Hearing Aid advice

[what_no_pies]

Family member went for a hearing test with hidden hearing and it's evident they will get a lot of benefot from using a device in both ears.

£2700 quoted for the model they tried. 60 day free no obligation trial was offered and purchase on credit available for a slight premium over the term.

Apparantly a 6 week wait with NHS (not too problematic) but hearing reports of their products being next to useless for many that have been down that route.

Anyone any experience/knowlege they can share.

It's a big investment so wanting to understand the market before committing.

Thanks in advance.

[Tw@]

Pardon!

[dsr]

Family member went for a hearing test with hidden hearing and it's evident they will get a lot of benefot from using a device in both ears.

£2700 quoted for the model they tried. 60 day free no obligation trial was offered and purchase on credit available for a slight premium over the term.

Apparantly a 6 week wait with NHS (not too problematic) but hearing reports of their products being next to useless for many that have been down that route.

Anyone any experience/knowlege they can share.

It's a big investment so wanting to understand the market before committing.

Thanks in advance.

My mother has had hearing aids for over 20 years and has never had a problem with NHS ones. They get the same technology as the paid-for ones but about 3-5 years later, but as the technology isn't developing all that fast, that shouldn't be an issue.

Airedale have an excellent audiology department, if that's within reach.

There's no point spending £2,700 on hearing aids because someone has told you that a free one didn't work for them. You can find people who say that an expensive one didn't work for them; sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get the device that suits. Unless £2,700 is small change and won't be missed, try the free one first.

(You'll find it easier to get "after-sales" service as well.)

[Foreverly Claret]

We paid £ 2500 for a pair for my wife earlier this year .I wasn't sure about the deal then and after 6 months I'm even less sure .They are the type that fits right inside your ear with no other anchorage and we've already lost one twice..fortunately on both occasions we found it in the house .I wanted her to try the NHS ones because a good mate swears by his but she wasn't happy with the bit that goes over the back of the ear .I've always been sceptical about the " science " behind audiology because in my working life I had a close working relationship with a firm of opticians in Birmingham who had a big audiology division and I knew just how much commission / bonus their sales guys were making but , having said that , it must be bloody awful to be hard of hearing to the point of needing help and everybody has a choice.

my advice is ...try both the NHS and the " private " providers and see which suits you best.

[beddie]

Just over 18 months ago aged 68 I finally gave in to having hearing aids. Did the usual research, NHS first then Spec Savers, Hidden Hearing, Boots. I found the NHS one far too big and clumsy. The other three are all similar but I decided on Spec Savers, the research indicated virtually the same aids as the others at less cost. They offered 90 day money back, so worth a go. I settled on the ones that go behind the ear and the wire goes into your ear. After a month and being vane I wanted to try the ones that go straight into the ear so there’s little on show, they did a mould of my ear, a week later the aid was ready, tried it but new instantly it wasn’t for me so went back to the original ones. They were superb with customer service, nothing was too much trouble. Through the 12 months I’ve had the odd occasion where I struggled when cleaning and changing the end cap that goes into the ear, I popped up to the shop, no trouble to them sorting it. They email 12 months later for a free check up. My advice is try the various ones, write down the make, style etc then research them. I put a post on here shortly after purchase about how I was struggling to get used to them, if you can find it read it, there’s several interesting stories. Those posters were right in that you have to persevere, it does get easier. I paid about £1500. One thing I would strongly recommend is go for re chargeable rather that batteries, in the evening it’s a quick clean and then pop them into the pod ready for morning.,Good luck.

[Dawlishclaret]

Have used NHS ones for several years, they are discrete and work well.

[Roosterbooster]

ENT doctor here

The NHS ones work absolutely fine. The technology within them has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years. If you want hearing aids to hear better, don't look any further

If you want hearing aids:
That are a bit smaller
That have some fancy gizmos
That will arrive a few weeks earlier
That cost an insane amount more
....Then go private

Otherwise, go NHS

[beddie]

Interesting point from Roosterbooster.

I think if I’d have been lucky enough to have kept my hair then I would probably have gone for the NHS ones but being bald I wanted the least obtrusive I could find hence Spec Savers.

[Foshiznik]

I'm only 38 but i have severe tinnitus in my left year due to scar tissue following a polyp removal a few years back. I am on the waiting list for having this removed (it appears my hearing is fine behind the scar tissue) but due to the waiting list, i went to Amplifon and following consultation and testing, i was prescribed a hearing aid. I also received a 60 day trial and it was life changing. I then paid £712 for the bottom of the range hearing aid and it is great. The only complaint being that it needs a battery rather than recharging but that's a very small inconvenience.

[Bullabill]

. One thing I would strongly recommend is go for re chargeable rather that batteries, in the evening it’s a quick clean and then pop them into the pod ready for morning.,Good luck.

I would recommend batteries rather than rechargeable. If you have a long day and run out of power (and hearing) there's nothing you can do. I had rechargeable, - put them into the charger at night and woke up to find the power had been off during the night. That morning I had an important appointment in the city, the aids went flat on the train and I was left without hearing. With removeable batteries - no problem.

[HandforthClaret]

Went down a similar route to beddie using the free NHS hearing aids for two years and upgraded to the mid range spec savers behind the ear hearing aids (recommended by spec savers), the upgrade was for better sound quality and being able to focus the sound to the requirements of the situation

[appleton]

Don't play loud guitar.

[Tribesmen]

Humm I would say stick with the NHS for starters . I have had spec savers one,s for years behind the ear they last about 5 to 6 years before they give up . Stay well clear of of fancy ones and hiden hearing is one of the as they will push you into the top of the range model , its all about money with that crew