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What would you do in a storm with rechargeable hearing aids?!

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In reply to @DaveL

I’m sure the manufacturers invest in research. Bose certainly did.

I fervently hope for breakthroughs.

My life was h*ll for two years because the dispenser didn’t know how to set them up

On topic, I would have insisted on replaceable batteries. Rechargeable ones were provided. Finally, I am so happy I received the hearing aids. I was not due for new ones for another two years

The dispenser protested that not being able to hear behind was a huge danger working on active construction sites.

DaveL

In reply to @kevels55

@kevels55 said:

And this site is a Godsend for HOH, it would have made my life, so much easier back then, sometimes ignorance is not bliss…

CHEERS to that!!! Wow, I also SO wish this forum had been around when I bought my first pair of Starkeys. Since I was born with a hearing loss that got steadily, STEADILY worse over time, my personality retreated way earlier - such a shame. I would avoid anyone with a “soft voice”.

That is what is so amazing about the Phonak Lumity Life aids. My Marvels (still have them) were very good, but these newer aids have given me confidence, independence and socialization.

The forum here is peerless for information, experience sharing, tips & tricks. You’re a real inspiration to me on how to live with adversity and turn it on its EAR to victory! :smile:

Thank you once again for your kind post @1Bluejay… Personally, I think we all inspire each other on here, we have a common bond, we empathise with each other, we have all walked in each other’s shoes, we understand… Ultimately, we learn from each other, and this saves us making the same mistakes. Occasionally, we read of successful outcomes, that warm our hearts, in turn this gives us hope, in my eyes, hope is always a good thought, it inspires you to dream of better things… I am obliged for your input, I enjoy your wit, and your logic, I am glad your Lumity aids now inspire you with confidence, and this has a positive impact on your wellbeing… Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it’s good to chat… Cheers Kev :grin:

In reply to @DaveL

@DaveL said:

The dispenser protested that not being able to hear behind was a huge danger working on active construction sites.

That’s a lack of understanding of how directional aids (mics) work. They are more sensitive to the front, but unless you’ve got a system that either ignores speech or creates huge dynamic null spots around you, you’ll hear from most directions to a slightly lesser extent.

I have Philips mini-rites with a charger that has its own battery, good for three days of charging the hearing aid. Its battery, in turn, is charged by a 5 volt USB C supply, which could be in turn charged by and auxiliary battery normally used for recharging cell phones or tablets.

If our power went off in a storm I would plug my KS10 charger into the USB port of one of my cars.

@Zebras said:

I’m in Wales and we have had extreme winds here which felled some trees here which damaged the gas supply so no heating as well and made our running water not suitable for drinking as it has gone all muddy.

We are also stuck where we are as well as we can’t get out of the building.

what would you do in that kind of situation?

Nothing. Power failures are routine where I live. Most important things are keeping the fridge, water pressure, and Internet on. So we have an invisible backup system for outages of up to 24 hrs, and a generator to recharge the backup battery if the outage lasts longer. If the only thing I had to worry about was recharging hearing aids then I’d plug the charger into the car or a computer UPS.

She’s not home, she needs to be able to hear in order to maintain situational awareness, and her aids are close to dead. They’re rechargeable so she can’t pop in a fresh battery.

In reply to @Um_bongo

@Um_bongo said:

They are more sensitive to the front,

I have often wondered how that is even possible when the mic is on that bean that sits facing the rear - or perhaps a mic or two is near the top of the bean pointing at the ceiling. Perhaps it’s a miracle of manufacturing.

Along these lines, it seemed to me that sound was more natural when I wore the aids in the cup of my ears rather than a more public address type sound coming from the BTEs. Granted, audio quality has increased in the past decades, but I recall being in my 20s, encouraged to wear the big ol’ aids, and just hating the sound quality that bombarded my ears.

In reply to @x475aws

@x475aws said:

She’s not home, she needs to be able to hear in order to maintain situational awareness, and her aids are close to dead. They’re rechargeable so she can’t pop in a fresh battery.

