Hearing aid questions + private audiology recommendation (London)

[quickkimchi]

My mum lives abroad and has come to stay with us and I'm hoping while she's here we can improve her hearing situation. About two years ago she was (privately) tested and fitted for hearing aids. Despite having them adjusted repeatedly they don't seem to help very much and they also don't seem to fit very well, they fall out a lot.

All in all it doesn't seem like the best possible outcome but having nothing to compare it to Idk if this is just par for the course. My mum is pretty sharp and fit, but hearing loss isolates her and her focus and social skills suffer.

Not sure how relevant this is, between being tested and actually getting the hearing aids she was found to have experienced substantial additional hearing loss. She'd had a minor stroke a year before and we feared she'd had another which had further affected her hearing but she's been to a neurologist and otolaryngologist, nothing was found to account for additional hearing loss. Can your hearing fluctuate day to day? Could this account for some of the problems?

I'm not really sure what I'm asking, I guess I'd like to know if this sounds normal or can we do better? Do audiologists and hearing aids vary or are they much the same?

We're in west London, grateful for any advice or recommendations.

Not sure how relevant this is, between being tested and actually getting the hearing aids she was found to have experienced substantial additional hearing loss

Are her current hearing aids programmed for the hearing test she had prior to experiencing more loss? She should get them re-programmed if so.

Hearing aids are not all the same and vary in terms of sound quality and fit. I wear hearing aids and so does my Ddad, both got them through the NHS but both are completely different make and model based on our needs. They also come in different sizes.

My DGM was really struggling with her hearing aids and they fell out a lot so she went back to her audiologist and now had hearing aids that are moulded to the shape of her ear so they stay in. Could she have this or are they already moulded?

Thanks Shalom that's very helpful. Are her current hearing aids programmed for the hearing test she had prior to experiencing more loss? She should get them re-programmed if so. Yes, she's gone back since to have them adjusted three times, one was damaged and needed to be replaced.

She told me today that her hearing has recovered now and the additional hearing loss was temporary. She seems not to notice when she doesn't have them in - ? If I compare that to how I am when I don't have my glasses on for example, I would never forget to wear them because there's a clear difference, I really struggle without them, but maybe that's not a good comparison.

I suspect my mum's are not moulded (the brand is Audeo if that makes a difference). She's had different things done to help them fit better, a little silicone cone on one and those clear filaments that are meant to sit in the curve of the ear, neither seemed to help much.

Sorry that should say Phonak Audeo.

Ive just had hearing aids fitted on the NHS.
I had previously had a private test and was recommended hearing aids. I know from family experience that they often need adjustment and maintenance so I decided to try the NHS version first (though I'm tempted by built in Bluetooth in private ones).
I'm pretty sure the brand i got was phonak audio.
The audiologist said that if i had problems with the fit or skin reactions they had plenty of alternatives i could try.
Im delighted with the hearing aid i was given, it's discreet, comfortable and i can hear!
It doesn't fall out but I do have to be careful removing a face mask.

It doesn't fall out but I do have to be careful removing a face mask. I'm using the elastic-round-the-head facemasks for that reason.I have one face mask with ear elastic, and I have to get the face mask elastic between the hearing aid and my head, which is why it's more difficult to get off.

@MereDintofPandiculation I'll have to try and make some more hearing aid friendly masks! Do you have any that you recommend? I've only just got them so all my stock of masks are the ear hook variety.

Hearing aids are not like glasses, they don't fix your hearing they just amplify noise. Everyone is different but it takes awhile to get used to them. My hearing is classes as a severe loss, yet I tend to just use one aid as I get overwhelmed with two, plus with masks etc it's even more fiddly.

Adjustment can take sometime to get right, some people don't need any adjustments and some can have 20 adjustments.

The mask issue is a real pain in the arse. I don’t like the kind that fit behind the ear but my mum uses them and they do dislodge the HA.
This has been very helpful, I didn’t know that some people need lots of adjustments, my mum was reluctant to go back for more but that’s probably her temperament more than anything else. She didn’t really want them to begin with (I think she expected them to say her hearing was fine) and it’s frustrating that they haven’t just worked well for her from the start.
Does anyone use a clip to keep them from falling off and getting lost?

