Terry Germain shares his experience

I have been wearing hearing aids for the last 16 years. What prompted me to come and address my issues with my hearing was that when I visited restaurants I couldn’t hear the other people around the table talking to me. I was forever having to lean forward to hear them.

When I was in company, even face to face I always had to turn my head to hear what was being said and always had to excuse myself for missing what was said. I used to cover my ear to make a bigger effort to hear well which only worked for a short time. In a very noisy restaurant one night I couldn’t hear those close to me and even the gentleman beside me. They said to me “you are very quiet tonight” and I replied that “I didn’t have much to say” but it was in fact it was because I couldn’t hear them. The following day I made an appointment to see a Hearing Specialist.

Over that last 16 years of wearing hearing aids I have found them very satisfactory in many ways. The first ones I got were completely in the ear canal and they were so good. I could actually hear my feet as I was stepping on the carpet for the first time in years. Unfortunately when I had a problem, that hearing company was not very good when it came to following up. One day I had a sprinkler spray straight into my ear where one of my hearing aids were and it became a problem from then on. Those aids were very invasive, not comfortable and not doing the job for me properly.  I persevered with them for about 12-18 months and then threw the aids in the bin.

I went to Advanced Hearing WA and decided to give the in the canal hearing aids another go but I found them too invasive and uncomfortable. Eimear suggested an open style fit which is what I am currently wearing.  The sound quality if absolutely perfect. It is as though I am child again and can hear exactly what everyone is saying and doing. A noisy situation is a little bit of a problem but at least I can hear the people around me.

My advice is to go in and get the advice and when you get some aids to try, persevere. Persevering is the most important thing as they are always invasive in the beginning because they are foreign to your body and foreign to the normal feelings in your ears, but if you persevere and continue to wear them even if you have turn them down in the beginning it will only take about a fortnight and you will get used to them being stuck in your ear. Then adjust them to the level you want. I have found that most times I happy with the volume level, but sometimes have to adjust the volume when I am watching television as each channel have a different sound level.

I am very satisfied with the service at Advanced Hearing WA. Eimear and Kathy are better than anyone else I have ever been to and far better than anyone else in the Bunbury/Busselton area. It makes a huge difference when the technician knows what they are doing.  My hearing aids are just perfect. They can be adjusted to suit my ears.  The technology now is phenomenal compared to years gone by.

Terry Germain