Advice
advice >> helpdesk >> frequently ask questions
Frequently Ask Questions
I'm losing my hearing. What should I do? Answer
I have trouble hearing conversations on the telephone, what advice do you have? Answer
I'm 24 years old and feel self-conscious about my hearing aid and my hearing loss. I've stopped socialising with my hearing friends because they don't know how to communicate with me. How can you help me? Answer
What is lipreading, and how can it help me in everyday life with my hearing loss? Answer
In my job I'm subjected to long periods of loud noise. What can I do to help prevent hearing loss? Answer
What is a loop system, and how can it help me at home and in public places? Answer
Can you give me some information about digital aids and their availability on the NHS? Answer
I find that people in shops and other public places don't always know how to communicate with me. What can I do? Answer
What is the Disability Discrimination Act (1995)? Answer
Contact our Helpdesk for answers to other questions.
Our advice
Q. I'm losing my hearing. What should I do?
A. If you are concerned about your hearing we suggest you make an appointment with your GP.
Your Doctor may carry out some simple tests to determine the next course of action. If the Doctor feels you need a hearing test they will refer you to your local Hospital Audiology department.
The Audiologist will assess your hearing and examine your ears. A record will be charted onto an audiogram, which shows the range of your hearing and would indicate any hearing loss.
Depending on the results you may or may not be fitted with a hearing aid. For more information on hearing aids download our leaflet Getting and using an hearing aid from the Helpdesk page or hearing aid factsheet at the end of the advice section on Hearing Aids.
If you have been told that you can benefit from the use of a hearing aid but prefer to purchase a private one instead of waiting for an NHS aid, we can provide you with some information on buying a private aid and send you a list of private dispensers in your area. this includes private dispensers that are members of Hearing Concern.
Contact our Helpdesk for more information.
Q. I have trouble hearing conversations on the telephone, what advice do you have?
A. For many hard of hearing people using the telephone can be a real challenge.
However, with the correct telephone and some simple communication tactics, the telephone can remain a valuable link to the outside world.
There is a range of telephones available for hard of hearing people that can be used whether or not you wear hearing aids.
If the caller is a stranger, explain to them that you have some hearing difficulties or that you use a hearing aid. If you're not sure what someone has said:
- Ask them to repeat the sentence or individual words.
Ask them to say the sentence in a different way.
Ask them to spell important words.
Always repeat back any information you are unsure of.
Remind callers that there is no need to shout, but that speaking a little slower is all that is required. Ask people to speak clearly.
Q. I'm 24 years old and feel self-conscious about my hearing aid and my hearing loss. I've stopped socializing with my hearing friends because they don't know how to communicate with me. How can you help me?
A. We can send you some tips that you can share with your friends that'll help them to understand your communication needs, or see the Communication Tips section.
We can send you details of your nearest hearing therapist (free in many areas) who can provide you with support and motivation to help improve your self-confidence.
Q. What is lipreading, and how can it help me in everyday life with my hearing loss?
A. Lipreading is 'reading' the visual information of the spoken message - the movement of the lips, the tongue, the lower jaw, the eyes, the eyebrows, the facial expression and gestures.
These are all clues for the lipreader. Many hard-of-hearing people find that lipreading helps them understand more of a conversation.
Learning lipreading skills can dramatically improve how much you understand. Lipreading can fill in the gaps in noisy social situations with friends and family. It can give you much more confidence at work, in education or in making use of public services.
Lipreading skills can increase your independence and feeling of self-esteem.
Contact our Helpdesk for information about lipreading classes in your area. Many colleges charge for lipreading courses, but some classes are free, and we are campaigning for these to be more widely available.
For more information about guides to lipreading or other forms of communication, have a look at our section on Communication.
Q. In my job I'm subjected to long periods of loud noise. What can I do to help prevent hearing loss?
A. Repeated exposure to excessive levels of noise can damage your hearing. People can be exposed to loud noise through both work and leisure activities.
Your employer must have the noise assessed wherever your exposure might reach one of the 'Action Levels' of the Noise at Work Regulations.