@Fyzz I got mine from EleniHandmadeGB on Etsy. There's so many facemasks on Etsy that searching is difficult - I searched for "face mask" "nose wire" "filter pocket" round head, but even that threw up some crud. Searching on Eleni got me there quicker (I'd found her on an earlier search by chance, and was going back to increase stock).

@quickkimchi I don't like having a hearing aid. It makes me feel 80 years old. Maybe your Mum feels similar?

Mere if there was a better alternative I'm sure she'd take it. Her mother suffered a long, slow decline with dementia and she's keen to reduce her risk. She's persevering so I guess she finds them worthwhile but it's a mixed bag for sure.

The Etsy search function is notorious btw, I'm often put off by it.

@MereDintofPandiculation thanks for that.
@quickkimchi I can't imagine anyone likes them but they do make such a difference. The audiologist spent ages talking to me about what they can and can't do. She said many people have unrealistic expectations as they dont work as you might hope. For example there is background noise I haven't heard for ages and now it's there, she said the brain will soon learn to filter it out.
I have read that hearing loss can contribute to dementia because it leads to reduced social interaction and engagement.
I would suggest you book your mum in and ask if you can go with her because of her dementia (most appointments are unaccompanied because of covid). There must be a better fitting alternative im sure. Plus as someone said you could try just one for a start?

Fyzz I agree, I don't love wearing glasses either but I can't function without them. I think she sees hearing aids as largely unnecessary as she lives alone, ideally she'd prefer to only use them when she 'needs' to hear something but it doesn't work that way, you don't know what you need to hear until you're hearing it (or not), and as you say the process of hearing affects the brain, you can't turn it on and off.

I'm very sensitive to noise and I understand how irritating it would be to be forced to hear what you'd rather ignore, I'm sure I'd be the same.

I'm not really sure how her expectations were managed, I wasn't with her for the other appointments. I'll see how she feels about telling them she needs me to come with her, I'm sure it would be useful, two heads being better than one. She's almost 80, it can't be unexpected that she'd need help surely.

I have read that hearing loss can contribute to dementia because it leads to reduced social interaction and engagement. Yes, I understand that. What you lose first is the high frequencies, so you're unaware of the loss, but you stop hearing sounds like "s" and"t". Therefore speech sounds indistinct - you feel you're hearing it perfectly well, at good volume (because of course you are hearing mid and low pitched sounds perfectly normally), but people seem to be mumbling, and you find yourself giving up on the effort to listen to group conversations and just letting it wash over you.

I have read that hearing loss can contribute to dementia because it leads to reduced social interaction and engagement. Yeah, you will. It's like people stop hearing the railway at the bottom of the garden, or the planes from the local airport. I've reduced the annoyance of my tinnitus hugely by deliberately turning my attention away from it and telling my brain "no, that's not important, you don't have to pay attention to that".

you find yourself giving up on the effort to listen to group conversations and just letting it wash over you. I can identify with this, I've always struggled to hear properly in a group but I put it down to being an introvert and easily overstimulated. I prefer one-on-one communication and I want to listen closely, so group chatter is stressful and I give up.

And while that sounds straightforward there are so many broader implications. My mum's focus and communication have changed, it's very subtle, her ability to read the room is impaired. Hearing is just one part of it (there are other issues of age and health) but the relationships between hearing, communication, understanding, fluency, expression, acuity, intimacy etc etc are all so complex, at least hearing loss can be addressed.

What you lose first is the high frequencies Not true in my case so I guess people are different. I can hear high frequencies just fine but have lost the low frequencies in both ears. It means I struggle to hear male voices but usually have no trouble with women.
You do give up though. There are only so many times you can say pardon? Would you mind speaking up please?
I've never had perfect hearing but it has got worse.
I got quite upset one day when DS (24) had visited and I felt like I heard less than half the conversation. That's what prompted me to get a test.

How do people cope with wearing hearing aids, mask and glasses? It’s almost impossible.

Mask nearest the head, then glasses, then hearing aid. You will lose your hearing aid when you take the mask off so be ready to catch it.

Alternatively, use a mask which has the elastic round the back of the head. Either buy a mask like that, or change the elastic in the one you have. Not much use if you're wearing surgical masks.