Connect
← Return to Ear or Hearing Aid?
Discussion
Comment receiving replies
@imallears, @julie07 I spoke with my sweet cousin who's been quite deaf for most of her life. She wears hearing aids, has worn Phonak for years with good results. She just got a pair of VividHear and is thrilled. She says there's no background noise, clarity is excellent, and she's quite pleased.
What's the scoop on others, like Audicious and others? Do I need to stay with the tried and true that I'll see at the Mayo hearing assistance appointment? She says the tv is wonderful now and she keeps it quite low and hears well.
I see this may well be quite confusing if I'm not careful, overwhelming and not at all easy to compare various aids. I need some guidance here, please! Thanks so much. And, bless you for all your help. elizabeth
Replies to "@imallears, @julie07 I spoke with my sweet cousin who's been quite deaf for most of her..."
These devices are being marketed as hearing aids, but are basically PSAPs; personal sound amplification products. They should NOT be calling them hearing aids. I have no experience with these, but can say that the first pair of hearing aids I had in the mid-70s were basically amplifiers. They helped a bit, but in no way did they filter noise from desired sound. There's a lot of 'deceptive' advertising for these products. Real hearing aids require special fitting. They can't be ordered by mail. Degree of hearing loss is important for appropriate fitting.
Connect
@ess77
Hello,
The VividHear is not a hearing aid...it is an amplifier. You will see in its advertising that it purports to be “just as good as a hearing
aid”. You don’t even need a hearing test or see a Doctor to get one.
If she is turning the volume down on the tv it means
these amplifiers are loud enough for her to hear sounds. They may work for and I am sure she is delighted but I worry that the loudness may be too loud over time and damage her hearing more in the long term. Also please don’t buy hearing aids online.
Although audiologists try to pick a brand hearing aid that they think will work for you they are prejudiced in their choice of hearing aid brands and have their favorites. You do not have to stick with Phonaks. You can trial as many brands as you like. Do a little research first and let them know of particular brands you are interested in maybe just one or two other brands you have read about. If you get pushback from the Audi....find another one.
You need to be in the drivers seat when it comes to your hearing. But you also need to do some research on your hearing issues and tell her what you need and want. Even when you pick a brand you like they are initially programmed according to your audio gram. After that comes the process of adjusting that program to your hearing needs. Two people with identical audio grams will always have different needs and adjustments.
As for technology, again, read up on what’s available. I had the luxury of learning about new things like assisted listening devices and loops as they emerged over the years. You are getting all this knowledge thrown at you all at once.
Keep doing what the Doctor is suggesting as it’s working for you.
I have used it on occasion for an itchy outer ear but found it too drying. I also usually put a little of my night cream on my outer ears and don’t use the mineral oil every night...just a few nights a week. I found that to be a big relief from itchy ears and rarely have that problem now. But always check with the ENT beforehand.
Getting your ears checked regularly is a good idea.
One thing about hearing loss is that, even when we know better, we are always hoping for a miracle device or technology. So when we hear claims being made or someone we know is having great success with something, we want in on that. Only human nature.
You may reach a point where all the bells and whistles of a new state of the art hearing aid will not benefit you anymore. You can only do so much with what you have.
Your best bet is to learn as much as you can about the anatomy of the ear, why things happen, what causes your particular problem
(yes swollen ears due to sinus problems or inflammation will distort your normal hearing) , engaging in blogs like the Mayo and asking questions like you do.
FL Mary