1. < Hearing Loss

Loss of hearing clarity: Solutions or strategies anyone?

Posted by JK @contentandwell, Feb 24, 2019

I have in the last couple of years lost hearing clarity. Apparently, somewhere between my auditory nerves and my brain, there is something like a disconnect. The decibels at which I hear has not changed. This clarity loss can be age-related, and I have read that it can also possibly be related to having had cirrhosis, or to taking immunosuppressants - that all seems pretty unclear though. I have been wearing hearing aids since around 2004.

Has anyone else had this type of problem and if so how do you compensate for it? I get emails from CHC -- Center for Hearing and Communications which is NYC and Florida and a book was mentioned recently that can be purchased on Amazon, "Smart Hearing: Strategies, Skills, and Resources for Living Better with Hearing Loss" by Katherine Bouton. I am thinking about purchasing it but wondered if any others have this problem too. I have Oticon Opn1 hearing aids and purchased the "Connect Clip" which helps in some situations.
Thanks for any responses.
JK

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Hearing Loss Support Group.

JK | @contentandwell | May 16, 2019

Hi @judysmayo and welcome to Connect. I am sure no one without a hearing loss has any idea how frustrating it can be, and at times depressing. My clarity is gone too and I also have trouble if more than one person is speaking.

My hearing loss is profound at high frequencies in one ear, and severe at high frequencies in the other. I have been wearing hearing aids since 2004.

Thank you for the link to venues that are looped. That's good to know.
JK

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judysmayo | @judysmayo | May 16, 2019

I also came across this YouTube Tedx Talk about the latest technology in hearing... The Future in Hearing is Loud and Clear by Keith McElveen.
https://youtu.be/RvBWUKG0djQ

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2 replies
lioness | @lioness | May 16, 2019
In reply to @judysmayo "Hi I’m new to MayoConnect and although I’ve worn hearing aids for 20 years I’ve found..." + (show)
@judysmayo

Hi I’m new to MayoConnect and although I’ve worn hearing aids for 20 years I’ve found useful information from the posts. I have profound loss in my left ear and have moderate loss in my right ear. I’m struggling with clarity also and although my word recognition has just recently dropped I am not eligible for a CI under Medicare guidelines. I have a first generation Phonak BiCros which means they are not standalone Bluetooth capable and I need a ComPilot neck loop to connect with my ALDs. Also the BiCros doesn’t have directional mics. I use a Roger Pen or RemoteMic in meetings so I can hear everyone. I link up to my iPhone Bluetooth w my neck loop. I also have TVLink which Is an absolute necessity because with my loss of clarity I struggle to understand what is being said on the TV. Like every other person I’ve spoken to with hearing loss hearing in venues with background noise is impossible. The ALD’s are not Helpful in those situations because they make all the sound louder. I have trouble if even two people are talking at once. Right now I recommend InnoCaption for captions on the cell phone and the app AVA for voice to text that you can use to read what’s being said in real time. I have my T-Coil turned on but not many places in our area are looped. To find venues in your area that are looped type your zip code into http://www.aldlocator.com/#/home.

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@judysmayo Welcome to connect We help if we can Thanks for the information I've worn hearing aids since 2000 I will check out these sites

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scottk | @scottk | May 16, 2019
In reply to @judysmayo "I also came across this YouTube Tedx Talk about the latest technology in hearing... The Future..." + (show)
@judysmayo

I also came across this YouTube Tedx Talk about the latest technology in hearing... The Future in Hearing is Loud and Clear by Keith McElveen.
https://youtu.be/RvBWUKG0djQ

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This concept is very interesting in regards to the clothing! Does anyone know if this company looks for people to try out this technology? I am always ready to try the latest gadgets! I will have to investigate this more! Thanks for sharing.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | May 19, 2019
In reply to @judysmayo "I also came across this YouTube Tedx Talk about the latest technology in hearing... The Future..." + (show)
@judysmayo

I also came across this YouTube Tedx Talk about the latest technology in hearing... The Future in Hearing is Loud and Clear by Keith McElveen.
https://youtu.be/RvBWUKG0djQ

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I add my welcome to you, @judysmayo. Thank for sharing this TEDx talk The Future in Hearing is Loud and Clear by Keith McElveen. @scottk and Judy, I think you'll be delighted to know that @jkmcelveen is also a member of this forum. So if you have any questions for him, please ask. Simply add his username @jkmcelveen to your message.

