The Only Rechargeable Custom Made Hearing Aid on the Market

Starkey have created a world first and we at Lakeland Hearing are excited to be able to bring this technology to you; a rechargeable hearing aid that sits fully in your ear.

All the manufacturers that we currently use at Lakeland Hearing offer a rechargeable RITE over the ear hearing aid, but what the market has been missing is a custom made ITE in the ear version – until now.

These aids are great for those of us who don’t want to mess around with small fiddly batteries; one simple charge overnight gives a full days power – easy!

Plus there is no compromise on sound quality, they combine superior sound processing through the super efficient computer chip within the hearing aid to help you hear in all places – even when its noisy.

Do you find it hard to make out what is being said to you when a person is wearing a mask? Starkey have created “Mask Mode” a setting to boost speech, easily accessed by tapping your aids.

There is a whole host of other features within this new range of aids. To find out more please contact us at info@lakelandhearing.co.uk or call 01539 234180.

Face Coverings and Hearing Loss

Tips for wearing a face covering if you use hearing aids or a cochlear implant

• Face coverings that tie around your head rather than loop over your ears will help keep your aids secure.
• If your mask has loops, try a mask extender which you use to link the straps at the back of your head rather than around your ears. Call us if you want to try one, we can post one out to you.
• Try to only remove your face covering when you are in a place where your hearing aid could be easily found if it does falls out.

Tips on communicating through masks for people with hearing loss.

• Ask them to speak clearly
• Ask them to repeat or phrase things differently if you do not understand
• Reduce background noise as much as possible by moving to a quieter space if possible
• Use assistive devices like remote microphones with hearing aids to improve the quality of speech over background noise.
• Write things down. Pen or paper or talk to text Apps such as Live Transcribe.

Safe working is of paramount importance to us. We are guided by the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists and follow their in-depth protocols and recommendations on safe working. We have plenty of PPE, strict cleaning schedules and a variety of checks to ensure the continued safety of staff and clients at Lakeland Hearing. We welcome you to our clinics but if you feel you would rather a telephone or video consultation please let us know and we can arrange to speak to you in a way that ensures your safety and comfort.

Coronavirus and Hearing Loss

2020 has been a vastly different year for most of us, Covid-19 has changed pretty much every aspect of our lives. As these changes filter through, we take stock on the impact for people with hearing loss.

1 in 6 adults in the UK are affected by some level of hearing loss. Many people with hearing loss rely on facial expressions and lip reading to communicate. When the government issued guidance on wearing face coverings due to the Coronavirus pandemic, thousands of people with hearing loss were put at a disadvantage as their means of communication was covered by a mask.

Thanks to work by Action on Hearing Loss UK if you are travelling with or assisting someone who relies on facial expressions and lip reading to communicate you are exempt from wearing a face covering. You will not be doing anything illegal or face a penalty if you remove your face covering to communicate with someone who is Deaf or has a hearing loss. You can download a printable exemption card or download an electronic exemption card to your smart phone from https://actiononhearingloss.org.uk/coronavirus-response/face-coverings-how-the-regulations-apply-to-you/

You can purchase or make your own face coverings with clear panels built in to allow the mouth to be seen. Despite clear masks tending to fog or steam up, they are generally seen as an improvement on a solid face covering as it allows the movement of lips and mouth to be seen.

Research into Covid-19 is beginning to appear, and some interesting connections are being made between the virus and changes in hearing. Research by a team from Manchester University suggest that over 1 in 10 adults who received hospital treatment for Covid-19 reported a change to their hearing status 8 weeks after leaving hospital. Currently it is unknown whether this change is as a result of the virus, the treatments given in hospital or from the excessive immune reaction by the body to the virus (International Journal of Audiology 2020). However, it suggests that the effects of Covid-19 on hearing care are going to last well into the future.

Safe working is of paramount importance to us. We are guided by the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists and follow their in-depth protocols and recommendations on safe working. We have plenty of PPE, strict cleaning schedules and a variety of checks to ensure the continued safety of staff and clients at Lakeland Hearing. We welcome you to our clinics but if you feel you would rather a telephone or video consultation please let us know and we can arrange to speak to you in a way that ensures your safety and comfort.

International Journal of Audiology 2020: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519