Advice on new aids and speech understanding

Hearing Aids
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I have had two hearing aids so far: living in the UK, I first had in-ear aids from Specsavers (I don’t know the real make - they told me they were ‘own brand’). I found these physically uncomfortable and tiring to wear, but my main problem was lack of continuity in support - rotating audiologists between shops, so never seeing the same auiologist twice. When those aids died I got NHS behind the ear Signia aids, using NAL-NL2. I found these more comfortable, and with much better support. However, I have now moved to Portugal so no longer have access to the British NHS. Amplification in the right aid is now failing, so I will need to replace the pair.

There are three hearing aid suppliers in Portugal, Widex (not so widespread, but their audiologists seem to have a good reputation), Audika (who do Oticon), and Audição Activa (who as far as I can tell do only Nexia, and seem to aim at the cheaper end of the market with shops everywhere).

My main problem with hearing (with an aid) is speech comprehension. Even when the sound is otherwise good I seem to struggle unless I can lip-read. For example, I find it almost impossible to understand the radio. I know this is an ear, not brain, problem, since I can understand the radio (in English or Portuguese) without problems using bone-conduction headphones without a hearing aid. My NHS audiogram shows bone conduction 10dB above headphones at 500 and 750Hz Hz, equal at 1000 and 2000Hz, 20dB above at 3k 15dB above at 4kHz.

I am now 70, and have used hearing aids for the last 7 years when the hearing loss started making meetings impossible, However, I already had trouble understanding lyrics to music in my 20s (as I realised when I found my wife knows the lyrics to almost everything without ever having read them).

The ideal for me would be to be able to experiment with different settings for myself. My current Signia app only lets me control volume and something like treble/bass (also direction for the ‘universal’ setting). I do not know if apps for other aids allow more control. l would guess that none give any control over relative temporal/frequency accuracy, which might be related to my speech problem, but it would be good to know what I might be able to do and the distributors don’t tell you this kind of thing.

Can anyone give me any advice, specifically about how to go about improving the speech understanding problem?

Thanks

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It sound like you are ready for and asking to program your aid’s YOURSELF.
I am 86 years young and have been programing my aids for many years.
I believe it is the best way to take control of your own hearing … there is a DIY section on hearing tracker : Hearing Aid Self-Fitting and Adjusting [DIY] - Hearing Aid Forum - Active Hearing Loss Community
You will need a windows computer and a NoahLink Wireless progaming device ($100 to $200) on ebay .
The software is available here on the DIY thread, and also help there.

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Start by reprogramming the aids you have now and learn … you might find they can do what you want them to do … HEAR BETTER.

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My current ones are faulty, and need replacing. The only available brands for my replacement are Widex, Oticon, and Nexia. Which is best for self reprogramming?

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Rather simple once you get the hang of the software for each, but the new Widex hearing aids cannot be self-programmed as it used cloud-based software with logins only available to registered audiologists and hearing instrument specialists attached to a retailer.

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I have the Nexia’s and they are very good aids and can be self programed with the NoahLink wireless
There is a newer model Resound Vivia same as Costco Jabra 30 … it has the AI chip for better speech in noise .
Spain has several Costco’s … if you are close to one they are much less expensive there.

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I would not recommend Widex for two reasons. Their new model is cloud based and the audiologist has very limited access to configuration currently. For example, they cannot configure the Widex in Nal-NL2 mode mode.

As far as speech clarity is concerned, I have found Oticon Intent 1 the best. I have just finished a trial of Oticon Intent 1 and Widex Allure 440 and there is no comparison. Oticon beats Widex in speech clarity hands down and I find Oticon are not as loud as Widex.

Can’t comment on Nexia as I have never heard of them. Just be aware that the single biggest problem with Widex at the moment is their new aid was rushed to market and many audios are complaining that they cannot change - what used to be basic settings - such as Nal-NL2. Widex cloud system is just not ready for operations.

