Hearing aids (1 Viewer)

[dulvil]

Got an appointment this morning to see about new heating aids at Specsavers. Has anyone got any views of them. The ones I am looking at work through the iPhone, supposedly making t.v. Sound better, just under £2000. Bit late asking but just booked it

 

[Podney]

Well they should keep your ears warm anyway. Boom boom

Interested in the replies as I reckon I’m going a bit mutton.

 

[Pirahna]

I have NHS ones, they're ok but basic. The only thing I really struggle with is phone calls on the land line, I have to have the phone on loud speaker and of the call is important I'll have my wife present to pick up the bits I've missed. I don't receive enough calls these days to make investing in a hearing aid and phone solution worth while. If I'm making a call I get on fine with ear buds and the mobile, the problem is I don't get any mobile reception at home.

Purely my opinion, but I think hearing aid companies could charge a quarter of the current prices and still make a healthy profit.

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[old-mo]

Get your GP to get you a referral for a hearing test through NHS...

I got supplied with these free =

Possibly what you will pay a lot of money for, Only difference I can see is the newer ones have an on/off button, where my old model you have to open the battery compartment to turn them off... and mine has a button on one that does the volume to bot.... sort of blue tooth..

I really should go and get mine tweaked a bit, cos I am deafer than when I got them a few years ago..

 

[dunnah01]

I got a small free Siemens one from Specsavers through an NHS referral. Can't see how a £2000 can be any better.

 

[Spriddler]

When I was a supplier to hearing aid manufacturers all standard h/aids had a 'T' button which linked the aid (without wires) to a simple inexpensive induction loop system in the TV room and I think the landline telephone. A sort of early Bluetooth technology but I suppose it's old hat and obsolete now.

EDIT
Just found this on the web:

Most hearing aids models have a switch that gives you access to receive signals either from the hearing aid microphone or a loop system. It is called a “T switch.” Activating the T-setting switches off the microphone - so only signals transmitted from the loop system are audible.28 Jul 2016

Full info here:
What is a telecoil - and do all hearing aids have telecoils? (widex.com)

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[Lofty1]

I use two nhs ones free and free batterys, never had any problems with them.

 

[Coolcats]

Most of the telco providers such as BT sell phones with inductive loop for hearing aids

 

[Fenman]

I had nhs aids but with lockdown the audio clinic was virtually impossible to visit with any problems. I decided eventually to go for Specsavers.
Very good service and tests etc., were free, I'm 71 so no problem there.
I went for in the ear ones and 10 days after tests they were ready.
Popped back 2 weeks after fitting to check all was well and reset volume level to suit me better.
Much more comfortable than the old over the ear ones. 4 year guarantee and free batteries for that time.
Cost £1600.
Boots were the most expensive when I was looking and Specsavers not the cheapest but as I have their glasses and was pleased with the service I went with them.
Well pleased.

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[Nirvanauk]

I have NHS ones, they're ok but basic. The only thing I really struggle with is phone calls on the land line, I have to have the phone on loud speaker and of the call is important I'll have my wife present to pick up the bits I've missed. I don't receive enough calls these days to make investing in a hearing aid and phone solution worth while. If I'm making a call I get on fine with ear buds and the mobile, the problem is I don't get any mobile reception at home.

Purely my opinion, but I think hearing aid companies could charge a quarter of the current prices and still make a healthy profit.

I don’t get a mobile signal but my smart phone is set up for Wi-fi calling. Can you do this? It works really well.

 

[Spriddler]

Anecdote........
I occasionally visited h/aid consultants on business. One elderly lady returned her 'invisible' in-ear trial aids saying that she had to turn it on which ran down the batteries. She said that she didn't even have to switch on her body worn one with the wires going up to her ear as people could see she was deaf so faced her and spoke louder.
Can't fault the logic in that.

 

[Sandancers]

I'm waiting till the technology allows "filtering by person", sort of like the phone list of contacts, but in this case it filters out the voices of those on the list.

Obviously, I'd NEVER considering putting the Mrs on that list, oh no !

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[Tea Bag]

Get your GP to get you a referral for a hearing test through NHS...

Hi.
Went to Specsavers for my annual eye test and had the ear test. It was there i found out that if i took the results to our Dr's i May/would get a referral to the hospital which i did. Same Hearing aids..Costs... Nil. Its up to you now,best of luck.
Tea Bag.

 

[dle54]

I have a pair of Oticon aides, amazing sound quality and control but they were mightily expensive but as she that must be obeyed said, “you wouldn’t think twice about paying that sort of money to buy a new secondhand shotgun.....” can’t live with or without her.

 

[Madmag]

Just had my NHS ones renewed. All singing and dancing, connect via bluetooth so can get incoming mobile phone calls etc directly through them if you want. Only wear them to watch TV as have a tinnitus problem mainly but they do help. I was referred, great service since then.

