Great information
@Sharpie , thanks for posting.
My Signia aids, supplied by Specsavers really do not do their job. Any sort of background noise seems to take priority over one to one speech. I tend not to get involved in group conversations as it's embarrassing when you miss-hear what's being said and have to keep saying "Pardon" or rely on my missus to clarify what was said.
That is absolutely not my experience with either my previous Siemens (now called Signia) or current Phonak aids. Specifically Siemens Octiv M+, now replaced with Phonak Nathos Nova M.
The whole point of modern digital hearing aids is to improve speech intelligibility, and other sounds, music, TV, theatre, cinema,... in the presence of other sounds, generally called noise.
But, as I cannot emphasise too much, you will not benefit much unless you use your aids all day, your brain adjusts, you explore the different settings, this can take at least a month or more. then review with the audiologist and fine tune.
Perhaps this is part of your problem, it is well known that people who mess about, only putting them in when they think they might be useful, otherwise still doing without, possibly even for vanity reasons, then being dissatisfied, thinking they should be an instant "cure", perfect on day 1, can become very negative. And miss out.
By digital signal processing, including directional beamforming of the microphone arrays combining the signals from both ears to focus in on, generally, the person you are facing, or the area you are facing towards. This is where behind the ear sets can have the advantage over the in the ear type. In the ear rely on the amazing "design" of the natural outer ear to do the beamforming. Or manually focus tighter the natural way, cup hands behind ears for example. Back in the day deaf people used ear trumpets.
BTE do it a different way with usually an array of four microphones, two in each device, the modern devices being linked together as one processing unit via ultra low power radio, just enough to get through your head between the ears. They can also widen or tighten the focus of the beam, by trickery with group delay of one ear signal vs. the other, expanding the baseline so its as if your ears are far wider apart than your head, improved directionality and gain.
On my Siemens/Signia I had to manually switch between the various settings individually programmed for me. Two buttons on the left aid for volume. Two buttons on the right aid for program settings. Also used ultra low power RF between the two for beamforming and keeping the pair synced. Didn't have bluetooth directly that was an add-on extra device not paid for by NHS, and rather primitive, thought about it but didn't go for it. Also the volume had to be manually adjusted. This was the best available in 2014. And it was excellent, still no hardship if I had to go back to using (kept as backup). I can't imagine that newer Signias aren't improved on my old 2014 vintage Siemens Octiv M+.
The new Phonaks are something else, the automatic sensing switches between programs seamlessly, the volume is adapted automatically to suit the situation, I can override all this, have three manual settings in addition, plus two more that I can switch in and fine adjust using my phone app, a restaurant setting, and a TV/Music setting. In fact I can completely control mine using the phone app. rather than using the buttons on the aids, very discrete, nobody bats an eyelid nowadays at people fiddling with a phone, whereas using the controls on the aids themselves can draw attention to the fact you use hearing aids, otherwise probably go unnoticed.
I chose "speech in loud noise" which is a more aggressive setting than the "speech in noise"of the automatic program. And "speech in 360" which is amazing, instead of beamforming to focus only on whats in front of you it picks out speech or other not-noise sounds from all around, then beamforms to focus on the relevant signals. Use this a lot at parties, social occasions, in pubs, on bus trips, rail journeys, out walking in groups or just on my own in the countryside, hearing birdsong, other ambient sounds, even the rustling of leaves, snapping of twigs, sound of rain etc. in 360 degrees, when I have turned up the volume manually to the max. Sometimes seems like having "ears in the back of your head".
Third custom setting is telecoil. Stupidly sometimes this setting is not enabled by default, and not all aids even have telecoils inside. Mine do.
Once you start using that you will realise just how useful it can be. In regular places I go, customer service desk, pharmacy, post office, bank, where the people are behind perspex screens or armoured glass, they have got used to me pointing to the telecoil sign and moving over to use it with me. Some who know me don't need asking, they see me coming and get ready.
Many other places are set up with wide area loop systems, churches, concert venues, cinemas etc. I even have a tiny neck loop that I can plug in to my walkie-talkies and communicate with others completely silently, apart from when I speak into the handset microphone. Very stealth.
