Hearing Aid Users Information Booklet

Hearing Aid Users

Information Booklet

Audiology Department

Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Hinchingbrooke Park

Huntingdon

Cambridgeshire

PE29 6NT

Direct Telephone: 01480 847465

Email: [email protected]

www.hinchingbrooke.nhs.uk/page/our-services/audiology

This Information leaflet has been reviewed and approved by the

Audiology Patient Panel. If you would like to get involved, please

leave your contact details with a member of the reception staff.

If you require this leaflet in another format for example LARGE PRINT, Audio format or another language, please ask your audiologist, a member of reception, or contact the department

Document History

Authors: Audiology Department

Department: Audiology Department, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6NT www.hinchingbrooke.nhs.uk/page/our-services/audiology Contact number: 01480 847465

Pg

2.

1 T

ypes of

Hearing

Loss

3.

2 Y

our Hea

ring Aid

4.

3 Cl

eaning a

nd Main

taining Y

our Hearing

Aid

5.

4 I

nserti

ng Your H

earing

Aid

7.

5 Re

pairs

8.

6 T

roubleshooting:

Finding a

Fault

with Your He

aring

Aid

9.

7 Ba

tteri

es

10.

8 Usi

ng the T

ele

phone

with

Your He

aring

Aid

10.

9

Loop

Systems

10.

10

Strea

mers

11.

11

Assistive

Equipme

nt

12.

12

Lost H

earing

Aids

13.

13

Useful

Local

Organisa

tions

14.

14

Useful

Nation

al O

rganisa

tions

Action

on Hearing

Loss

Add ress: 19-23 Fea thers tone St reet, Lon don , EC 1Y 8SL Telep hone : 0808 80 8 01 23 Textph one: 0808 808 900 0 Email: info rmati online @he aring los s.o rg.uk Websi te: ww w.ac tion onh eari nglo ss.org.uk

Hearing

Link

Add ress: 27-28 Th e Wat erfron t, Ea stbo urne, Ea st Su ssex , BN 23 5U Z Telep hone : 0300 11 1 11 13 Textph one: 07526 1232 55 Email: enqu ires @he arin glink .org Websi te: ww w.he aring link .org

British T

innitus

Assoc

iation

Add ress: Groun d Fl oor Unit 5, Acorn Bu sin ess Pa rk, Wood seats Close, Sheff iel d, S8 0T B Telep hone : 0800 01 8 05 27 Email: info @ti nnitus .or g.uk Websi te: ww w.t inn itus .org.uk

Hearing

Dogs

Add ress: The Grang e, Wycombe Ro ad, Saun dert on, Princes s R isbor ough , Bucki ngha mshi re, H P27 9N S Telep hone : 0184 4 348 1 00 Textph one: 01844 34 8 10 0 Email: info @he ari ngdo gs.org .uk Websi te: ww w.he aring dogs. org.uk

14. U

sef

ul N

ati

on

al O

rg

anis

atio

ns

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There are 3 types of hearing loss:-

1.

Conductive

— this hearing loss is caused by the sound not being able

to travel from the ear drum to inner ear; for example due to wax or fluid in the middle ear.

2.

Sensorineural

— the cause of the hearing loss is in the inner ear and

may be due to damage to the hair cells in the cochlea or the auditory nerve pathway from the ear.

3.

Mixed

— the hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and

sensorineural elements, and indicates a problem with both the outer/ middle ear and the inner ear.

Hearing loss can be described in terms of the severity of the hearing loss, and will illustrate what types of difficulties you may experience due to your hearing impairment:-

1. Mild (20-40dB) - you are likely to have minimal difficulty in

one-to-one conversations in quiet. However you may experience problems in background noise, groups, if the speaker is some distance from you or quietly spoken people.

2. Moderate (41-70dB) - you may have problems hearing speech at

conversational levels in quiet places, and noisy places will be extremely difficult.

3. Severe (71-95dB) - you may find that you struggle to hear speech in

all situations, though if the speaker is talking loudly or at close range you may be able to hear them.

4. Profound (95+dB) - you will find that you struggle to hear speech in

all situations, even if the speaker is in close range or speaking loudly. You may not rely on hearing as your primary method of communication.

However your ability to hear will depend on the frequency. For example you may have a severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, while your hearing may be considered normal in the low frequencies. This will affect what speech frequencies you can and cannot hear. This can often result in speech sounding unclear, muffled or even distorted. With the hearing aid we aim to provide you with the ability to hear speech clearly, compensating for your hearing loss and providing you with the amplification that you need in the necessary frequencies.