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[Madmag]

They are Oticon ones.

 

[Tinker2]

I got some new hearing aids, only had them in 2 days and heard from my mate in Australia .

Seriously though I have complex hearing problems, and wear aids in both ears.
Specsavers should not be are not hearing specialist.
If you have hearing problems see your doctor first, it may be you have other things going on.
Remember Specsavers are out to make money.

 

[makems]

I have had NHS aids for almost 20 years and I am now on my 5th set. They are excellent - extremely small and light (the downside being the batteries are smaller and only last 7 days) and work extremely well. i sing and play guitar in a band and occasionally solo and the aids cope well with loud music as well as softer sounds. They have up to 4 different sound settings which I can cycle through although I only use 3 - normal day to day, a setting for hearing loop which is commonly found in banks, churches and even some supermarkets, and a loud music setting which the NHS audiology programmed specially (The aids have a limiter which stops sound getting too loud to damage my remaining hearing, but I needed this adjusting for when I play live).
my wife also has hearing aids and hers were supplied by Specsavers (under the NHS scheme) and are the more bulky type I had before my current models. I was not impressed by their service.their hearing tests weren’t done in a soundproof room (my NHS Audiology Tests were), operating instructions and advice were basic at best - I ended up having to help the Specsaver adviser on what features the aids had and how to use
them.
My advice - Get NHS hearing aids first before you decide to shell out £2k for something that may be no better than NHS standard. if possible use NHS Audiology for testing and prescription of aids -these people have had years of training and experience. Based on my admittedly small sample of 1 Specsavers technician I doubt if he had had more than a couple of weeks training.
if you find that the NHS aids don’t work for you in some specific way there might be a Hardware solution available privately That would be worth shelling out for.
and remember - it takes a few weeks to get used to heraing aids and if you don’t wear them all the time you will never get used to them And will just think they don’t work very well.
hearing aids have revolutionised my life and they haven’t cost me a penny in 20 years.

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[Sandancers]

I have had NHS aids for almost 20 years and I am now on my 5th set. They are excellent - extremely small and light (the downside being the batteries are smaller and only last 7 days) and work extremely well. i sing and play guitar in a band and occasionally solo and the aids cope well with loud music as well as softer sounds. They have up to 4 different sound settings which I can cycle through although I only use 3 - normal day to day, a setting for hearing loop which is commonly found in banks, churches and even some supermarkets, and a loud music setting which the NHS audiology programmed specially (The aids have a limiter which stops sound getting too loud to damage my remaining hearing, but I needed this adjusting for when I play live).
my wife also has hearing aids and hers were supplied by Specsavers (under the NHS scheme) and are the more bulky type I had before my current models. I was not impressed by their service.their hearing tests weren’t done in a soundproof room (my NHS Audiology Tests were), operating instructions and advice were basic at best - I ended up having to help the Specsaver adviser on what features the aids had and how to use
them.
My advice - Get NHS hearing aids first before you decide to shell out £2k for something that may be no better than NHS standard. if possible use NHS Audiology for testing and prescription of aids -these people have had years of training and experience. Based on my admittedly small sample of 1 Specsavers technician I doubt if he had had more than a couple of weeks training.
if you find that the NHS aids don’t work for you in some specific way there might be a Hardware solution available privately That would be worth shelling out for.
and remember - it takes a few weeks to get used to heraing aids and if you don’t wear them all the time you will never get used to them And will just think they don’t work very well.
hearing aids have revolutionised my life and they haven’t cost me a penny in 20 years.

Is there a specific brand name of the type you have ?

 

[makems]

Is there a specific brand name of the type you have ?

Mine are Phonak Nathos Auto Micro which I have had for 2 years now.
However your NHS commissioning group may have purchasing agreements with different suppliers. In the past I have had aids by Oticon and Siemens (now called Signia).
They have all been good and the technology has improved with every change.
With the NHS you normally have your hearing re-tested every 3 years - if they don't contact you, contact THEM.
If your hearing has changed they will either re-program your aids or give you new ones (usually if they have changed supplier or your model is obsolete). My hearing has changed slightly every time my hearing has been re-tested - just like my eyesight changes requiring new specs.
I very much doubt if you would get free upgrades every 3 years if you buy privately.

 

[makems]

Get your GP to get you a referral for a hearing test through NHS...

I got supplied with these free =

View attachment 461641

Possibly what you will pay a lot of money for, Only difference I can see is the newer ones have an on/off button, where my old model you have to open the battery compartment to turn them off... and mine has a button on one that does the volume to bot.... sort of blue tooth..

I really should go and get mine tweaked a bit, cos I am deafer than when I got them a few years ago..

They look the same is mine Mo. You should get your hearing retested every three years. You will either get existing aids re-programmed or brand new ones.

