Last year, the BBC reported that more and more hearing aid users are programming their own hearing aids. Here, in the third part of a three-part series, Limping Chicken reader Robert Mandara explains how you can do it.
Read part one by clicking here and part two by clicking here.
In my last article I suggested what you would need to program your own hearing aids. In this final article I present some tips for how to do it. Each person, hearing aid and software application is different so the best I can do is to give an overview to get you started.
Disclaimer: Whatever you do is at your own risk! Don’t blame me!
For the purposes of this article, I assume that you have got the software, hardware interface and cables that you need. My top hints and tips for programming
- If possible, test what you can hear with hearing aids before making any changes. Your audiologist may be able to perform, for example, a controlled speech comprehension test. Ultimately, you want to be able to prove (especially to the sceptical audiologist) that your changes have made things better rather than worse. Other people may notice your changes as an improvement in your mood. Keep in mind that any test is limited and won’t usually evaluate how well you hear on the phone or in noisy situations.
- In general, you need to connect the interface to the computer, start up the software and then connect the cables to the hearing aids. The connections on the hearing aids are tiny so be very careful when connecting the cables. From there on, you must use the software to interact with the hearing aids.
- Safely save the original settings from your hearing aids, for example, as a client under another name “Bob Safekeeping”. If all else fails, you can revert back to these settings.
- The legal position of self programming is unclear but dispensers have certainly not encouraged people to do it. Therefore, assume that it’s “not allowed” and tread carefully. In the USA, America Hears supplies hearing aids together with programming equipment. If self-programming’s legal there, I would expect it to be legal elsewhere.
- Take extreme care not to muck up your hearing aids. Audiologists will get rightly annoyed if they have to start fixing our DIY disasters. If you can demonstrate that you’ve improved your programming, it will be hard for audiologists to argue against that.
- In most cases, the first step is to download the existing settings from the hearing aid(s) to the computer so you don’t need to have your audiogram. However, if you start with a brand new hearing aid, you will need your audiogram.
- Save each iteration of settings carefully, so that you can revert to earlier settings at any time. You will want to go back as well as forwards!
- Document your changes in a notebook. That will make it easier to retrace your steps if you have to.
- It is better to make single small incremental changes rather than lots of big ones in one session. Allow time (hours/days/weeks) to evaluate each change before making the next one. The brain needs time to adapt.
- Allow plenty of time and don’t try to do too much in one go. I have probably spent about 100 hours programming my hearing aids but an hour is quite long enough in any one session. It is surprisingly exhausting listening and adjusting.
- Once you are in control, you will probably find yourself paying much more attention to what you can and can’t hear. For that reason, you might find self-programming becomes quite addictive as you tweak for better and better sound. In a way, it’s not something that you ever completely finish.
- Programming hearing aids is like photography. The more you learn, the more you realise that there is to learn. In a fascinating way.
- Making all frequencies louder isn’t usually the best thing to do even though you might feel like that is what you need. It’s much better to adjust the gain of specific frequency regions.
- Because the software is designed for audiologists who are facing you, your left ear will be on the right hand side of the screen and your right ear on the left. Until manufacturers build in support for self programmers, just cross your eyes and get used to it!
- If you have an old or spare hearing aid, try programming it first before messing with the hearing aids that you depend on.
- Batteries are normally removed from hearing aids during programming. The hearing aid will be powered via the hardware interface. An exception is if the iCube is used. If in doubt, try programming without batteries installed first.
- Software will look complicated and daunting to start with. The more you play with it, the more comfortable you will become. In fact, Phonak’s iPFG software actually has two user interfaces. A basic (child’s play) one and an advanced one. This mixture of interfaces actually makes the software seem more confusing than it really is. What is needed is a clear workflow from start to finish but this is not encouraged by the software. If self programming ever truly takes off, the software will need to be a lot more user-friendly.
I hope that this series of articles has inspired you to think about and try self programming. If you do try it, I would love to hear how you get on! Here’s wishing you success!
The Limping Chicken’s supporters provide: BSL translation, multimedia solutions, television production and BSL training (Remark! ), sign language interpreting and communications support (Deaf Umbrella), online BSL video interpreting (SignVideo), theatre captioning (STAGETEXT), legal advice for Deaf people (RAD Deaf Law Centre), Remote Captioning (Bee Communications), visual theatre with BSL (Krazy Kat) , healthcare support for Deaf people (SignHealth), specialist lipspeaking support (Lipspeaker UK), sign language and Red Dot online video interpreting (Action Deafness Communications) education for Deaf children (Hamilton Lodge School in Brighton), and a conference on deafness and autism/learning difficulties on June 13th in Manchester (St George Healthcare group).
Andy not Mr Palmer but another one
April 12, 2013
Congratulations! This has been a good read with genuinely new information. I think we are breaking new ground. Long live self-tuning. It might be worth starting a website and forum for the exchange of information. It’s a journey of exploration that could be shared.
About the legality of adjusting your own aids … in the UK the agreement with the NHS is that the aids are on loan. They remain the property of the NHS until returned. In the past they haven’t been too strict about asking for borrowed aids back and many people acquire a spare like that.
