Now I hear every word
HERE was a time when hearing aids were so bulky they came with a satchel to carry the battery pack that powered them. But the latest high-tech digital hearing aids are so discreet the only thing friends and colleagues are likely to notice is a dramatic improvement in your hearing.
Tazmeet Anand, a senior audiologist and Amplifon district manager says: “We have moved forward significantly. People are not only more accepting of hearing loss, but hearing aids are much more cosmetically appealing than they used to be. Now you can get virtually invisible hearing aids that sit inside the ear.
Deryck Highet proves her point. “A lot of people I work with don’t know I wear hearing aids — but they have transformed my life,” he says.
When a hearing aid audiologist told Deryck he had a hearing problem the businessman’s first reaction was actually one of relief. “To be honest he was just telling me what I already knew — and he was offering me a solution,” Deryck explains. “I was hoping he was going to give me a large chunk of my life back.”
And that’s exactly what happened when Deryck tried his Amplifon hearing aids for the first time. “The change was instantaneous, I was astounded by the sounds I could hear,” he says.
Before that life-changing appointment, Deryck’s hearing issues were having an enormous impact on his work and social life. “If I was in a pub or a business meeting with friends or colleagues I was increasingly finding it difficult to focus on conversations. I was asking people to repeat things and consciously turning my head so I had my slightly better ear facing them.”
Deryck admits: “Sometimes I was guessing at what they said and just hoping I gave them the right answer.”
However once he had acknowledged his hearing problem he was determined to get the right solution and took to the internet to research hearing specialists. Amplifon was one of the first names he found and Deryck was so impressed with their professional approach and wide range of hearing aids, he booked an appointment.
“My hearing aids have transformed my life. From a business point of view I feel more confident going out on appointments From a family point of view I am able to watch the TV without it being at a silly volume. And there’s the added bonus of being able to listen to music when I’m out running or walking the dog.
“I have really got my life back.”