If you have to shout or raise your voice to be heard by someone two metres away, or if your ears are ringing when you finish work, you should find out if this has been done. The levels of exposure to noise at which action is to be taken are:
First Action Level: a daily personal noise exposure of 85 dB (A)
Second Action Level: a daily personal noise exposure of 90 dB (A)
Peak Action Level: a peak sound pressure of 200 Pascal's (140dB)
If your exposure reaches the Action Levels, your employer should take a number of steps immediately, including:
· Tell you where noise levels are high and warn you about the risk to your hearing.
· Control noise.
· Provide you with ear protection - earmuffs or earplugs - suitable for your job.
· Mark any 'Ear Protection Zones'.
· Provide adequate information and training on how to use noise control equipment, where and when to use ear protectors, how to look after them, and what to do if you find anything wrong with the equipment.
For more information please see our factsheet Noise Damage to Hearing, alternatively for specific information on your employers legal obligations you can ring the Health and Safety Executive Helpline on 08701 545 500.
Q. What is a loop system, and how can it help me at home and in public places?
A. A loop system is designed to assist a person with a hearing aid to hear more clearly in a room by switching their hearing aid to the T position.
This arranges for the sound they hear to come from electromagnetic waves from the loop rather than sound waves direct to the aid microphone.
The loop is a kind of radio aerial, which transmits the sound signal to anyone situated within it. All NHS hearing aids and many private aids have a T position, which allows the user to receive the signal.
The sound heard will be clearer and free from distracting background sounds and room echoes that get in the way. But a loop user cannot tell which direction the sound is coming from, and in some situations such as committee rooms the use of some form of visual signalling, or spoken identification by name, may help loop users to tell quickly who is speaking.
Loops can be used in three different environments: in the home, at a counter and in public places.
At home - This type is typically a thin wire around a room connected to a small box mounted near the television to enable the viewer to hear the TV without having the volume too loud for other viewers. It costs about £75 and can be installed without technical knowledge. The signal strength is adjustable separately from the TV volume control.
Counter - Banks, cinemas, railway booking offices and some shops have thick security glass between the assistant and the customer. This, combined with background noise, can make communication difficult for a hearing-impaired person. Many establishments fit a loop at one or more of their counters so that by switching to the T position, the cashier's voice should become a lot clearer.
Public places - Some theatres, cinemas, community centres, churches and other public buildings now have a loop, would usually installed by professionals. Their effectiveness varies; the best systems make sure that microphones are near to each speaker. Radio microphones can be very useful.
There is a British Standard that applies to the installation of loop systems (BS 7594), and organisations arranging installation should ensure that their contractors comply with it.
For more information contact our Helpdesk and we can send you factsheets on technical aids, installing a loop system and loop system suppliers. Or see o ur section on Equipment. We can also supply stickers such as the one above indicating there is a loop system fitted in your premises.
Q. Can you give me some information about digital aids and their availability on the NHS?
A. The technology of digital hearing aids has developed very quickly over the last ten years and the range of aids and types of hearing loss they can help has likewise grown. Today there is a digital hearing aid to suit almost every one including people who are profoundly deaf. There are several types of aid available including the Behind the ear (BTE), in the ear (ITE), in the canal (ITC) and the Completely in the canal (CIC).
Digital hearing aids have a miniature computer chip inside them that has its own memory and essentially controls them. This chip is able to monitor the sounds coming into the hearing aid and adjust them according to a pre-determined set of instructions. These instructions are known as the ' programme' and that is why digital aids are referred to as 'digital programmable' or 'digital signal processing' (DSP) aids.
Digital hearing aids are 'programmed' by being connected to a computer which automatically matches the settings on the aid to the requirements of the patients audiogram. The computer stores the programme for each patient, making reprogramming the Hearing aids or making adjustments a straightforward process.
Digital hearing aids are also more sophisticated in how they deal with sound. Some have automatic functions that are beyond an analogue hearing aid. These include feedback cancellation, steerable directional microphones, adaptive noise suppression, automatic programme switching, spectral enhancement and transient enhancement.