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[dulvil]

Thanks for all your replies. I do have n.h.s. h/aids but find them tinny sounding. This morning they removed wax and yuk. I’ve ordered the 2k ones and have 90 days to try them or a full refund. Pick them up in a week. If they are as good as they say I won’t have to send them back.

 

[Polar bear]

NHS hearing aids every time and you can spend a year at least in France with the two grand no contest.

 

[Sapper520]

Went to Specsavers, free hearing test. Asked for NHS aids, they contacted my GP and 3 weeks later I had new hearing aids.

Get the tubes changed about ever 4 months, and free batteries when needed.

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[Ian Bosman]

Got an appointment this morning to see about new heating aids at Specsavers. Has anyone got any views of them. The ones I am looking at work through the iPhone, supposedly making t.v. Sound better, just under £2000. Bit late asking but just booked it

My NHS funded hearing aids from Specsavers are a bit of a nuisance as there is some connection between our house wifi and the aids. Every now and again, several times a day I get this very loud whistle. Specsavers do not know the cause but these are the first I have had this issue with since 2004 when I first had the aids

 

[Ian Bosman]

I have had NHS aids for almost 20 years and I am now on my 5th set. They are excellent - extremely small and light (the downside being the batteries are smaller and only last 7 days) and work extremely well. i sing and play guitar in a band and occasionally solo and the aids cope well with loud music as well as softer sounds. They have up to 4 different sound settings which I can cycle through although I only use 3 - normal day to day, a setting for hearing loop which is commonly found in banks, churches and even some supermarkets, and a loud music setting which the NHS audiology programmed specially (The aids have a limiter which stops sound getting too loud to damage my remaining hearing, but I needed this adjusting for when I play live).
my wife also has hearing aids and hers were supplied by Specsavers (under the NHS scheme) and are the more bulky type I had before my current models. I was not impressed by their service.their hearing tests weren’t done in a soundproof room (my NHS Audiology Tests were), operating instructions and advice were basic at best - I ended up having to help the Specsaver adviser on what features the aids had and how to use
them.
My advice - Get NHS hearing aids first before you decide to shell out £2k for something that may be no better than NHS standard. if possible use NHS Audiology for testing and prescription of aids -these people have had years of training and experience. Based on my admittedly small sample of 1 Specsavers technician I doubt if he had had more than a couple of weeks training.
if you find that the NHS aids don’t work for you in some specific way there might be a Hardware solution available privately That would be worth shelling out for.
and remember - it takes a few weeks to get used to heraing aids and if you don’t wear them all the time you will never get used to them And will just think they don’t work very well.
hearing aids have revolutionised my life and they haven’t cost me a penny in 20 years.

These days of course they are all digital so programmed to your hearing loss. I must admit it is a bit hit or miss as to who you see at Specsavers, they used to bring in specialists but I think more recently they have been using their own trained staff. I was tested in a soundproof booth. If you, like me need the hearing loop then you have to mention it otherwise they may not understand what your real needs are. Because I work with a church AV system and particularly on the sound desk (a digital one at that) I asked for the loop technology to be activated as people often say to me that the loop is not working when I know it is (it is never turned off!). I do agree that the wearing all the time is vital as your brain has to adjust to the difference.

 

[Lenny HB]

My NHS funded hearing aids from Specsavers are a bit of a nuisance as there is some connection between our house wifi and the aids. Every now and again, several times a day I get this very loud whistle. Specsavers do not know the cause but these are the first I have had this issue with since 2004 when I first had the aids

Have you tried changing the channel on your router?

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[Jasz]

Got an appointment this morning to see about new heating aids at Specsavers. Has anyone got any views of them. The ones I am looking at work through the iPhone, supposedly making t.v. Sound better, just under £2000. Bit late asking but just booked it

How are you getting on with them?
I didn't see this at the time but I would guess that if you're going private £2000 is probably the least you would want to spend. I think it's a bit like comparing a good music center to a HiFi.
I invested in Phonak Paradise hearing aids recently (partly for the accessories that can help in difficult situations) as I had to keep asking my wife to repeat herself. With the bluetooth streaming I can hear detail in music that I have'nt heard for many years as these are a fair bit better than my old ones.
I could have spent as much on a week or twos holiday somewhere but hopefully these will help us for years.

 

[Lenny HB]

I have a NHS hearing test at Specsaver in a couple of weeks. I hope NHS ones work for me, the only problem I really have is when watching TV dramas & films OK I sometimes have ask people to repeat what they say but it's not that bad.

 

[WynandJean]

I have a NHS hearing test at Specsaver in a couple of weeks. I hope NHS ones work for me, the only problem I really have is when watching TV dramas & films OK I sometimes have ask people to repeat what they say but it's not that bad.

Yes, we have great difficulty with mumbling speech in films which the TV companies do not accept yet the adverts and studio based programs are quite clear.

Wyn

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