Tinnitus Hearing Loss - Reasonable Adjustments

[mummytippy]

I was hoping for some advice from fellow Mumsnetters that have disabilities and want to return to work. I have just been given a hearing device by the Audiologist to wear. It sits behind my ear and then the tube (playing white noise) runs in to my ear AS I have Tinnitus (constant ringing in the ear). I also wear glasses and it is quite uncomfortable after a time pressing on the arm of my glasses. In my role I wear a telephone headset and my shift is 10 hours (minus 2 x 15 min breaks and a 40 min lunch). I wondered what would be a ‘reasonable’ reasonable adjustment to put to my employer to avoid my hearing device not hurting my ear. Longer breaks or shorter hours. Any advice greatly appreciated. TIA.

Why not both for now? Ask for a slow programme which build you up to full hours etc, but allows you time to get used to the new device.

Could you also consider a shift into a new role where the headset isn't required at all?

Are there different headsets which sit on the ear in another way as well?

You could request extra breaks.

Shorter hours would come with a cut in pay.

Can you wear contact lenses?

I took it that it was the hearing advice that was causing the pressure, not the headset.

Yes, but OP now has an additional device in the area, so a new headset might help too.

@mummytippy you need to ask them to refer you to Occupational Health for an assessment.

Forgive me but is the hearing device just for one ear or both? If it’s just one ear my first thought was is there a headset design that wouldn’t put pressure on your ear with the hearing device? If so that is the starting point.

I have Tinnitus in one ear only

So I have spoken to Occupational Health and they have advised I speak to Disability UK. Ii is the hearing device alone that is causing the increased pressure/is uncomfortable to the back of my ear without having the headset on.

Yes you’re correct. It’s the hearing device alone that’s causing the pressure. If I were to look for a new role within the same company that’s off the phone they cannot initiate the transfer. I have to look on the internal jobs board and apply.

Thank you for your comments. With regard to wearing contact lenses for work, I would rather not as after a few hours these aggravate my eyes and they’re expensive as they have an extra cost due to them having a green filter. Importantly the hearing device is uncomfortable in that it pushes my ear out slightly without glasses. I’m just looking for the best solution all round.

@mummytippy sorry I misunderstood that it is the tinnitus hearing aid that is the key problem because on its own it’s painful.

So the two practical solutions that won’t add to the discomfort are potentially single ear headphones and glasses with straight arms I.e. ones that don’t go round your ears.

Unless there is a super special (expensive) ultra thin tinnitus hearing aid that doesn’t cause you discomfort, then I do think it is reasonable to ask for more breaks to allow you to take the hearing aid out to get relief. This would be a reasonable adjustment.

I would work out what break works best for you e.g. 5 minutes per hour or 10 minutes every two hours. Then set it out in writing to your manager and HR. If necessary ask your GP for a fit note where they set out what breaks you need, HR may refer you back to OH but be consistent that you can do the job but need a reasonable adjustment of regular breaks.

HTH

Have you spoken to Tinnitus.org.uk? They have a helpline - they might be able to suggest another type of masker that may work better for you (or is there one with Bluetooth you can try and then eliminate the headset altogether?).

You could also try using a rubber loop to hold the masker to your glasses - this might allow you to alter the placement of the aid so it sits off your ear and reduces the pressure that way.

The other option is to try different types of headsets or have the headset dome just over the ear that doesn't have tinnitus (push the other dome to a different placement on your head) and see if that helps at all. Some headsets may have volume controls (if hearing also affected) which might help in some way.

Unfortunately glasses and hearing aid/masker do put pressure on your ears so having a headset on top is just adding to the issue 😕

I switched to metal framed glasses from acrylic, as they fit nicely over the tube (which is also very slim, yours may not be) without putting any pressure on my ear at all.

Does nothing to address the crap phone system work had just bought, but it was a simple fix to ensure comfort in general.