What's it like to be hard of hearing?

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Andrew Jackson

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Hello, Everyone!

My name is Andrew, and I am a speech and language hearing sciences student studying at Utah State (going to be an audiologist). Currently, I am taking a rehabilitation audiology class, and for one of my assignments, I need some input from people who are part of the HoH community.

My questions for you all are...

1) How long have you worn your hearing aids?

2) For how long before you got your hearing aids did you suspect you had a hearing loss?

3) How long do you wear your hearing aids each day?

4) Do you feel that you benefit from your hearing aids?

5) What complaints do you have about your hearing aids?

6) Do you feel like your hearing aids have lived up to what your audiologist or hearing aid dealer told you they would do?

7) Did you get your hearing aids from an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer?


I thank you all in advance for your responses to my questions. Being a future audiologist, it is truly helpful to get all your input, so I can provide the best intervention to my future clients.

P.S.
If you would like to add anything else to these 7 questions, I would be happy to hear all your stories!

Have a great day,

Andrew
 
I'm born profound deaf and can't hear at all, but I have friends that are HoH so I could answer.

They usually wear hearing aids all day since they got diagnosed with hearing loss.

If you can't or have a hard time to hear the sound words so it means indicate that they have hearing loss. It could be much as 1 year or more, however they have hearing screen nowadays.

They wear hearing aids all day until bed time or nap time.

Depends on individuals, some of them had good benefit and some needs more work.

The hearing aids could give you a headache and they are just amplifying the sound.

Some HoH are progressed into severe to profound deaf in later life and audiologist usually recommend them to receive CI and some of them got stronger hearing aids - it means more headache.

Yes, they got hearing aids from audiologist or hearing and balance centers everywhere.
 
@Andrew Jackson Im not HOH, so cant answer to your questions

But I have a question for you, in your training for audiologist, is it mentioned to offer parents ASL courses and also help them on their way in that path? Im asking this because in all too many places I still read that parents get told not to sign, or to focus on audiological input.

Thanks in advance
 
1) How long have you worn your hearing aids?
5 years in August.

2) For how long before you got your hearing aids did you suspect you had a hearing loss?
Born with mild hearing loss and auditory processing disorder but my parents tried to fix it. When I became severely hoh my parents knew they couldn't fix it.

3) How long do you wear your hearing aids each day?
I use to wear them 12 to 15 hours aday, but I sign at home so now only as long as my work shift (8-16) 6 days a week.

4) Do you feel that you benefit from your hearing aids?
I do benefit from them but don't feel like I need them since I sign.

5) What complaints do you have about your hearing aids?
I hated hearing wind and feedback. I also hated the sounds of beeping or alarms, they would echo.

6) Do you feel like your hearing aids have lived up to what your audiologist or hearing aid dealer told you they would do?
I think my audie didn't understand my hearing loss when she convinced me to buy them. So no.

7) Did you get your hearing aids from an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer?
Audie who only sold one brand.
 
Sounds more like you are working for a hearing aid company of some sort. Possibly a new technology firm that is wanting to target the lucrative hearing aid market.
It is a rapidly growing market in my observation. One that is raping the crap out of people. If you can bring the cost down while keeping quality up I am all for it.
The high quality digitals like phonak naidas are awesome. They are only as good as the people selling them for the most part.
There are lots things that make the usage of the digitals way more user friendly especially now that the quality is so good.
Most insurance plans do not cover hearing aids. The ones that do mostly pay for testing(often free anyway).
I am not an expert of any kind. Am just a guy that had my hearing deteriorate early on and shortly after high school was fitted for my first hearing aids forty some years ago.
You can learn everything you need to know out of the part of this site devoted to hearing technology.
 
Hi- Hope to see you around more :)

1) How long have you worn your hearing aids?
showing my age a bit- 50 years.

2) For how long before you got your hearing aids did you suspect you had a hearing loss?
never- I was born severe to profoundly deaf. (it has slipped quite a bit to just profound now).

3) How long do you wear your hearing aids each day?
Depends... if I were working- about 8-12ish hours. Right now I'd say a total of maybe 8 or less.

4) Do you feel that you benefit from your hearing aids?
Hard to say... I do benefit from a little as I still have some usable hearing and combined with lipreading (horrible at it) and sign (good at it but rarely get to be around signers) it helps some.

5) What complaints do you have about your hearing aids?
feedback when I try to turn them up all the way (power junkie and seems that that level is the best level for me to 'hear'), earmolds I hate because when I was younger I used to frequently get ear infections, and for all of my life sweaty ears and more wax than I care to have. Not a fan of the really small hearing aid size either (tiny batteries are a pain).

6) Do you feel like your hearing aids have lived up to what your audiologist or hearing aid dealer told you they would do?
Yes and no... most of my hearing aids have been Oticon so those have lived up to their names. Some of the others not so much. I think it's more perception than anything- what the audio thinks or tells me is going to be different than what I actually experience.

7) Did you get your hearing aids from an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer?
Way back when... with my body aid it was actually a hearing aid dispenser. Loved him (parents did too)- he knew his stuff. After I switched to BTEs it was always audiologists. In all the years of my audiologist visits I've only encountered ONE (outside of Gallaudet's Audiology dept) who signed. One.... I know that a large percentage of clients tend to be late deafened or elderly but it would be nice to see more who know ASL well (rather than 'barely').

Can't think of anything else lol. Good luck to you Andrew (and if that's your real name- I think of the president by the same name lol).
 
1) How long have you worn your hearing aids? since I was 20 I'm 28 now

2) For how long before you got your hearing aids did you suspect you had a hearing loss? for couple years

3) How long do you wear your hearing aids each day? usually from time I wake up till I go to bed

4) Do you feel that you benefit from your hearing aids? I guess

5) What complaints do you have about your hearing aids? headache and having to hear people I don't want to lol

6) Do you feel like your hearing aids have lived up to what your audiologist or hearing aid dealer told you they would do? yea

7) Did you get your hearing aids from an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer? I get them from easter seals I'm from ct
 
Sorry that I've been a little be MIA guys.

I just wanted to thank you for all your responses. They are truly insightful. I will most likely be back on this forum posting more stuff.

Thanks again!

Andrew (and yes, that's my real name ;) )
 
Mieke said:
@Andrew Jackson Im not HOH, so cant answer to your questions

But I have a question for you, in your training for audiologist, is it mentioned to offer parents ASL courses and also help them on their way in that path? Im asking this because in all too many places I still read that parents get told not to sign, or to focus on audiological input.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Yes! Based on my studies, guest lecturers, and ASHA conferences I have attended, there is a general trend to get all the people who offer support to deaf/Deaf/HoH individuals to get on the "same page." Now, this is definitely more achievable the younger the individual is diagnosed/experiences the hearing loss (at birth as opposed to acquired loss later in life). I hope this answers your question.

Thanks!

Andrew
 
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