Elderly Hearing aid advice

[Hogofogo]

Has anyone’s parent managed to get a hearing aid from NHS that can be easily switched between normal and tv use? My MIL in France apparently has this but my mother is using an NHS normal hearing aid and also a private one that is just for tuning in to the tv. She struggles to change them over and it’s an ongoing problem with neither working very well. She only has limited hearing in one ear as it is so hears nothing without it. She has a hearing review later this week and so just trying to understand if there are any other options? Thanks alot

My NHS aid has 4 options controlled by rocker switch on one aid 1) normal, 2) directionally focused for one-to-one in noisy environments, TV, 3) even more focused for phone 4) induction loop. Is that the sort of thing you meant?

Thanks. The private one she has links to a Phonak tv connector apparently which relays the tv directly through the hearing aid. So I guess what we are after is a single nhs hearing aid that can do the same thing?

Oh I don't know my NHS one doesn't have a Tele setting!

Different hearing aids have different functionalities. If the TV is important she needs to mention this at her review. Can you help her make a list of everything that's important so that she can take it with her? The audiologist will then be better placed to recommend something.

In the meantime perhaps you could consider a separate amplifier for the TV - something like this https://www.connevans.co.uk/product/39579502/93TVSPK1/Portable-Wireless-TV-Speaker---easy-to-install-and-use-with-clear--rich-sound. That would eliminate the need to change aids.

Just thought to add that if she has only one hearing aid (as I do) then some of the normal features of that aid may be unavailable. For example if I had a pair of aids then I could control the volume by pressing a button on one aid for up and on the other for down. This doesn't work with just one. Fortunately I can connect it to an app which allows me to alter the volume, but again some aids work with Android phones and some with iphones. Another reason it's best to be clear about the requirements and ask the audiologist to recommend something.

When I was using only one aid I could use the rocker switch on it to both increase and decrease volume. And use the app to set it to "noisy environments"

Or I could do it the other way round - rocker switch for noisy environments, volume via the app.

Now I have two, one of them sequences between 4 modes as I described above, the other controls volume.

I didn't have to ask for any of this, the audiologist offered. But it might be a question of describing all the problems to the audiologist, not all of them are as helpful.

Thanks all for your replies. Doesn’t sound like the one that connects with the tv (rather than just amplifying it) is common on nhs. Will have to see what they say at the review.