Medical card hearing aids

worlds goodest teecher

What type of medical card hearing aids are they supplying and what impact do they have on tinnitus?

I am within normal hearing range with very bad tinnitus and noise sensitivity, constant for past 10+ years. My ent is trying out hearing aids, under medical card. I have to wait about 5 months. If it is unsuccessful I will seriously consider Lenire.

looksee

I don't have any definite information but it seems most likely that there is an allowance from the HSE and the supplier will offer which ever hearing aid they supply that fits within that allowance, rather than a specific brand.

looksee

There can be a huge difference. I am not tecky enough to explain the differences (though there are some here who are very clued-up on it), but after a single very high quality/expensive aid I went onto a pair of less expensive ones and then a pair of Specsavers (supposedly top of the range). While the last two are adequate and more or less do the job, they are not a patch on the initial one, I would go back to a pair of them if I could afford them.

worlds goodest teecher

Got called a number of months ago. I have one ear within normal range so they only fitted me with one hearing aid, the digital type that looks like a slug behind your ear.

I found it very annoying to wear. I almost felt like it was making it harder to hear as sounds weren't entirely clear. I think having one hearing aid was affecting my balance. Didn't find any improvement really.

No follow up or any contact since I got it.

looksee

Can I just point out that there are a lot of us - especially on this forum - who have to wear 'slugs' behind our ears. There is the 'prejudice' about them that there used to be about wearing glasses. The glasses thing seems to have disappeared but hearing issues can still be commented on, other people's hearing issues being a source of irritation to others, though the hearing aids are a world away from the ones I remember (but never had to wear) that involved carrying a box and wires around. Its understandable that you feel aggravated about having to wear hearing aids, but maybe try and be a bit more positive about them, especially in this forum?

Its far more likely that you are expected to make contact if you have issues with them, rather than a routine check up. It is quite normal to find that after you have been wearing them/it for a while that you get the impression that there has been no improvement, its your brain catching up with your hearing - to put it very unscientifically. If you go back it can be adjusted to create more improvement. If they were set to 'full' from the start you would find sound very loud and harsh.

I guess you may have been reluctant to wear the one hearing aid? You really need to wear it continuously to get used to it. Its like getting new glasses, for the first couple of days you feel as though you cannot see properly, then you adjust and they are fine. Chances are the sense of unbalance will sort itself after a few days.

worlds goodest teecher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119815230#Comment_119815230

I am just giving my experience on them. I wore it daily for the first month or more but the annoying part that I referred to was that I knew that some of the sounds that I was hearing did not actually sound like that. Plus it was doing nothing for tinnitus and hyperacusis in that ear so I had to go back to to ear plugs. It was making me dizzy. For me they did little, hopefully someone else will benefit from using them.

I feel that you have judged me from a very short reply on my experience.

zell12

What is the entitlement to HSE hearing aids? Every 4 years? What are waiting times like for appointments? Nothing on HSE/citizensinformation about it

nigeldaniel

Just an update here about medical cards and hse hearing aids. Currently they provide danalogic hearing aids [spin offs from the NHS in the uk] its every 4 to 5 years depending on the severity of hearing loss. Appointments are tough to get if you have been with the hse a while it's every 12 to 16 months and waiting times for appointments depends on the area and the numbers of people looking for Appointments.

lukin

This thread has been here a while but hopefully someone will reply; I want to get a hearing aid for my mother and I thought I would get a reduction on it from the Department of welfare but I won't because she is in receipt of a contributory pension.

I was thinking of applying for one from the HSE instead because she has a medical card but if the waiting time is too long I won't bother. If there is there someone reading this who got a hearing aid from the HSE can you tell me how long did it take to get it? Was it a long drawn-out process?

Thanks

worlds goodest teecher

It did take quite a while, I can't remember how long but when you are in review appointments can be arranged fairly quickly