Hearing Aids

I know that the quality of my mother's life would be greatly improved if she could hear better but when I brought up the subject she told me that she has never met anybody who was happy with their appliance. Is this true. Does anybody know if there is such a thing as a good hearing aid. She can watch telly but she seems to unable to get involved in a conversation with more than one person as she can only concentrate on one voice. I would be gratefull for recomendations from people who know of someone who has experienced an improvement.

My grandmother is the same. She has been through so many appliances at this stage but they only barely improve her hearing.
She also needs subtitles for the TV and can only talk to one person at a time.
We write a lot of stuff down for her as she gets embarrassed when she can't hear what's going on. We've also installed a fax machine so at least we can contact her during the day as she can't hear a voice on the phone.
A doctor once told my mother that once a person's hearing is gone, there's very little you can do to bring it back. It's very hard to accept though and I can completely understand your frustration.
We are just constantly trying to find other ways of improving their quality of life.

Thanks Helen. It does seem as if once again my mother knows best.

woods said:

I know that the quality of my mother's life would be greatly improved if she could hear better but when I brought up the subject she told me that she has never met anybody who was happy with their appliance. Is this true. Does anybody know if there is such a thing as a good hearing aid. She can watch telly but she seems to unable to get involved in a conversation with more than one person as she can only concentrate on one voice. I would be gratefull for recomendations from people who know of someone who has experienced an improvement.

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I wouldn't agree with Helen that it's not possible to get an appliance to suit one. I don't know where you are but there's a good hearing aid consultant in Foxrock who also has a clinic in St Francis's Private Hospital in Ballinderry in Mullingar. His name is Aidan McGowan and he has his clinic on Kill Avenue, opposite Foxrock Church. He is very honest and would say it if he thought your mother wouldn't benefit from an aid - it depends on whether the auditory nerve is responsive and other factors as well. He is also very good with older people. His wife is also a hearing aid consultant with him but I don't know anything about her - she got her qualifications as a mature student. I'm not saying anything for or against her - I simply don't know.

I am in Cork and do not know if my mother could travel to Dublin but that is not the issue. If an appliance that works can be found in Dublin then surely one can be had in Cork. I was not sure if such a thing existed and It did not dawn on me that the success may be down to the person fitting it but of course that makes sense.
Can anybody recomend someone in Cork that sounds anywhere near as good as the guy in Foxrock Thanks for the recomendation anyway

If you like I'll ask Aidan McGowan in Foxrock what his suggestion would be for you. I know him quite well. I know that he goes to these information seminars throughout the year to keep himself up to date and meets others at the conferences.

When I thought about my suggestion later in the morning (after I had woken up!) I realised it would make far better sense for me to give you AMcG's number for you to have a chat with him yourself. His number is 01-2894304 and his address is Alderford, Kill Lane, Foxrock, Dublin 18.

Thank You for that. I hope that he does not mind but it is too important for me to start acting shy so I will call him.

I wear hearing aids myself (I'm 29), and go through AMcG. He gives excellent service, although I sometimes find it difficult with the location (I don't drive to work, so getting to his office can be a nightmare).

Although I love my aids, they (Phonak) aids have given me NO END of problems. At €3,000 per aid, and with only a two year warranty, you'd expect a little better. Also, be aware that most manufacturers seem to be UK based, so aids need to be gone for at least 2 weeks if you're sending them for repair.

Also, check out the tax relief that's available on the aids: [broken link removed]

Hi, my Dad really needs a hearing aid too, so if you could get Aidan to recommend somebody in Cork, I would really appreciate it!

Hi all,

I'm joining this thread a little late, but it might be useful for some of you to check out the AssistIreland Irish Government website.

It has an entire section devoted to those who are deaf or hard of hearing and carries listings of product suppliers, information on products and services (i.e., personal amplification devices, listening devices and interestingly alert and signalling devices (i.e., door beacons, watches, doorbells, etc.)

The site does not endorse any particular product or supplies - nor does it carry information on individual prices of products. Instead, it's just a national list of those supplying assistive technologies and you contact the suppliers for more information, etc.

Just thought it might be useful - there are lots of items that can help make life easier for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have progressive medical conditions resulting in hearing loss, so you might find something of assistance. http://www.assistireland.ie/index.asp?locID=361&docID=-1

Also, there are a number of voluntary and community organisations (i.e., Irish Hard of Hearing Society, Irish Deaf Society, etc.) who may be able to provide some recommendations on aural health practitioners and specialists in various parts of the country.

In addition, you might be interested to know that in addition to tax relief under the Treatment Benefit Scheme for hearing aids, you may also be able to claim tax relief on other aids and applies associated with a medical condition. Staff in your local tax office can advise. Just remember to have your PPS Number to hand in any dealing with them.

By the way, I have no association with the website listed above but it is an official Government site - providing a Lo-call information line at 1890 277 478 (Mon-Fri) and an e-mail service too.

CMCR.

woods said:

I know that the quality of my mother's life would be greatly improved if she could hear better but when I brought up the subject she told me that she has never met anybody who was happy with their appliance. Is this true. Does anybody know if there is such a thing as a good hearing aid. She can watch telly but she seems to unable to get involved in a conversation with more than one person as she can only concentrate on one voice. I would be gratefull for recomendations from people who know of someone who has experienced an improvement.

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Hi Woods

Just wondering whether you pursued this matter for your mother and how you got on. I have an interest in this because I know someone who might benefit from an aid but I'm waiting for the right moment to broach the subject.

Can I suggest you contact the Irish hard of Hearing association. It is a fantastic resource for anyone with acquired hearing loss and/or their family. They offer support and gadgets and lip reading classes to young and elderly.
It can be useful for the person with hearing loss to meet other with a similar problem. Equally for anyone living with a person with hearing loss which can be quite stressful. They organise theatre trips and art gallery tours as well as golf outings and hill walking.
Located in Dublin at the National association of the Deaf[NAD]