These are the kind of scenarios that I think makers simply tune out. They’d justify fewer choices by “majority rule” when the lack of that ONE SIMPLE BATTERY OPERATED HA could be a lifesaver - to say nothing of one’s sanity. I’d be beserk with fury. And then I’d write to the Pres of Phonak and other companies to ask, “WHAT WOULD YOU DO?” Cuz climate change is only going to get more extreme, and even tho it will play out over the decades of our lives, it will also swing wildly in some places with devastating effect.

HA makers simply don’t get it. Until the day they have to face it.

@1Bluejay said:

ONE SIMPLE BATTERY OPERATED HA could be a lifesaver - to say nothing of one’s sanity. I’d be beserk with fury.

Whoa! How very dramatic! Instead of that, how about plugging the charger into the nearest whatever? 12V receptacles are universal in vehicles, and the adapter to make use of them is far easier to buy than having a mental health crisis or even writing a letter. https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=12v+usb+adapter&crid=2R6QSO8ZK4LR4&sprefix=12v+usb+adapter%2Caps%2C163&ref=nb_sb_noss_11

If you prefer drama, I got you covered. Recently a pack rat decided to make a home in the engine bay of my unused pickup. Stuffed it and the HVAC compartment full with vegetation and chewed the wires off two injectors and the engine computer. About two full days of work to correct, and easily 1000 times worse than having to recharge something by plugging it in. What if I’d needed that pickup to save us from a raging flood or a horde of zombies? Who should I write about that brush with death? :slight_smile:

You haven’t offered a solution for the problem presented in this thread, which I explained a few posts up. Do you have any suggestions?

On the surface the problem is how to charge when the power is out. Many people have offered many solutions in many threads.

But deeper down the problem is solving what-if scenarios. In the case at hand, what if there are no disposable battery HAs in future, and then there were absolutely positively no alternative ways to charge rechargeable HAs, and then there comes a life or death situation dependent on functional HAs. My solutions are 1. Do whatever fully deaf people do, and 2. Stop making up unreasonable what-if scenarios.

However, if the point of these discussions is to find readers who agree that there could be some situation in which some people are easily defeated, then I agree wholeheartedly.

@Dusty said:
  1. Do whatever fully deaf people do

Away from home unsure of exactly what the emergency is, in accommodation that isn’t deaf friendly with staff that aren’t deaf aware, then I think you’ll understand.

Yes I can mention I’m deaf on arrival or even before but that really doesn’t mean they are deaf aware at all.

As I stated many times before, I wouldn’t even put my in at home, in an emergency.

In reply to @Dusty

@Dusty said:
  1. Stop making up unreasonable what-if scenarios.

I have no idea what your hearing loss is as have disappeared from this forum for me over the last few weeks but I think if you can’t hear anything at all without , then you would have a better understanding. I don’t believe you are profoundly deaf.

I find it quite offensive your comment.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

I have often wondered how that is even possible when the mic is on that BTE bean that sits facing the rear - or perhaps a mic or two is near the top of the bean pointing at the ceiling.

The software uses both microphones, to work out where the sound is coming from, and changes parts from certain areas. Your RogerOn has 4 microphones (3 on the left and 1 strategically placed on the right). This gives the device the possibility of detecting the direction of sound from 6 directions, so it can operate the Table mode (like the select, only with 2 less microphones). With the MyRogerMic app, segments can be enabled or disabled just like the select. :slight_smile:

Peter

Yes & no. True, Phonak expects the “wearers” to go through their audiologists. They really cannot be expected to deal directly with many of the questions or individuals who populate this forum. For example, “What would you do in a storm with rechargeable hearing aids?” may not be an appropriate question for a customer service rep. However, if you contact them through the app with a reasonable general question you will probably receive a response within a day.

I’ve sat beside my old audiologist when he called Phonak. And heard them deny there is a problem with their . They said “no complaints”. Paradise P90R’s…

Their office is about 3 miles from where I sit.

Their marketing plan works. Why change?

Phonak literally have no clue.

Told me any serial number of Roger X can have the licenses transferred into Phonak RogerDirect hearing aids.

It’s why these forums exist as it won’t be just Phonak who give out wrong information.

I do realise a forum can also give out wrong information as well.

Oticon also told me that Bluetooth should still work when audio shoes/Roger X receivers are attached which was also incorrect.

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