Posts: 12 Forumite

    17 March 2010 at 3:19PM

    Yea it must be my age, plus i dont want people to know i have a hearing problem. Are the siemens reflex m's the mini ones?

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