UK NHS users- did you get to choose your HA, or the colour?

melissa

melissa

New Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
309
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I have a question for people in the UK who have got a hearing aid through the NHS. Were you offered any choice in models, or colours, of the aid or molds? I am not working at the moment, and I should think going private would cost hundreds of pounds, which I don't have.

I am going for a checkup soon and was wondering if I could get coloured aids or molds. I think it is unlikely though, as I have only had my current aids for 3 years, and they are the BTE kind with a tiny tube so I don't have a mold. They fall out sometimes, especially in windy weather, so I think a skeleton mold might be helpful.

As a child I only ever had 3 models of aids- the first was a black box with padded circles on a headband- I was 6 so no idea what model, and the second and third were Starkey pediatric ITE aids, basically flesh coloured plastic, only made bigger for the last pair as my ears had grown. I found all of them amplified things uncomfortably and things were still muffled; I hated wearing aids and only enjoy the quality of sound in the last 3 years since I got my digital aids.

I had no choice whatsover (actually: I tried on BTEs in an appt when I was younger but was told they didn't help me as much so I should have ITE) and now I see pictures and read of people with funky coloured aids or molds, and I want! I'm 24 but I like to be colourful and would love these; in part as people would see and talk more clearly to me- people can't see my aids, even after I tell them to face me, etc, and they forget...
 
I got no choice whatsoever for my HA, basically got what I was given. But with CI, it's a total different story.

You can choose the colour of the moulds and the type
 
Ah, I wrote a reply but my internet misbehaved. I thought kids could choose coloured molds on the NHS, for their aids? It seems they are widely available from photos people post but I don't know how I'd go about getting one, at least not on the NHS.

Well, I do not have severe enough loss for a CI, though I'm pleased that you get to choose the colour etc, as it involves an operation so I'd want to have some choice about the characteristics of something permanent.

I am waiting for a reply from my audiologist (I emailed her) so I can make an appt and then ask her all these questions I've been posting on here.

I forgot to say- I might try decorating mine with stickers, rhinestones etc, thanks to inspiration from Jenny's pic!
 
Last edited:
That's great! It's always good to have an email address so you can bombard them with questions and get a written reply to avoid any misunderstandings! :)
 
Yes you can, if the audi gives you funny looks, just ingore them, it's for you not them!!!! I had purple, glittery, pink, and plain clear one with a pic in the middle ear molds.
Like Lissa had said i didn't have much choice until i had the implant... Now days they let people choose colours, I am hoping when I go back to my regular Audi for HA for my unimplanted ear I would choose colours over beige!
 
Ah, well I will ask and see if there are any HA choices, or at least mould/tubing choices.

I found this website that says it supplies those to the NHS Ear Moulds for Audiology Departments and Professional Audiologists - Minerva Laboratories UK so I sent them an email about it.

They have coloured tubing which is the only bit I can change unless I get new aids or a mould. Though I had a thought about my tubing today- it screws onto the aid, with threads like an actual screw, but if I screw it on completely then the tubes are at an angle where the aid sticks out of my head and doesn't actually rest on my ear. So I have to unscrew them slightly to keep them level. I wondered if this is a bad thing?

I have the tiny tube things but they fall out/off sometimes. It was interesting to see all the different kinds of moulds they do- I didn't know about all the skeleton types until now.

Overthepond, were the colours you describe for a regular HA or your CI HA? I have seen many photos of people wearing funky moulds and colours in regular HAs, so I'm hoping they'll be available for me. I know phonak make some coloured ones but mine are brown Unison 6, and I think the phonak are for worse losses than mine.

I will let you all know if I get a reply from the audio, if I don't then she might be on holiday or something, and I'll have to phone them. I'm not too bad on phones but I avoid them cos I get anxiety about it.
 
Thankyou :) did you have to do anything special/different to get these, or did your hospital just offer the choices?
 
Back
Top