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What!? It is indefensible, it is so pointless…

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hi
I am an American who is living in Portugal and have had a difficult time getting the right aides and finding a person who knows how to adjust them. It feels like some of the hearing specialists here are more like sales people. I have a mild loss, but difficulty with word comprehension.
I finally settled on Oticon Intent 1 at our local Audika. My audiologist does not speak English, so communication is with phone apps. She can get an English speaking person from Lisbon to talk with me on Zoom, so after two visits I feel I have the best clarity I have ever had; I am 76 and been wearing aides for 25 years. The consultant put me in closed domes which really helped.
I had also trialed the Phonak Sphere Infinios (from France) and did not do well with them.
They do sell Resound Vivia 9’s here, but didn’t work for me.
Good Luck!

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Thanks so much Mart. That confirms what I thought: your hearing sounds like mine, and from reading around I was also going to try the Oticon Intent from Audika. Did they let you try them on a sale-or-return basis, or do you have to commit to buying them up front?

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from my experience here in my small city outside of Lisbon, you have to buy them, but you have 30 days to return them. I think they can be financed interest free, not sure. I have found my providers at Audika to be kind and potentially open to negociation in terms of needing to extend your trial time. Not so with the Resound store where it was more hardsell.
Also, it is important that you go back weekly to continue tweaking until you get it right.
It is reassuring to me that I can get a hearing expert online if I need it at the appointment time.
I tried to go through an online company first, and trialed The New Phonaks and the Resounds. I was not getting the results from the aides from their online person, so I am paying a lot more to do this in person.
My clinic does not have Real Ear Measurement, but said they would by next year…who knows, its Portugal…

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How old are your Signia hearing aids? Are they BTE or RIC? Most common thing to fail on RIC is the receiver and is an easy DIY repair. BTEs are also generally robust and repairable. Signias are also good hearing aids to self program. Even if you don’t have in country resources that can assist with the Signias there are lots of online resources.

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They are BTE and around 3 years old. The left ear is working fine, only the right ear is faulty. It seems to be fully functional but the output volume is very low, and also has some white noise (that may only be because I am bumping the volume right up to hear it at all). I used to do repair work many years ago, but my vision has never been good enough to work on surface mount devices, so with that and not having any repair manual I hadn’t even thought of attempting a repair…

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I’m in Porto, which I hope is big enough to have the number of customers to support having REM and a good audiologist. I decided to try both Audika and Widex, at least to get a feel for what their service is like and to compare prices, though of course I can’t buy both. So I have two appointments lined up for the week after next…

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The model is Stretta I believe.

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My first thought on this aid issue is moisture. Do you use a hearing aid dryer?
There is a good chance you live in a humid environment. The aids need to be dried often, probably every nite for best durability and performance.

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If there is any place that could check them out for you, (even if you had to send away) it might be a pretty simple fix. As @Raudrive mentioned moisture is a possibility, as is a blockage in the tube or microphones. BTEs tend to be pretty robust and easier to handle for people with low vision.

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They are a variety of Signia Stretta made specifically for the UK National Health Service. They are free for use by NHS patients, but the aids themselves belong to the NHS. I don’t think anybody else will do repairs on them, unless its a purely informal arrangement. As I have left the UK I should legally probably return them, but if I could fix them myself I certainly would. Moisture is unlikely - been hot and dry here for weeks, and I haven’t been swimming. The tube isn’t blocked. My vision is fine, just not good enough to do close-up work with a soldering iron - to get close enough to see fine tracks I end up burning my nose on the iron :wink:

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I’d just go DIY and problem solved, look around on eBay to see what’s available, should be able to find something close to what you have for a few hundred €
A Noahlink wireless and the software and your good to go.

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Thanks for the info have started researching and learning when I’m satisfied will but the tools required. My costco audio person is 50 miles away and not very proficient
Do you know if COSTCO locks out programing tools?