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Getting new Oticon Real1 aids from VA

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Edited

@cvkemp

Yesterday I saw my hearing aid practitioner for the third time. He went back to his original setup, with other changes…first visit he increased gain on mid and high frequencies.
This time he restored those settings, and increased volume to 110% He said call him anytime I need adjustments.

Lesson learned…

I bet that you need minor adjustments.
I have different hearing aids. Perhaps my experience will help you.

First adjustments. myPhonak App has a clarity button. When I press that I hear better. pushing the clarity button increases mid range and high. Is there a way to do that with your hearing aids?

Second listening fatigue. I told him I was fatigued by 2 pm every day. Trying to hear…After the visit yesterday at 10:00 am I wasn’t fatigued at all. He set gain at 110% of the Target quick fit recommendation. This morning I could hear the weather person who talks too fast! That’s amazing.

Average I wear my hearing aids 15 hours a day.

my goals are:

  • word recognition.
  • word recognition in noise
  • being able to hear my wife and understand her *that should be first! If I can’t I hear about it!

In every case with my audiologists or practitioner I get explanations why hearing aids don’t fix hearing. That solves nothing.

So I have had to learn how to advocate and communicate to my practitioner better!

I’m grateful that yesterdays experience was positive, and I can hear better.

Hope this helps.

DaveL
Toronto

ps Phonak has reports in Target. I left with Target User Report, and Target Pro Report in hand. I’ll keep a record.

I just want my hearing aids to work. The difference is having good setup.

I have to say something here that may get me in trouble with the IOS users.
Back in June I traded my iPhone 13 for the Samsung Galaxy S23, why you ask. It was because I was tired of the connectivity issues I was having with my aids, the app and the issues with my cellular carrier which is predominant in this area that I live in. I have been impressed with the connectivity I have had with my aids since the change. Now that I have my Real1 aids as my primary set and my More1 aids accepting their role as my backup aids. I have found that by having both the companion and the beta version of the companion apps on my Samsung phone that I can and do have both sets of aids paired to my phone, the Real aids are paired with the companion app and the More aids are paired with the companion beta app. I can easily switch between the two sets of aids. I just have to remember to close the app that isn’t paired to the aids I am not wearing at the time. And to go along with that I have a connect clip paired with my More1 aids and another connect clip paired with the Real Aids and both connect clips are paired with my Fire Tablet. What all of this means is I don’t have to go through the process of deleting and pairing any time I switch between my sets of aids.
This totally impossible with the MFI that IOS employs.
The capability to have my aids paired and usable on a moments notice is so powerful for someone like me that depends on my aids every waking moment of the day.

@cvkemp

I’m as dependent as you are. I appreciate your posts because I learn a lot, and that helps. Doesn’t matter what kind of phone you use. Heck they could change my corporate phone in a heart beat. I don’t get any say.

I did try an android tablet. I had real trouble using it. I expect I would have trouble using an android phone.

DaveL

It all depends on the android phone. At this time the latest Samsung phones and the latest Google Pixel phones are the one to get if you have aids that will function with android hearing aid standards.

In reply to @cvkemp

Do your Real aids have rechargeable or disposable batteries? If they’re rechargeable, I can see why you might have to switch to your backups frequently. Otherwise, why would you switch often enough for it to really matter? Once you’re settled in with the new aids, I mean.

I have rechargeable and the battery life is more that good enough to last me all day. The reason i some times switch is due to the way i sweat. I walk and hike the forest in the area and this is a humid area and i sweat a lot even i cool weather. So many decry about rechargeable hearing aids, and you are so wrong about them. This is my 3 set of rechargeable aids and I haven’t had any issues with battery life, and i have had occasions of wearing them over 24 hours straight.

I am not sure, I asked my audiologist and was asked if I could justify them.

In reply to @Big_John

I really don’t know for sure, it has something to do with how well I can function in public or if I was still working how well I would be able to do the job that I am trained and educated for. I was forced to retire because I wasn’t able to continue doing the phone support that is called for as an IT professional. I was lucky I was already fully qualified for retirement, but didn’t want to retire yet. I tried other jobs but just couldn’t handle them and I even found that I struggled to do online training that was nice my strength.

In reply to @x475aws

@x475aws said:

Would the VA provide disposable battery aids if requested?

In a word…Yes! I requested Disposable battery aids last year and also requested large (675) batteries with long life. Issued me Phonak Naida Paradise 90UP heairng aids. The batteries are averaging 12 to 14 days each. I have been leery of rechargeable aids due to living in rural area with not overly dependable electric service during winter months.
Talk to your provider…They seem to be happy to accommodate the vet.
Best wishes,
Dan

Edited

I live in an area that has less than optimal electrical performance too but I don’t worry about it the house we bought has an whole house backup generator, it was installed by the previous owner, I have lived here almost 6 years and it has kicked in twice for a total of 8 hours of use. My charger can recharge my aids at least 3 times without being plugged in itself. The charger can be recharged by my Jeep, by either just plugging into a usb port or even the dc to ac converter. And I have a number of battery backup packs around that can recharge my aids, I camp and have plenty of options to keep them charged including portable solar panels that I use when we are roughing it off the grid.
I was a Boy Scout and also in the Navy where we always had our moto of being prepared.

It has me tagged with the loss but 0% comp for now. I’m hoping to never get money for it, if you know what I mean. The 10% loss opens the door for so much. My cousin is 100%, but I don’t think I’d trade. Starting with the divorce….

WH

I get 50% now, and I have two open claims. My hearing loss claim is a reopen and the other one is my Blood Pressure issues which my records show to be related to my hearing loss. The VSO that I have talked to at my American Legion Post says she did the calculation and said I should be getting at least 70% for the combined hearing loss and blood pressure issues. What I have learned over the last almost 20 years is if you are just a veteran using the you get a lesser service and recognition than if you have a disability rating, and from my experience if you don’t have at least 30% disability rating you still don’t have much recognition. I know that with my 50% related I have been given faster appointments and even more options for other services and help. The first place I noticed it with was the eye and low vision clinics. I use to have to pay for my glasses, as much as $400 dollars, since my rating went to 50% I no longer pay for any co-pays. Not even glasses.

The only thing I wish was different would be meds. The pharmacy costs me way more than my grocery store pharmacy with my FEP BCBS plan. 90 days of most of my meds are less than $10 but the wants way more. I think 30% is where the pharmacy costs go away. I should talk to a VSO again.

WH

When i was paying for my meds i never paid more than $8.00 for 90 days of my meds. But i haven’t paid a cent a about 5 years now. But at this point I am prescription drug free except for eye drops and wetting gel for my eyes.

In reply to @WhiteHat

@WhiteHat said:

The only thing I wish was different would be meds.

That’s one reason I’m thankful for my 10% tinnitus disability.
I use Eliquis an anticoagulant because of a pulmonary embolism a few years ago.
With my medicare drug plan I paid $55.00 a month, and when I hit the coverage gap it was $250.00!
With the I get it for $30.00 for a 90 day supply!

I found a hopeful good deal for an Android Tablet, 10 inch with keyboard, mouse , charger and cables, and cover, from Amazon with a coupon for $120, it has Android 13, has 128 gig storage, and 6gig of ram plus 6 gig of virtual ram. It is a no name brand that I ever heard of but does have very good reviews. I no longer do any work with my devices just reading, audiobooks, social media, and general web surfing.

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