Last week i had an that proved what my wife had been saying for years… I’m Deaf. I am 42 so it has come as a bit of a shock to suddenly have to wear 2 hearing aids. I have some Phonak Spheres coming next week which is exciting and daunting at the same time.
i have an apple watch and hoping to control some functions with this, does anyone else do this and can you alter all settings or does the audiologist have to make changes?
Thank you in advance from the newest member of team Hearing Aids.
welcome @Alski, I am 42 too, please post your so we can see what kind of hearing aids is better for your needs. You are not deaf you are maybe hard of hearing….where are you from? if your audiogram is compatible you can start with a pair of airpods pro 2/3 with the hearing aid feature and you can do everything you want with your apple watch. I feel they are really good to start (If you are mild to moderate).
Thanks. I am from England UK. I’ve put my on here now. It might sound strange but i don’t like wearing headphones, especially for any longer than an hour or so. I have been wearing the trial pair of aids my audiologist gave me for the last two weeks and do not notice the feel of them in there.
WOW what a cookie bite…joke apart, from what I read here and there your kind of loss is a little pain in the back to manage but your audiologist would help you. The Airpods Pro 2/3 hearing aid feature is allowed in your country so you can have a pair of them (to use obviously as second pair/alternative to your hearing aids due to your ) to stream content from your apple watch and iphone while benefit of the hearing aid feature. They are not the best for your loss but could help as an alternative.
I had a pair of SIGNIA Active PRO IX who are MFI and I could control them from my apple watch, i could switch between programs, control the volume, make calls and stream content (spotify,podcast) directly from my apple watch serie 10. Unfortunately I couldn’t ask anything to SIRI directly from my hearing aids. So the last SIGNIA Hearing aids could do what you are looking for.
Please note that with your phone or watch you can only choose the settings that your audiologist has programmed into your hearing aids. You can’t change frequencies/gain/compression etc to your liking, for that you have to opt for or ask your audiologist.
I don’t know anything about Phonak Spheres so i’m sorry but I can’t help you, you can play with your apple watch and your hearing aids when you’ll go to your audio next time and see if you can do what you need.
Phonak, unlike some other brands do not support much function with the Apple Watch. But the Phonak Infinio Spheres are probably the highest rated hearing aids right now (other brands will catch up as they issue thier next version). I love my Spheres after wearing other brands over the years, they are clearly the very best I’ve tried. If you search you will see other topics specifically about the Spheres. I’d go with your Audi’s recommendation. Here is some information- What I Wish I Knew When I Got My First Hearing Aids
Partner With Your Hearing Health Professional. Be sure to tell your audiologist your priorities for hearing better. Do you work and need a captioned phone? Do you have trouble hearing in meetings or one on one at home? Attend the theater often? Dine out frequently? The more you explain, the more appropriate solutions can be offered. Most often the best solution will be a combination of hearing aids and other things.
Start with realistic expectations. Everyone wants hearing aids to work like glasses — you put them on and suddenly your hearing is back to normal. But we all know it doesn’t work that way. It will take work and time by both the audiologist and by the hearing aid wearer to get things working smoothly. See your hearing care professional for as many follow-up visits as you need to fine-tune the sounds you’re hearing, adjust the fit in your ear and talk about the situations that are most challenging for you. You may need 2 to 4 fittings to get the programming tailored to individual needs, and to learn more about how to use and care for your hearing aids.
Be persistent. It takes time for your brain to adjust to and relearn listening skills. Work up gradually into full time use. Be patient. Adjusting to hearing aids takes time. Some people only need a day or two but most people need a few weeks to a few months to adjust to using hearing aids. The important thing to remember is to wear them, even if just for a few hours the first day, an hour longer the following day, and so on until you are wearing hearing aids all day.
Start by wearing them at home or in other quiet listening environments and focus on having one-on-one conversations. As you gradually increase the number of places where you use your hearing aids, don’t be discouraged by background noise. Let your friends and family know you’re using your new hearing aids so they can help you stay committed to better hearing as you wear your aids in more challenging environments.
For extra practice with your hearing aids, try to locate the sources of all the sounds in your environment, or listen to audio books or talk radio while you’re home alone.
At first, you will be aware of hearing aids in your ears and your voice will sound “funny.” The quicker you ramp up to wearing them all day, like you would wear a pair of eyeglasses, the faster your brain will re-program itself to ignore the sounds that are meaningless to you. Before you know it, you’ll only be able to hear the refrigerator humming if you concentrate and listen for it.
Wearing hearing aids full time is essential to hearing your best.
Include the family. Hearing loss impacts the entire family so include them whenever possible in these discussions. Family involvement increases the likelihood of success. Tell them how to communicate better with you, such as getting your attention first and facing you.
Embrace Innovation. Incorporate hearing assistive technology or . The most effective hearing solutions combine hearing aids with other technologies. Stay current on new devices and apps that are developed to help people with hearing loss watch TV, enjoy dining out, attend a lecture or live performance so you can integrate them into your hearing loss tool kit. Assistive Technology (AT) can be confusing. Be sure to include the Hearing Loss Association of America in your tool kit; they can get you jump started. You can find HLAA at www.Hearingloss.org2.
Learn how to use . Hearing Aids with T-coils can be life changing when attending the theater, riding in a taxicab and at lectures and museums. As more venues install loops, T-coils will only become more useful. Make sure you know how to use this feature on your hearing aids. Ask it your hearing aids can use the new Bluetooth which also can allow you to hear better in larger places.
Try the devices yourself. Try out the hearing aids and other assistive listening technology in various listening situations (you can borrow them at Florida FAAST to try – FAAST.). Use captions readers at the movies or a Roger microphone at your next family dinner. Real life experience with the products will help you better understand what will work for you.
See Beyond The Technology
Learn communication tricks and tips. For instance, getting the attention of the person first, and making sure the speaker’s mouth is visible.
Learn self-advocacy skills. Many people with hearing loss are shy about asking for the accommodations they need. You need to try asking, for instance, for captioned phones at work or to use caption readers at the movies. Asking for what we need is difficult at first, but it gets easier every time we do it.
Join the hearing loss community. Attend meetings of the local HLAA chapter or similar group. Meeting other people with hearing loss can make a big difference. Meet people who understand your frustrations and from whom you can learn useful tips to help you hear your best. The Jacksonville chapter of HLAA meets monthly on a Saturday afternoon. Contact mwjarrett@comcast.net to find out about meetings, programs, and socials.
Be a hearing ambassador. Protect the hearing you still have. Be an ambassador for hearing health wherever you go — loud restaurants, concerts, etc. You can make a huge difference for others who may not know how important it is to protect their hearing.
I have had them for just over a year and frankly wish I had gone another direction. The problem for me is the Spheric chip activating when I don’t need it — which is the case 99% of the time — and without realizing it has activated and then my rechargeable battery gets nuked leaving me without long before bedtime. I have tried twice to get audiologist to put limits on the chip including making it a manual function only. But the Automatic program still seems to be activating it at times.
I came here today hoping I can get the Phonak software. I will still need to spend a couple hundred bucks on hardware and had to add “soft lite” Windows to my MacBook sincemthe software is Windows based only.
If only I had chosen better when upgrading. My insurance pays 100% every five years so I have four more years to figure out how to harness this fancy second chip. @tenkan
Rural New England