Thread for those of us that are deaf/hard of hearing?

[flamingo40]

I've looked through the health topics and can't find any particular areas for those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing to turn to if we are after advice or just fancy a chat with people who are in the same situation?
I guess I'm asking firstly if I'm missing something or secondly if there isn't an area we can go to would this be something Mumsnet would think about adding?

Having been hard of hearing for years and now a permanent hearing aid wearer I'd love you get help and advice and talk about experiences to other people

@purpleme12

you’d have to check that your work phone is Bluetooth compatible. Try Googling the make / model to find an instruction manual - that might tell you.

@purpleme12

if you have a Bluetooth compatible phone, and the phone is paired with your hearing aids, the sound will come directly into your aids. It’s bit like wearing EarPods. so they would replace the headset.

Thank you I've checked and it is
(Sorry stupid me, didn't check it before posting 🤦‍♀️)
But would really appreciate someone telling me how Bluetooth works in general
Would there be a button on the hearing aid to turn Bluetooth on for example?

Ah right ok thank you
I've never had earpods I'm very much behind on technology 🤣)
I'm really wondering about asking for Bluetooth ones

For my hearing aids (phonak aero) , whenever I turn them on they are in ‘searching’ mode for a couple of minutes. If I go to the Bluetooth menu on the device I’ll see my hearing aids pop up on the list, I select that, and they pair with the device. Then the next time I do it, they pair automatically. Bluetooth only works over short distances though, it’s not like wifi. If you get too far from the device, the connection will break and you’ll have to start over.

Do you press a button on the hearing aids and the Bluetooth comes on on them? How does it work with the hearing aids? Or are they always on Bluetooth?

That doesn’t sound right. Did you get them through the NHS or privately? I ask because some of the private providers can be a bit, well, less than thorough.

One possibility is that you’re getting debris and/or condensation blocking the tube. On certain models of aid the filter can get mucky as well. Make sure the tube dries out overnight; it’s often a good idea to take it off the aid. Don’t keep jamming it in so hard!

I often find, too, that my hearing aids work less well when the battery’s about to die. An hour or so before the warning beep speech becomes a lot less distinct and I keep having to ask people to repeat themselves.

Also, check what settings you have. Some ‘anti-background noise’ settings (they’re nothing of the sort 🙄) do really weird things when there’s ambient noise like fans, traffic, background chatter etc.

Ok that's interesting

So do you feel a benefit when you connect it to a phone? Ie do you think it's clearer and/or louder?
Than if you weren't using Bluetooth?

Yes, I love love love the Bluetooth! For calls, podcasts, music, watching tv on an iPad etc. The main problem though is switching - so if you are listening via Bluetooth then someone speaks to you directly, you won’t hear them: you’d have to disconnect from the Bluetooth. Which can be a pain. The technology isn’t quite as good as I wish it was yet.

Oh right I didn't realise this.
So if I was at work and I had it connected to the work phone for working. But someone at work talked to me, I wouldn't hear them at all?

And also in this situation how do you disconnect?
Is there a button on the hearing aid or another way?

I’ve also found some interesting functions on I phone for the bluetooths.You can turn on background noise and have rainfall, white noise, or a stream playing in them to block out noise like if you are on the tube etc
i can play podcasts or media through them too.

I'm really worried they're going to see I'm finding it harder and harder to hear and I'll make more and mistakes and they say I'm not suitable anymore.
It's much easier working from home (no background noise and I can have it on the speakers on my laptop rather than the headset as well if I want to) but not sure if they'd want that all the time

You know I can’t actually answer that, all the devices I use blue tooth on are Apple so they have very accessible menus / controls. If I’m listening to a podcast and want to disconnect temporarily, I pause the podcast and after a couple of seconds my aids disconnect and I hear normally. Then if I hit play again, they reconnect. Same for calls to my iPhone. It automatically connects and rings through Bluetooth, then disconnects when I finish the call.

but yes, I need to manually disconnect (on the device) to hear normally. It might well be possible on the aids too: I still haven’t fathomed all the controls!

Oh ok

It sounds complicated!

You think it's worth getting them?

In a separate but kind of related note, do you think workplace would let you work from home if needed because of the hearing problems?
I really notice my hearing nowadays ☹️ I find it harder than I used to ☹️

@purpleme12 It could be a reasonable adjustment, I suppose, depending on what your job entails and if it can be done from home. I guess you'd need to talk about it with HR and they may ask for an audiologist letter stating your loss and how your hearing affects work in person? I don't know how these things work, sorry.

Well... I finally got Bluetooth hearing aids today and was so excited! But because I have an android phone I still have to buy a separate mic to be able to take calls and listen to music via my aids! Which kind of defeats the purpose. I already have receivers and a mic!

Will have to contact Access to Work and discuss what happens re. getting a new mic now. Pfft.

Oh so android phones can't connect to hearing aids?

They can, just the Oticon ones require a 'Connect Clip' external device to do so.

Other hearing aid makes may vary, but my NHS Trust uses mainly Oticon.

Thanks @DatasCat they're NHS aids but they basically just handed them to me without any instruction. I don't think the tubes are getting blocked as they only work for about four days after I get them back from "repair" and I let the tube dry out overnight. I've tried changing the battery but a new one doesn't make any difference, it's suddenly gone faint and disconnecting and reconnecting the tube doesn't make any difference. I don't have any settings, there is a button/switch on the aid but nobody told me what it does. I try not to press it when I'm putting the aid in.

I have an android phone and Bluetooth works perfectly well with my aids.

It depends on the aids, though, as I said. Which aids so you have?

Ah, in that case I would make an urgent appointment with audiology or head to a repair clinic if you have one in your area, as it sounds like your aids are faulty.

Make sure you get some proper settings put in as these can be very useful - T setting for phones and induction loop, and some people find a ‘background noise’ setting helpful (not me though; I just find it harder to hear male voices!) It’s a pain in the backside having to rearrange appointments but you can’t carry on with these.

On another note, how irritating is it that they all seem to think we’re elderly and retired and can just rock up to clinics/appointments whenever it suits them? Some of us have jobs and families!