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Hearing loss -- I can't understand conversations

Posted by jane87 @jane87, Jun 7, 2025

I have tried several high-end hearing aids but still cannot hear clearly. Has anyone found hearing aids that helps with clarity?

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gardeniaflower | @gardeniaflower | Oct 22 11:52am

No not really. Have starkey livio they are just ok getting new ones soon but don't want to spent the high amount I spent the last time

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juliettesterkensaud | @juliettesterkensaud | Oct 22 12:10pm
In reply to @julieo4 "@jdalylew So pleased that you mention telecoils (t-coils). I will continue to say that a hearing..." + (show)
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@jdalylew So pleased that you mention telecoils (t-coils). I will continue to say that a hearing aid without a telecoil is like a car without air conditioning. You don't need it all the time but when you do it's a true game changer!

New Bluetooth technology called Auracast is coming, but isn't available in many places just yet. Even when it is, the best advice and decision is to have hearing instruments that are equipped to connect to hearing loops via telecoils AND Auracast. Be prepared to be able to use whatever is available to you. This is especially true in venues like theaters, worship centers, meeting rooms, etc. The Americans with Disabilities Act includes communication access. These technologies provide that access.

Wherever you buy your hearing instruments, insist on the options that connect you to everything you want to hear. These options can also be helpful in noisy social settings when used with add on equipment like hand held microphones. Unfortunately, many providers don't fully explain these options, so people continue to be unaware of them. Often people learn their expensive hearing instruments don't have these options and it's too late to return them.

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@julieo4 What some of the readers may not know is that Hearing Tracker has recently added (at the Center for Hearing Access's request) the ability for consumers to research hearing devices by features such as "water resistance", "rechargeability", "telecoil", and "Auracast." And to make it really simple, you can now search their database of over 100 different hearing aid models by
"Best for Public Hearing Access" devices: see https://www.hearingtracker.com/hearing-aids/compare

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mikepa | @mikepa | Oct 22 12:22pm
In reply to @mikf "No matter how sophisticated, hearing aids are they essentially just amplify sound. Yes, the better ones..." + (show)
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No matter how sophisticated, hearing aids are they essentially just amplify sound. Yes, the better ones can be selective with certain pitches, so they separate background from speech. But if you have severe inner ear damage they don’t deal with this, the inner ear ‘translates’ sound into something your brain understands and if that is damaged the sound distorts and is unintelligible no matter how loud. All hearing aids do is amplify the distortion. This is the problem I have, and so far I have not found a solution.

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@mikf I agree mikf - hearing aids mostly amplify but do not clarify, which is the problem for people with sensorineural hearing loss. It took me several years to experiment, but I have found that using my Roger microphone or captioning on my phone has improved tremendously my ability to have conversations in certain environments, such as in doctor appointments, small table conversations, board meetings. The problem for me is that I forget to bring the Roger with me all of the time!

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mikf | @mikf | Oct 22 4:36pm

I have arranged an appointment with a specialist in inner ear damage. I hope he might have some suggestions that can help, and if he does I will pass it on. But the reality is that already I know enough about this to not have high expectations. Inner ear damage is really not fixable. I not only have distortion of sound, it also changes pitch. So all music sounds like an out of tune cacophony. A year ago I was a good musician, now I can’t even listen to music, far less play it.

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minihears29 | @minihears29 | 1 day ago

I am not an expert on this, but what's your thought on using captioning glasses? I think some really work well in noisy situations and might go well even if you already use hearing aids.

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daveshaw | @daveshaw | 13 hours ago

Yes try the Phonak I 90 Sphere Ultra hearing aids. They have an extra chip which should help with clarity and background noise in crowded restaurants and other venues.
I am always amazed at how little participation there is on this site considering how many people there are with hearing loss.
Hopefully people start to talk to each other and we all start advocating for better help for our disability.
Right now decibel levels are off the charts in restaurants and management doesn’t address it because no one is there to enforce it.
Speak up and talk to management and have them stop blasting background noise which only makes everyone have to talk louder to be heard. Very quickly everyone is shouting at their tables.
Good luck to you.

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