Hello, I’m a mum to a 7 month old beautiful girl. I just post a random question every few months so I can build up my understanding and help her when she is older!
My question is do you wear your HA to the cinema or take them out. Do you go to regular showings or audio showings. How much of the movies words do you miss (I’m hearing and miss probably a sentence here and there)!
Ps. She has R-45/55/60/65 and L-35/60/65/75
I posted a response here which might answer your questions. From my points of view anyhow.
Thank you! This is useful! CC glasses are a great idea ! I too prefer watching at home
I went to the cinema last Sunday. I wore my hearing aids as I wouldn’t be able to hear otherwise. I don’t find it too loud but I know some do.
Yes, I wear my hearing aids to the movies. I don’t go often. I only go to ones that have CC devices available. I can’t hear the words and don’t try to. I love loud sounds though so I try to hear the music and sound effects. As I continue to get more deaf, few things sound truly loud to me now. Even with aids cranked to full volume, the last time I went it seemed quiet yet some hearing people around me were covering their ears.
There’s a fair difference in experience between people with congenital loss and people with age-related loss.
Your daughter’s hearing aids should come out in situations that require hearing protection (and hearing protection should go on), but even though cinemas sometimes seem like they might be that sort of situation they are not. The noise dose from a cinema does not generally measure as damaging.
(For now, maximizing hours of use is the #1 goal, as hearing aid time is language development time.)
The best sound quality in a cinema for hearing aid users is to set the hearing aids to t-coil, wear a neckloop and plug it into the aux jack on the cinema’s assistive listening system. You need to ask at guest services for the receiver and neckloop. Using their system without your hearing aids or using your hearing aids without their system will not give as much clarity to the words.
Thank you!this is a top tip as I didn’t know you could do this!
I just started wearing aids 3 weeks ago and saw my first film with them this past week. What a fantastic improvement! Going from a (estimated) word recognition of 70% to 90%+ is amazing. Rather than hearing actors mumble through their lines, there were actual words. Definitely appreciated having worn my HA.
I don’t go to the cinema, the volume is over 85dba which damages what is left of my hearing. I allow nothing over 85dba to get to my ear drums.
I wait until they come out on DVD or Blu-Ray and watch them at home.
Bob
Even if it’s not a particularly conservative rule, the idea is not to exceed 85 dB for eight hours. What movies are you seeing? Back to back showings of The Lord of the Rings?
This is wonderful! Good that you got them . Thanks for your input
I didn’t realise it was 85db! I wonder if blocking out the sound and using a loop instead would make it safer. I’ll find out closer to the time but I love watching at home too!
Ah good to know. I thought it was damaging it for long time periods in one go. you are right
I don’t go very often. The last time I went I thought the previews were extremely loud and I was uncomfortable with that level of sound.
I brought sound level meters into movies years ago, and it didn’t matter if they were action movies or quiet drams, the sound levels generally exceeded 100db A weighted, slow response.
I do not intentionally let anything over 85db enter my ears. Watching a movie today is not worth further degradation of my hearing.
Bob
Thank you for this info! I didn’t realise it was such a high db! I personally can’t stand how loud police /ambulance /fire engines are and always worry about the damage they might cause My girl
Amazon sells Sound Pressure Level Meters here in the USA for about $20USD.
I recommend you get one and use it whenever you are in doubt.
They make sound pressure meters for phones, but they are notoriously inaccurate because of variances in parts from one manufacturer to another.
My wife used to go to an aerobics class, the level of the music at the gym was 112db. She wore ear plugs to protect her ears.
I find that very irresponsible for a supposed get healthy place to slowly damage the ears of their patrons.
I think any place that has a volume of over 85dba should warn the customers. It’s just unethical to damage the hearing of the people who come to your business.
Bob
Completely agree! I will be buying that then. I didn’t know you could get it
Thank you so mcuh
Be sure to get one that features “A” Weighting (human hearing spectrum) and Slow Response.
Without slow response, some transient peaks will show up as maximum even if they only happen once in a great while.
Be sure to use it watching TV, if you mow your own lawn, get ear plugs, I’ve never known one to be less than 85dba
Bob