Loss of hearing clarity: Solutions or strategies anyone?

@cherriann- I agree completely, Cherriann. It's as though some people's words are delivered to the insides of their mouths! Also, even if you ask them to repeat what they've said, they are very kind to speak louder for a few words, and then, OOPS, down goes the voice again and I lose the majority of what was said. Yes, backs turned away make it difficult, too.

Not sure where you live, but there are Independent Living Centers in most states. Many have technology demo centers. It sounds like you need to get to a place where you can test demo units. You should not get a buzz with your telecoils if a telephone handset is hearing aid compatible, but there are different ratings. Look for the highest rating, which I think is 4, but not sure as I've not shopped for a landline handset for years. Your hearing instrument provider should also be able to help you with this as they have access to many technology providers. HLAA conventions and conferences are also full of information, as are HLAA chapters that are full of people who have experimented with lots of devices. They know what works under similar situations. Talk to them. For some reason, you are getting interference, which is causing the buzzing with your telecoil. That can be caused by outside issues like fluorescent lighting in some instances. Last, but certainly not least, if you are having difficulty at work, you have the Americans with Disabilities Act behind you. The Independent Living Center in your area can probably help you there. Same for your audiologist. You have to self advocate, but you have to know what will work and what you need. Good luck!

@julieo4
Hi,
True words in that great post. Advocacy is the key word here, whether at work or on a daily personal basis. There are so many great tips on how to deal with communicating with others but this is a 2 way street. Keep letting people know what YOU need. You’re educating and spreading the word about hearing loss. Some people get it right away and others you have to keep reminding. People new to hearing loss may be shy about speaking up but, believe me, the more you do it the easier it becomes.
Keeping a sense of humor and smiling will win them over.

I love sharing new things I have learned and love learning new things on these forums. You would think after 40 years of wearing hearing aids and progressing from moderate to profound loss and having gone through all the technical advances, I would know it all....nope....still learning...and I firmly believe some day science will find a way to regenerate those pathetic little hair cells. Either that or people will have holograms that come out of their mouth that we can read when they are speaking....why not?

Regards from Florida Mary

My iphone has a mic setting that would work well for board meetings. I could activate it and put it in the middle of the table. The bluetooth would send sound directly to my Resound ha. I haven’t used it yet but have heard from several people it is very effective.

Thank you for the helpful advice. I did not need to push the issue with my workplace. They would have purchased a new phone system if I had found a compatible one. Since I just retired 8 months ago, I am just looking for a good home phone. I love to hear all these ideas and solutions. I do not live near any major cities. I’m in rural Michigan. I think Grand Rapids may be the closest chapter. All this is helpful knowledge to have next time I see my audiologist. So much easier to advocate when I know what I’m talking about I’ve learned quite a bit since joining the group this year.

@cherriann I agree with you I have a hearing aid but when people talk to my back I cant hear them and ask the to repeat . My grandson is one that does and I have said to speak to me not turn away but they forget so I have to keep telling them.

I believe that Michigan has a state chapter coordinator, and is one of only 13 states that has an HLAA State Level Organization. If you connect with them, you may be surprised at how much help you'll receive. http://www.hearingloss.org is a resource for the location of HLAA chapters. They exist because people like you and me start them. It doesn't take a large group; only just a few people who want to learn more about how to live well with hearing loss. I may sound like a broken record, but I'm honest when I say I learned more about how to understand and manage my progressive bilateral progressive sensorineural hearing loss from HLAA than from any place else, and I have had excellent hearing healthcare professionals. No matter how much education and scientific knowledge one has about hearing loss, without experiencing it personally one doesn't fully understand it.

I find it is very important to explain that you have a hearing problem and need slow speech from the speaker. Most people will do this even though it sounds like they are talking to an "idiot". It is very frustrating as you "hear" but don't understand unless the pace is adjusted or the words repeated.

@joangela My hearing loss is similar to yours. My hearing of sounds has not degraded much but the clarity/comprehension has. When this was first diagnosed about 2.5 years ago I ended up getting the Oticon Opn1 hearing aids which at that time were the most advanced in helping with clarity. They have recently come out with an OPN S which is supposed to be 15% better.

I would imagine that by now some of the other big names like Phonak have similar advancements in clarity. I still have trouble but it was a big improvement over the Phonaks that I had previously. I loved the Phonaks for directionality, the Oticons do not do that as well, but I can live with that.
JK

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.