Cambridgeshire Sensory Services

Address: Disability Service, Amundsen House, Compass Point, Business Park, Stocks Bridge Way, St Ives, PE27 5JL

Telephone: 0345 045 5221 Textphone: 07765898732

Email: [email protected] Website: www.yourlifeyourchoice.org.uk

CAMTAD

Address: 8A Romsey Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 3NH Telephone/Textphone: 01223 416141

Email: [email protected] Website: www.camtadcambs.org.uk

Come and Be Heard

Address: Lyon’s Court, Wimpole Street, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, PE16 6NJ Telephone: 01354 695317 (Hilary Coates, Come and Be Heard Secretary) Email: [email protected]

Meetings: They usually meet on the last Friday of the month 2-4pm.

Peterborough Hear to Meet (Action on Hearing Loss)

Address: Sue Warner, Action on Hearing Loss, 1 Haddonbrook Business

Centre, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YX Telephone: 01733 363903 Email: [email protected] Website: www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/supporting-you/befriending-service-hear-to-meet/peterborough-hear-to-meet.aspx

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13

There are severa l pa rts to the he aring aid th at are impo rtan t i n en suring that you ob tain the ma ximu m be nefi t of he aring spee ch. 1.

RETENTI

ON S

TRI

P:

This act s as an an chor an d cur ls aroun d t he bo wl of the ea r. It provi des sup port to keep s the cor da ins ide o f the ea r. 2.

CORDA AN

D DO

ME:

This is the pa rt tha t fi ts i nto your ear and comes in several d iffe rent s izes . Y our aud io log ist will ha ve de ter-mine d to be the cor rect si ze fo r you r ea r. 3.

TUBIN

G:

The very thin plast ic tubing con nect s the do me to the heari ng a id behind the ear. It allo ws the s ound to be tr ansf erre

d ith d w t an mponen l co ita a v is is r. Th the ea to aid ring hea the from time it will sh rink , na rrow , a ne w tube is need ed eve ry 4 -6 months. 4.

HEARING AID:

This is the ele ctron ic devi ce tha t s its b eh in d y ou r e ar and picks up the soun ds and speech arou nd y ou an d a mplif ies

those speech hear you to low al to tion rip r presc you ng to accordi sounds clea rly and at a comfort able leve l. 5.

HEARING AID

BUTTO

N:

This bu tton can b e used as e ither /bo th a volume con tro l o r a prog ramme butt on. You r au diolog ist w ill dis

cuss ments. require your p to u it d set an you ith s w ing sett id a aring the he and your heari ng a id manual will ha ve more de tailed infor mation in regards to this.

The

hearing

aid

that

you

are

iss

ued wi

th is

ON LOAN

to y

ou a

nd

NHS.

on the

erty

ins the prop

rema

If the he aring aid is lo st or damage d, then you maybe you be liab le to pa y a los t he ari ng aid fee .

THER

E IS

A

C

HA

RG

E OF

£65

FOR

TH

E R

EPLA

CEM

ENT

OF A

ID

G A

IN

EAR

H

LOST

The charge i s NO T for replac ing the heari ng a id, bu t i s u sed tow ards

the . ng aid ari ew he a n uing f iss ses o expen Charge s a re ba sed on i ndivi dual ci rcum stan ces, an d there are certai n exempt ion s f rom p aying the fee a s se t ou t by the East o f En glan

d h 2012. Marc m in Foru iology Aud All pati ent’ s h ave the ri ght to ap peal ag ainst the fee , an d the A udio log

y If nces. ide inc for these up ee set mitt Com al’s ppe A s an t ha artmen Dep you w ish to App eal against th is, then plea se spea k to your A udio lo gist who can ad vise you as to t he p rocess you ne ed to go throug h.

3

12

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cleaning Your Corda

Keeping your cordas clean is very important. It ensures that you obtain the best sound quality and reduce the chances of developing an ear infection. You should clean the soft dome with an antibacterial wipe before you put them in your ear, and also after. This ensures that the domes are kept clean and that any bacteria that may have collected has been removed.

Maintaining Your Corda

It is possible for wax to build up around the sound holes and in the tubing of the corda. This can cause a reduction in the sound quality that the hearing aid is able to provide. If there is a blockage it is possible to remove it by removing the corda from the hearing aid and pushing a thin red wire trough the tubing from top to bottom. This will push out any wax or debris that has become stuck in the tube. The cleaning wire will have been provided to you at your fitting appointment, however if you require anymore then please ask at the Audiology Reception.