As is the bluetooth to my phone, place, receive and answer calls (handsfree, my aids use their microphones to act just like a bluetooth handsfree headseat , get pinged with alerts, you name it. A bit like the very best Apple earpods, but far better. Phonak are the best for this, still are, and work with pretty much any device that supports "classic" bluetooth headset protocol, ADPCM for the best streaming experience. None of the other makes are as complete. Apple are are trying to get in on this with "designed for iPhone" proprietary locked in things, Google are developing something similar for Android but it is a while away yet
Downside is that I can be walking about having a telephone conversation, or using Google stuff voice enabled, phone stays in my pocket. Looking as if I am talking to myself like a madman. But nowadays that's not so unusual
And also fascinating to me as an electronic engineer, I can hear the electromagnetic spectrum in the audio range, listen to electronic devices, laptops, mobile phones etc and hear whats going on inside, crackles, buzzes squeaks.
If I understand your post it says that Specsavers will no longer be fitting aids for NHS patients, is this the case?
I have an appointment to have my ears cleaned by my GP practice nurse, I will then contact Specsavers to try and get an improvement on my present aids.
That is not what I said.
My particular Specsavers, used to part of my trust's scheme allowing referral from GP>Specsavers instead of GP>NHS Audiology. However they, this particular branch of the Specsavers franchise, reluctantly decided to stop offering this service. It wasn't paying enough, was cannibalising their private business, and actually, the manager confided that they didn't think they were able to provide the full service that some patients really needed. Ok for the standard sort, over-50s, age related mild loss, not good enough for, for example, me. They couldn't employ a full time registered audiologists, used a handful of part time freelancers, expensively, for a few hours/week. Still do for their private work, where it makes commercial sense. They do have fairly unqualified staff who can do the basics, clean the aids, replace silicone domes, basic faultfinding, combined with looking after specs., adjusting the frames, changing wear items like nose pieces, etc. All valuable work.
I checked only yesterday, the nearest Specsavers to me that still engages with NHS provision is about 30 miles away. Anything prescribed at that branch can only be supported at that branch, even minor repair, adjustment, issuing "free" batteries etc. The majority, in my area, who either were in the scheme but have bowed out, or never joined, cannot help.
Contrast with my trust setup. Need more cells, or some cleaning stuff, log onto webpage, input identification, ten new packs of cells arrive within two days in post, along with say another cleaning wire, or whatever. Bigger concern, maybe re tuning, or a repair, adjustment or re-fit of custom earmoulds, ring in, IME a number of slots available either the same week, or at most within two weeks. Slight re-tune, only, yes you are very IT clued up, we can do that over the air for you, when would suit ? Oh, today or tomorrow. OK here is the link, for tomorrow at XYZ AM, you will need to have your aids bluetoothed to your 'phone running the app, and the phone connected to your Wifi, or 3g or 4g signal, And your laptop on the same network. Our stuff works best using Chrome browser only. Yep, got all that, WILCO.
Check the situation in your area. Specsavers, Boots etc, if your GP can refer direct to them they may provide a valuable service by taking much strain from your local NHS audiology services who otherwise might not be able to cope.
Also currently involved in the dilemma on whether to go NHS or private; currently have the Opticon "More 1's" on trial as family member works in a private business, will get discount if I go through him, but still a hell of a cost impact just to stop the missus from nagging me
It is not an either-or decision. You may apply for NHS aids and see how you get on with them. I suspect, nowadays, you will be pleasantly surprised at how good they can be. Nothing to stop you also buying private aids, if you think they will be better, or you want something tiny, in-the-ear, or in the canal or completely in the canal, invisible. with all their disadvantages, whatever. Seems some people do, often women. I don't care, besides nobody I think notices my BTE aids unless I point them out, or they are being polite, they are colour matched to my silver-grey hair.
