Most of our clients claim their hearing aids on their health insurance, but rules regarding online product purchases do vary from fund to fund. Blamey Saunders hears does not guarantee you will receive a health fund rebate and does not make private health insurance claims on behalf of customers for hearing aid purchases. We provide a tax invoice with all purchases and consultations.
More Group conversations are typically fast. By the time you have identified who is talking you may have missed the initial visual (speech reading) cues and acoustic (sound) cues. As a result, you may not realise that the topic has changed. Your brain is constantly working hard to try and fill in the gaps. This can be very difficult to do effectively if you are unaware of the topic change. The noise level of these situations will be an additional factor adding to the difficulty you experience. text in here
Be specific when you tell the other person to change the way they are speaking. For example, don’t ask them to speak up if the main problem is that they are speaking too fast.
It is important to be an active
listener, sharing the responsibility of your hearing loss. Remember:
Communication is a Two-way process!
Some strategies to consider:
Confirm what you think you have heard and ask the person to repeat only the part you have missed out on.
Most people presenting with a hearing loss have damage to the tiny and very sensitive hair cells in the inner ear. Our inner ear is a delicate structure called the cochlea – a sac of fluid curled around in a snail shape. A membrane, called the basilar membrane, continues from the outer part of the cochlea for the whole length and consists of 30,000 fibres that send messages from the hair cells to the brain. Some of these hair cells, the outer hair cells, can help us listen more effectively in noisy situations by enhancing the sound we want to focus on or helping our brain ignore unnecessary sounds. Unfortunately, these hair cells are vulnerable to wear and tear, noise and other factors. As a result, the person with a hearing loss may find it easier to hear in some situations, such as a quiet lounge room compared to a noisy restaurant. To you, this may appear as though your partner ‘listens when he/she wants to’!
There are other little hair cells called inner hair cells. These hair cells send information to the brain where it is interpreted, and we ‘understand’ what we hear. When a person has a hearing loss, not all these hair cells are working and as a result not all the sounds you say reach the brain of the person with the hearing loss.
This depends on your hearing level. If you have a hearing loss, then you should consider hearing aids. Some people may not have any hearing difficulties in one-to-one conversations, but have trouble hearing in meetings or in the presence of background noise. If you are experiencing hearing difficulties in certain situations, it may be that hearing aids can help. For individuals with a mild hearing loss, it is not always easy to be clear on whether hearing aids are worth the cost and effort, therefore a hearing aid trial is highly recommended.
Studies have shown that ears need stimulation to maintain hearing and speech clarity. The hearing aids also provide that stimulation to help maintain your overall hearing. In other words, use it or lose it. In general, two hearing aids are better than one, just as two ears are better than one. In quiet situations, one hearing aid is often enough. However, two hearing aids are better in complex, noisy situations. Two hearing aids can help you localise where sounds are coming from and reduce background noise.
It is recommended that people try to wear their hearing aid(s) on a daily basis for at least 8 hours/day. This allows the brain to get use to the new sounds detected through the hearing aid(s). By stimulating the neural pathway, the hearing aids can also help reduce the rate of auditory deprivation.
A correctly fitted hearing aid should not whistle in normal use. Modern hearing aids are much less likely to whistle than hearing aids available 10 or even 5 years ago. The feedback cancellation technology varies significantly between manufacturers and hearing aid models and is an important consideration in our recommendations.
Hearing aids need to be cleaned regularly to ensure that wax and dirt do not clog up the sound outlet and microphone ports.
When you purchase your hearing aids, you are given an instruction booklet, cleaning tool/s, and a supply of wax filters (if appropriate). It is generally quick and easy to clean a hearing aid (including replacing a wax filter). We give you a chance to practice this at your appointment. How often you need to do this depends mainly on how much wax your ears produce. For some people, hearing aid/s are best cleaned after each use. For others, weekly or even monthly cleaning is appropriate.
Investing in better hearing can be a huge expense and inevitably buying hearing aids online can seem to be an attractive option. There are a few questions to consider before buying hearing aids online.
First, there are literally thousands of hearing aids available. How do you know which one is suitable for your hearing? A thorough examination into the health of your ears is important to look at whether the hearing loss is treatable (e.g. wax blockage) or whether it is something more serious. In some cases, medical clearance is needed before hearing aids can be fitted.
A hearing aid uses digital technology that should be set by a qualified practitioner. How can you be sure the hearing aids have been set up correctly? Everyone’s DNA is unique, similarly everyone’s ear anatomy is different; the sound from the hearing device interacts with unique sound characteristics in the ear. To ensure the hearing aid/s are fitted correctly, the anatomy of the ears is assessed. A precise ear-specific measurement of the sound reaching into your ear canals is done to ensure the levels are safe and optimal. We believe everyone’s hearing is highly valuable and fitting hearing aids is not something to be taken lightly.
The hearing device itself is only one aspect of the rehabilitation program. Unlike getting new glasses, getting used to the new amplified sound can take time for the individual to adjust to. We often describe this as the ‘acclimatisation period’, which varies between individuals. Properly fitted device, counselling and adjustments are essential for optimal hearing care.