Find out how Andrew, a new hearing aid user and his partner Jenny, noticed a big difference in their lives as Andrew started his hearing aid journey.
There are more people on your hearing aid journey than just you. From work colleagues to close friends and family, hearing loss and the transition to hearing aids can mean so much to those around us.
During our chat to Andrew, a hearing aid wearer and his partner Jenny, we discovered just
how big a difference a hearing aid can mean to others.
“Wearing aids made me realise I have missed out on so much. There are so many examples I can give, but as a start, I can now hear a conversation the first time without asking others to repeat themselves.
I believe my comprehension has improved dramatically and I’m misunderstanding less. I now feel able and willing to participate in a discussion, and I can clearly hear conversations happening in noisy environments,” shares Andrew.
“For me, Andrew’s hearing aids mean I no longer get told by Andrew that I mumble, we can have the TV set at a much lower level and I no longer have to speak to him in a loud voice.
Overall, Andrew is much happier, less irritable and as a couple we have lots more conversations,” Jenny tells us.
Andrew agrees, “People around me
no longer have to speak as loudly, I’m actually noticing I’m asking people to speak softer.
We don’t need to have TV or music set to high levels, in fact it’s been a step change adjusting all our devices down by a third.”
In adjusting to wearing aids, Andrew has found the help he received during this period played an important role in feeling comfortable with them.
“When I first got aids, the key point was
familiarising myself with them and not feeling rushed. I received support to use the app on my iPhone to adjust the aids to my needs, along with tips for optimising battery life and getting the right sized canal plugs. I found the regular phone check-ins were very supportive.”
Embracing technology within hearing aid designs has helped make communication with others much easier for Andrew, especially in the workplace.
“Mobile telephone conversations automatically transmitted to hearing aids has been really useful, particularly on teleconferences,” he shares. And with his aids capable of playing music through his phone directly into his ear, he’s able to listen to music without affecting anyone around him.
As Andrew eloquently puts it, “I have become so much more aware of life around me.”