Retubing

Your corda needs to be retubed every 4-6 months. With time the tubing can become quite hard and will shrink in size. You may also notice a deterioration in your sound quality. It is possible to have new tubing through an appointment with the Audiology Department, attending a CAMTAD Clinic, or collecting new tubing from the Audiology Department Reception. It is also possible to contact the Audiology Department and ask them to post you out the appropriate tubing.

4

11

Assistive Equipment to help you hear the television or telephone are available from several places. You can be assessed by Social Services who will determine what equipment you need to help you with your hearing difficulties. You can self-refer or speak to a member of the Audiology Department.

Cambridgeshire Sensory Services

Address: Disability Service, Amundsen House, Compass Point, Business

Park, Stocks Bridge Way, St Ives, PE27 5JL Telephone: 0345 045 5221

Textphone: 07765898732

Email: [email protected] Website: www.yourlifeyourchoice.org.uk

CAMTAD

They are able to offer several equipment demonstration/advice sessions and these can be found on their website :

www.camtadcambs.org.uk/hearing-help-equipment

It is possible to purchase a range of assistive equipment from the following organisations, and their catalogues are available from the Audiology Department or by directly contacting the organisations.

Always check the Terms and Conditions with the company before ordering, some items will be eligible for a VAT refund.

Action on Hearing Loss Shop

Address: Action on Hearing Loss Customer Service Team, 1 Haddonbrook Business Centre, Fallodan Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YX Telephone: 01733 361199

Textphone: 01733 238020

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/shop

Connevans

Address: Bridge House, 1 Nutfield Road, Merstham, Surrey, RH1 3EB Telephone: 01737 247571

Email: [email protected]

1. Place the he aring ai d behind you

r ng me faci ip/do soft t the ith w ear, toward s the ea r 2. P lace the so ft do me ti p i nto the ea

r. is as far as ear our y to in tip the Push comfor table for you to w ear it. The

dome ensure gh to enou n far shed i pu be s to need that you can he ar as w ell as you shou ld be .

8. U

sin

g t

he

Tel

eph

on

e w

ith

yo

ur

Hear

in

g A

id

It is very i mport ant to en sure that the corda tub e is in serted corr ect ly, an d it will tak e pract ice before you are able to inse rt the hear ing ai d w ith ea se.

5

10

Diff icul ty he ari ng on the tel epho ne i s a com mon prob lem for he aring ai

d . hone lep te f the o oning siti po the or is fact mportant An i users. When weari ng a heari ng aid , the ea r i s ‘bloc ked’ by the plas tic dome

and ust place m you Instead y. earl cl through get ble to be a not ill d w the soun the te lep hone rece iver to the top of your ear over the he aring a ids a s th

is the ws llo a tion posi is Th ocated. are l nes opho micr id ng a heari re the whe is sound t o be d irec ted in to the he aring ai d mi crop hone an d into your ear. This techn iqu e do es re quire a bi t of prac tice . I t w ill be w orthw hile to practice on a f rien d or fami ly member or phon ing 14 71 to find the posi tio n in whi ch you are ab le to hea r be tter . If you con tinu e to ha ve d iff icu lty w ith the te leph one it maybe w ort h tr ying a tel epho ne that is spe cifi cally de sign ed for pe ople with a hear ing los s an

d a ch as tures su ful fea lp he ve many es ha phon These rs. use ng aid heari volume contro l, a lou d spea ker and mayb e co mpatib le with Loop Systems . These phon es can be o btained throug h the co ntacts li sted on the fo llowi

ng . ent) uipm Eq tive ssis (A page

9. L

oo

p S

yst

ems

These are spec ial l ist ening sys tems that will tr ansf er sound direc tly to you r he aring aid , grea tly redu cing

the ority maj the in le ilab are ava They . ise nd no backgrou o f publi c pla ces su ch as shop s, ba nks, pla ces o f w ors hip, theatr es, an d an yw here w here the loo p s ign is dis played .

p a loo requires aid aring r he p you he Loo to use t order In

program me tha t l ets you he ar the perso n spea

king ckgroun e ba t th ou tting cu ile wh tem p sys loo the through d no ise ar ound you. Y our heari ng aid in stru ction bo oklet pr ovides de tails on ho w t o us e p. the loo

10. S

trea

mers

Ano ther ass isti ve list ening devi ce ava ilab le is kno wn as a s trea mer. I

t is . Th to them ly direct sound s the send and aids aring the he with cts intera helps to impro ve spee ch and sound s in a varie ty of di fferen t si tuati ons

such ce. devi sic al mu rson , pe sion televi , the hone lep te as the Strea mers an d al l o ther related ad d on de vices are ava ilab le fro

m the you more ive to g le be ab ill w f staff mber o me A ent. artm Dep iology Aud detai ls.