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judysmayo | @judysmayo | May 30, 2019
In reply to @scottk "Thanks for all the good feedback! This has really helped me sort through my issues and..." + (show)
@scottk

Thanks for all the good feedback! This has really helped me sort through my issues and not think that I was the only one dealt the problems. Just read Smart Hearing from Katherine Bouton and thought it was a very worthwhile resource. This week I am going back to my audiologist and she is going to let me try out the Phonak Roger Select to use in a meeting environment....will let you know how that works. I am retired but still stay active with a couple of organizations which means I attend meetings which are very hard for me. I also teach a technical class Monday nights but have just instructed the students about my hearing issue and I think they understand and try to help me. I don't want to go sit in a corner like I see some hard of hearing people! One thing I did accomplish was to have a hearing loop installed in our church over Christmas and this has been received very positively! But HA users need to know how to utilize it otherwise it won't be of any benefit to them.....enough for now but thanks for all the suggestions!

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This is in reply to an old post...
I’m more interested in knowing if the Roger Select works in noisy situations as my Roger Pen and Remote Mic work well in meetings but pick up so much background noise they’re an assault on my senses and unusable.

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1 reply
judysmayo | @judysmayo | May 30, 2019
In reply to @carolynodio "Thanks for outlining your procedure which sounds pretty thorough to me. Regarding Real Ear Measurement--how would..." + (show)
@carolynodio

Thanks for outlining your procedure which sounds pretty thorough to me. Regarding Real Ear Measurement--how would that be expensive? That is a "best practice" and if an audiologist does not use it, I would find another clinic. There is such an excellent video on this that explains that is the ONLY way to match your Hearing prescription (audiogram) to the your own hearing aid...otherwise you are using a manufacturer's default!! Not good! The 10 Minute video is called: The Most Important HEARING AID Video You Will EVER Watch! What are Real Ear Measures? by Dr. Cliff Olson...google it!

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Excellent video. Should I expect the audiologist to do the real ear measurement every time I have my hearing aids adjusted?

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judysmayo | @judysmayo | May 30, 2019
In reply to @scottk "Thanks. This is all good information to help us hard of hearing! I have two year..." + (show)
@scottk

Thanks. This is all good information to help us hard of hearing! I have two year old Phonaks(Audeo 70) BTE that did not have bluetooth capability which I wish they had since my hearing loss has gotten worse during this time. I am retired but participate on several different boards(meetings are tough to hear!)....I like to try different bells and whistles and am currently trying out the Phonak Compilot II which is basically a neck loop that converts bluetooth to T-coil and am somewhat happy with the set up....phone calls work well and playing music from phone eliminates earbuds/headphones for working out. You can also utilize for TV's but I have had limited success with that part of it. The unit is $300 bucks and will probably buy it. Going forward I think bluetooth or something similar will be the way to go. Keep up the conversations! I find them very helpful. Have a nice day!

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I absolutely need the TV link that links to my ComPilot. It sends clear audio into my hearing aid. I can not discern the words on TV without it. It helps with clarity

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imallears | @imallears | May 30, 2019
In reply to @judysmayo "This is in reply to an old post... I’m more interested in knowing if the Roger..." + (show)
@judysmayo

This is in reply to an old post...
I’m more interested in knowing if the Roger Select works in noisy situations as my Roger Pen and Remote Mic work well in meetings but pick up so much background noise they’re an assault on my senses and unusable.

Jump to this post

@judysmayo
Hi,
The background noise is the main complaint on all these ALDS. I tried the ComPilot with my Phonaks and the noise was overwhelming in those situations. I only know one person who uses the Roger Pen and she is having problems with it. I’m thinking the Roger Select May have more directionality and just focus on one person at a time. . I have a speech in noise program that focuses on one speaker at a time and dramatically cuts out ambient noise. Another speech in noise program that is Omni directional and a failure at cutting down background noise. So, if you can trial it for free..I would give it a whirl. I have the option of trialing the Roger Pen with my Audi but chose not to because of the background noise I’ve experienced in trying a variety of ALDS.

Very interested in what you decide.

Regards from FL Mary

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2 replies
judysmayo | @judysmayo | May 30, 2019
In reply to @imallears "@judysmayo Hi, The background noise is the main complaint on all these ALDS. I tried the..." + (show)
@imallears

@judysmayo
Hi,
The background noise is the main complaint on all these ALDS. I tried the ComPilot with my Phonaks and the noise was overwhelming in those situations. I only know one person who uses the Roger Pen and she is having problems with it. I’m thinking the Roger Select May have more directionality and just focus on one person at a time. . I have a speech in noise program that focuses on one speaker at a time and dramatically cuts out ambient noise. Another speech in noise program that is Omni directional and a failure at cutting down background noise. So, if you can trial it for free..I would give it a whirl. I have the option of trialing the Roger Pen with my Audi but chose not to because of the background noise I’ve experienced in trying a variety of ALDS.

Very interested in what you decide.

Regards from FL Mary

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The Roger Pen still picks up too much background noise to use anywhere but a quiet room with only one person speaking at a time!

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