I had a quick glance at the Oticon More. I am sure they are good, but like almost all other makes, their Bluetooth is limited. Probably good for audio streaming, one way, but not a complete solution for e.g handsfree mobile phone calling. Like many others they cannot directly connect using classic bluetooth hands free protocol, you can hear the caller, but still have to speak into the microphone of your phone for the caller to hear you. There is an extra cost gadget called a ConnectClip that can add this capability, worn somewhere else on your body, but that is an incomplete and messy solution.
So, they have gone down the "made for iPhone" route. Also "works with Android". The "made for iPhone " concept is underdeveloped as yet, as is the hopefully forthcoming Android development by Google, both looking to use bluetooth low energy technology, but adapted in a proprietary way. Not there yet, after several years of trying so far, and both pursuing proprietary protocols.
You are fortunate that you can try them out before buying.
Meanwhile Phonak pioneered a universally useful solution that works with everything. Bluetooth classic handles the streaming and bidirectional stuff using classic protocols compatible with almost any device albeit relatively power hungry c.f. bluetooth low energy.. Their control of the aids is however done using blutooth low energy at minimal impact to hearing aid or phone battery life. I.e. my aids link via bluetooth classic for the streaming and handsfree functions in the right hand side aid. The left aid has a separate bluetooth LE connection for command and control using their app.
If I don't use the streaming, but only the mobile app to control them, the batteries last for a week. However when I do use bluetooth streaming, my cells last only two or three days, and my phone lasts slightly less long as well. But I would not be without this, now that I have it
Phonak also pioneered rechargeable aids, which is quite a thing nowadays, Various technologies and implementations in use, none of them perfect yet. The NHS stick with disposables for mainstream aids, mild-moderate-borderline severe. But have chosen, at least my trust, rechargeable Phonaks for the high power users, which can really gobble up the juice. They procure disposable cells at I presume a very good price, but private customers have to pay the market price, as I previously said, my aids and usage would cost me nearly £250/year for disposable cells. If I was going private the rechargeable type might make much more sense, despite their many disadvantages.
In the private market there is also product differentiation and pricing based on "technology levels" often simplified as 3 (basic), 5 better, 7 pretty good, 9 for the best available. All the same hardware, just locked down by firmware, a pretty cynical ploy. FWIW the NHS usually order theirs at technology level 7.
Sometimes family need a bit of training too, e.g. look towards me when talking, speak clearly, don't expect to walk behind me, or in front of me, and mumble, speak very softly, expect me to hear in another room when of us is clattering about doing the dishes, washing machine spinning, etc.
My dog understands and will listen out, if he thinks I haven't heard something he will come to me and point it out. Doorbell, post put through the letterbox, GF parking up on the drive or just someone shouting for me downstairs when I am up in the office with the radio on, etc. Even unfamiliar bumps in the night, foiled a burglary next door once when the neighbours were on holiday, dog woke me up, bounced on my chest with front paws, licked my ears, wanted me up and around next door. Pulled on some clothes, went round , let myself in, noisily "high Caroline, are you back yet, thought I saw you parking up, I'll give you a hand unloading, come round later for supper" etc., switched on all the lights, all a pretence. the two of them scarpered PDQ, dog barking furiously. Just a forced window. Leaving behind a small pry bar and more worryingly a sharpened screwdriver, nothing taken Police couldn't find any DNA on them. Good dog.
Didn't teach him to do this, he figured it out himself. And he's not even two years old yet.
But, as usual, I digress.
I have an NHS appointment on Monday at Specsavers, so perhaps some do and some branches don’t?
Go for it, I take it that you have self-referred, not an option in my area. Seriously it could be all good for you. Down here it is not a self-referral option, has to come first from our GPs, and it seems my Specsavers people have largely become disenchanted with how it has worked for them and most pulled out. But in your area it could be completely different.
Pay little attention to my meanderings about minutiae of this versus that, I am a complex case, and very educated about fine details, which probably matter little to most.
The key thing is to recognise that you are at the stage where they should help you, and give them a good chance, persevere. But also do not be fobbed off with poor service, getting first-fitted, using them all day every day whilst you brain gets used to them, then followed up with a detailed re-assessment some weeks later, a real-ear test, and probably adjustment, is key.
Good luck.
