Refluxology

For all that people complain about it, the NHS is a wonderful thing.  My hearing is sufficiently rubbish to require a hearing aid, which I have worn for about the last three years or so.  The audiology, hearing aid fitting, hearing aid itself, batteries and follow-up care and servicing are all free.  Just the aid would cost many hundreds of pounds if I went private!

One problem with NHS hearing aids, however, are that they’re not what you’d call aesthetically pleasing.  The digital models they dispense now are much smaller than the analogue ones I had to wear as a child but they’re still NHS Beige in colour… frankly, if my skin was that colour I’d call an undertaker

Of course I could empty my bank account and get a pretty private model, but what about if you want to jazz it up a bit more cheaply?  Two discoveries I made recently allow you to do this, although they may not be to everyone’s taste…

There are a few kinds of cover available on the market, intended for different purposes.  I bought some EarGear covers from Connevans.  They come in many colours and sizes and can be specified with or without a cord and clip (to prevent children losing their aid).  I went for the Original Cordless type, the best fit for my Oticon Spirit II D hearing aid.  They’re made from nylon and lycra mix that fits well.  I can still operate the buttons and switches through it fine and it is acoustically transparent, that is, it doesn’t interfere with the microphones.

The second, slightly more controversial adornement comes from Tube Riders in the USA.  The idea is to have a range of inexpensive add-ons that you can clip on to the tube of the hearing aid, making them more appealing to children who might not like their aids.  Unable to find a UK distributor I contacted Stacie at Tube Riders directly and subsequently ordered some directly from their website.  It was a toss-up between the plane or the rocket… the rocket won the day

So here we are… the before and after!

My hearing aid, before and after pimping Click to enlarge

I admit this might all be a bit frivolous, but I think it serves a serious purpose.  People aren’t ashamed to be seen wearing glasses, why should they be ashamed to wear a hearing aid?  If it is bright and prominent then when in public I would contend that people might be more likely to make an effort to help you out by speaking more clearly, louder or whatever.

My pimped hearing aid might not be to everyone’s taste, but I’m sure many people could achieve an effect more to their taste than NHS Beige with a little effort.  Now all I need to do is get rid of my current annoying ear infection so I can actually start wearing it!

The Pimp my hearing aid! by Refluxology, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England License.