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

Being able to make a phone call and having it directly in my ears is fantastic! Enjoy your new ones - which are you getting?

Don’t know what sort, they will be NHS ones . Will report back once I have them!

@LimeMango

I’ve had Phonak aero with Bluetooth for a few years now, and agree that they are brilliant but… not quite perfect! i can have them paired with maybe 3 devices at once, but still have to go into the settings and switch the connection from one to another. It’s à pita. They will generally connect to whichever device I am closest to which isn’t always convenient Also I regularly use up to 4 Bluetooth compatible devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac at work, MacBook Air when wfh) and I have to ‘forget’ the devices to move between them then re-pair them which can involve turning them on / off several times or returning them to the charging box.

So yes, really good for hearing but not great in user friendliness.

Evening all

A quick question if I may!

Are Bluetooth aids available on the NHS?
I have an audiologist appointment next week through the NHS and I can guarantee I need aids (strong family history)

However I would need Bluetooth aids as I use a Softphone on the laptop for work (self employed).

Do they supply these or only analogue?

Thanks!

All NHS aids are digital now, not analogue. Many but not all will have Bluetooth; it depends on your Trust and which supplier they've gone with.
Ask for the most up-to-date ones and explain you need them for work. As you're new to them they'll hopefully give you the best they can (if a person has aids already and the Trust decides to move everyone onto the latest model, it can sometimes take a while for them to get through everyone so you end up waiting a couple of years).

It's also worth saying that even models without Bluetooth can often use additional bits of hardware to make them able to interact with phones and computers. So if they don't have Bluetooth connectivity, do ask your audiologist (or come back here!) about what receivers you could use with them.

This thread is almost full so I have started a part 2. Hope this is ok.

Can’t you post a link to the new thread, please? 🙏

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/4821299-for-those-of-us-who-are-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing-part-2

Once you are on the cochlear journey, you realise just how much you missed ! There's quite a lot of us in the UK that are hearing impaired from childhood that have had implants and found it life changing . If you've been offered one, then you meet the high criteria that's needed as far as hearing loss is concerned.
There is a Facebook group Cochlear Implant UK that you may find can help you with various personal stories and answer questions.
I'd avoid the US cochlear groups as they can be confusing as there is a different criteria for the implant .
I'm hearing impaired from childhood, and currently on the list for surgery . I was shocked at how much loss I actually have during the cochlear assessment process. I thought I was sort of coping but take my hearing aid away and there's not much difference. I lip read better than I thought ! 🙄

I love my Roger kit which I got through access to work. Is that an option? My preference is to use teams for meetings though as the sound is really good and you also get live subtitles.