Traditionally the National Health Service (NHS) has provided analogue hearing aids for children and adults alike. With the emergence of digital hearing aids, the NHS had to make a choice of which type of technology to supply. For the most part, the NHS continued to issue analogue hearing aids supplemented by digital aids if they would benefit a patient. In the 1990's digital aids became more widely available particularly for children, but this left many adults unable to get them on the NHS unless they opted to 'go private' and pay the full cost.
After reaching crisis point in the 1990's, hearing aid services were set for a complete overhaul. In 2000 the Department of Health launched a modernisation process. The project 'Modernising Hearing Aid Services' (MHAS) is set to bring the NHS back up to scratch after many years of under performance. The aim is to have modernised all hearing aid service by 2005. This will give hearing aid users access to both a modern audiology service and the latest digital hearing aids. The whole process began as an £11 million pilot study to see if the NHS could provide both digital hearing aids and quality aftercare. The result was that digital hearing aids could be provided on the NHS and offered patients significant benefits.
Since then over 100,000 people have received digital hearing aids under the MHAS programme. On the downside, the considerable attention on this project has generated increased demand on NHS audiology services for digital aids. As the process of providing a digital aid takes longer, NHS services are now under increasing pressure to deliver. The net result is that waiting times have increased.
As part of the MHAS, there are two other significant changes. Firstly, to ease pressure on the NHS, a Public / Private partnership (PPP) has been developed. This will use private hearing aid dispensers to fit digital hearing aids and provide aftercare, although the NHS will still retain clinical responsibility.
Secondly, the NHS telephone helpline ' Hearing Direct' will provide patient aftercare on a patient led basis. It will also contact patients after they have been fitted with hearing aids to assess how well they are coping and if more intervention is needed.
The future improvements to NHS audiology services and the introduction of new technologies will directly benefit patients. Hopefully, all adults diagnosed with a hearing loss will receive the latest hearing aids and quality aftercare with all the linked benefits.
Q. I find that people in shops and other public places don't always know how to communicate with me. What can I do?
A. It may be useful to expalin to the staff that you are hard-of-hearing and ask them to speak slowly and clearly and that they may have to repeat some things. Most people will be happy to do this. If you would prefer, we can supply you with a Communication Card. This is a plastic card about the same size as a credit card and it outlines good communication tactics. You can easily carry it in your purse, wallet or pocket and show it to someone when there's a problem. People who use the card find that others recognise their communication needs more easily. Please contact the Helpdesk for more information.
We can also provide hard-of-hearing people - and their friends and families, employers and other people - with detailed information on improving their communication skills. See the Communication section for some useful tips. Do you think your employers - or other groups of people you are in regular contact with - would benefit from increased understanding of issues surrounding hearing loss? Some organisations can provide deaf awareness training to help alleviate the problems encountered by hard-of-hearing people at work and in everyday situations. Contact our Helpdesk for more information.
Q. What is the Disability Discrimination Act (1995)?
A. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed in 1995 to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. It protects disabled people in:
Employment
Access to goods, facilities and services
The management, buying or renting of land or property
Education
Some of it became law for employers in December 1996. Others were introduced over time.
For service providers (e.g. businesses and organisations):
Since December 1996 it has been unlawful to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability.
Since October 1999 they have had to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way they provide their services.
From this year, (2004) they have had to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.
For education providers, new duties came into effect in September 2002 under Part IV of the DDA amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA). These require schools, colleges, universities, and providers of adult education and youth services to ensure that they do not discriminate against disabled people.
Under Part IV of the DDA amended by the SENDA, the duty to provide auxiliary aids, through reasonable adjustment, came into force in September 2003.
The DDA also:
Allows the Government to set minimum standards to help disabled people to use public transport easily.
For the full Act please visit:
www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
For the SENDA please visit: www.hmso.gov.uk
For more information about the Disability Rights Comissions (DRC) and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and related statutes please visit the Disability Rights Commission website: www.drc-gb.org