3. Fold the thin flexible tail

backwards into the bowl of the ear. Initially you may find that the tail does not stay in place, but after

several days of wear it will mould itself to the shape of your ear

CORRECTLY INSERTED CORDA

You can see that the corda sits flush against the ear, and that the retention strip is tucked neatly into the bowl of the ear.

6

9

Batteries are available from the following centres in the area.

Audiology Department

Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon PE29 6NT Monday—Friday 9am—5pm

Eaton Socon Health Centre

274 Great North Road, Eaton

Socon, St Neots Monday—Friday _8.30am—6pm

Ramsey Health Centre

Mews Close, Ramsey, Huntingdon

Monday—Friday 8am—6pm

Oak Tree / Acorn Centre

1 Oak Drive, Huntingdon PE29 7HN

Monday—Friday 9am—5pm

St Ives Health Centre

Ramsey Road, St Ives PE27 5RA

Monday—Friday 8.30am—5pm

Closed between 1pm—2pm

Wellside Surgery

45 High Street, Sawtry, Huntingdon

Monday—Friday (except Wednesday) 8am—12.45pm and 1.45pm—6pm

Wednesday 8am—1pm

Batteries can also be collected from all CAMTAD Clinics. Please see the CAMTAD leaflet for locations, times and days of these.

Hearing

Aid Rep

air

Appointme

nts

We are able to offe r re pair appo int ments at : Hinchingb rooke Ho spit al Mond ay— Fri day (al l da y) Prince ss o f Wales H ospital , El y W edne sday— Thursday (al l da y) Rams ey H ealth Ce ntre ( Tuesda y af ternoons on ly) Dod dington H ospita l ( every other Monday al l da y)

All re

pair

appointm

ents

a

re onl

y 1

5 mi

nutes

a

nd a

re

not for

hearing

aid

adjus

tments

. If

you

feel

your

hearing

a

ids nee

d a

ltering

ple

ase

ppointment

e a

minut

30

request a

All repairs ar

e by app

ointmen

t on

ly.

Please contac t the Au diology De partm ent to ar range an appo int ment.

Pos

tal Repa

ir Se

rvice

If your hear ing a id is n o lon ger work ing , i t is po ssib le to po st the he aring aid in to the A udiolog y D epartm ent. P lea se i ncl ude a short let ter de tail

ing repa will We ok. ecord bo n r brow id a aring r he d you an lems the prob ir your hear ing ai d an d return it to you as soon as possi ble.

CAMTAD

Basi c he ari ng aid care an d mai ntena nce su ch as retubes can be car ried ou

t st Li MTAD the CA consult Please . area the in ics in cl MTAD the CA of any in for locat ion s, da ys and ti mes.

Proble

m

Pos

sible

Caus

e

Pos

sible

Reme

dy

Hearing

Aid

Dead

Not Turned O n Dea d Battery Batt ery the w rong way round Corda Bl ocked (eg . ax) w With Faulty H eari ng A id Check t hat the he aring aid

is e battery th sing clo by turned on drawer Chan ge the ba tter y Inser t ba ttery cor rectly Clean the Co rda an d re move w ax blockage Please contac t A udiolo gy for an t intmen appo

Whistli

ng

Corda i s no t inser ted correc tly Bent/ Kink ed tub ing Occ lud ing Wax Check c orda is pushed far enou gh into the ear. Retube /at tend a CA MTA D cl in

ic/ an y for log udio contact A appo intmen t See G P to ha ve ea rs che cked an d

Decreas

ed

Volume

Blockage in the tubing Hea ring test ove r 3 years ag o Clean the co rda w ith the c lea ning wir e. O r attend a CA MTA D cl inic

/ ew tubing yfor n log udio contact A Please contac t A udiolo gy for an t intmen appo

For any

further probl

ems, ple

ase

conta

ct t

he Aud

iology De

partme

nt

ppointment

for and a

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8