I don’t think there is any question of it being illegal to acquire the tuning equipment from whatever source although the manufacturers might have reservations about supplying it. The flying leads to connect it all up might be a problem in this country. Sources might be Ebay and Connevans.
Audiologists are not electronics engineers and if a client took in an aid they had accidentally disabled I doubt if they would realise that someone had been fiddling with it. They would most likely send it back to the repair labs to be reset. It won’t be permanently destroyed, with any luck, it will just need the firmware reinstalled. I think the trick is probably not to admit to fiddling with it. If a hearing aid came into contact with a powerful magnet it might well wipe all the settings by accident. It could happen. If questioned, just shrug and go all Deaf….
On the other hand they might get stroppy if there is a flood of bricked NHS hearing aids coming in! Good luck to anyone who takes this on, just remember it’s very much “at your own risk”.
Now, about tuning CI’s…. anyone got anything?
bobs
April 12, 2013
HI All,
Please be so careful to check with your audiologists first if you would be allowed to programme your aids yourself.
Whilst it may seem like a fantastic idea, there may be some aids that are covered by a manufacturer’s warrentee but ONLY if they are adjusted by a trained professional. If you do have any difficulty or damage your hearing aids in any way, this could negate the warrentee and therefore you may have to replace them yourself. Some hearing aids cost a fortune – so do please check with your audiologist first.
Another little word of caution – At an Audiologist appointment last week (Liverpool NHS) I was advised by the audiologist that some GPs are recommending to patients that they can go for hearing tests and / or replacement batteries via Specsavers (or other similar Private Businesses local to you)… GPs now hold the care budget for local areas and it is therefore saving them money to refer you to private treatment centres such as Specsavers, rather than pay for your appt at the Audiology Dept (NHS) out of their budget.
Whilst GPs may say that referring you to Specsavers (or other non-NHS centre) costs them the same money as referring you to an NHS centre, in the longrun, they save money because once you have attended a private non-NHS centre, you are not allowed to attend an NHS centre for 3 yrs from the date of your non-NHS appt!!
Things to think about…
– Specsavers offer a hearing clinic but they do not provide trained audiologists or full hearing tests in a SILENT BOOTH (as in the hospital). If you do have particular specific needs, this can’t always be catered for via Specsavers.
– If you attend Specsavers for battery replacement, you are nolonger covered under the NHS for free battery replacements.
– If you attend Specsavers for a hearing check, you are nolonger covered for audiology at your NHS hospital for 3 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF THAT APPT!
– If you attend Specsavers, (or other similar Private non-NHS business), they need to make profit. Therefore, you will be told that whilst there are some cheaper/ possibly free hearing aids available to you on prescription, the ‘nicer’, smaller or more specialised hearing aids that might suit your type of hearing loss better, you would actually have to pay for. This can be VERY expensive (ie: over £500-1200 or more!)
Similarly, if you adjust your aids yourself, please do check first that you are not at risk of voiding the manufacturer or supplier’s warrentee for replacement. Hearing therapists / Audiologists can see if you have altered the settings and this could cause you expense later.
Personally, I have decided always to make sure that my GP sends me to an NHS audiology clinic as this means I am covered by the NHS for free batteries (as often as I need them) and free checks / adjustments to hearing aids. Last week, I witnessed one gentleman come in for free batteries and he was advised he had to go back to Specsavers because the NHS service could no longer help him until the 3 yrs finished!
It would be worth people discussing these points with their audiologist at your next appointment. Perhaps you could share your own findings on here so that everyone has a clearer understanding of what you are allowed to do(ie: adjusting your aids safely) and what other audiologists recommend about attending other private, non-NHS clinics?
Sonia
August 5, 2015
I’ve only just got hearing aids. I asked for an appointment at a Hospital from my GP, and was only offered an appointment at Spec savers. I was tested in a sound proof booth. I think the aids I got are standard NHS type issue and I believe cost over a £1,000. I was also given a years worth of batteries – free. I’ve been back for an adjustment and wasn’t charged for that either.
I must admit though, the lack of bluetooth on the aids is frustrating.
bobs
April 12, 2013
By the way, I do think Robert’s article is superb and I fully support the idea of being able to adjust your aids yourself if you want to – I just wanted to let everyone know of some of the risks that may effect your NHS service provision. :o)
LJ.
August 28, 2013
“Now, about tuning CI’s…. anyone got anything?”
Hmmmmm I’d really really love to program my ci (Medel Opus 2), but I guess its much more specialist than the conventional hearing aids. I have three useless programs on my remote control which makes me feel that my ci processor is not giving its full potential as the manufacturer intended. 🙁
My conventional hearing aid in the other ear from my ci is a new-today Siemens Impact pro DSP. Sounds ok on prog 1 but….. I need to program the other 4 programs myself or take many frustrating trips back to the audiologyist. 🙁
wu6x
January 1, 2016
Robert, great articles on self-programming. I know this was an old post, but I’m just catching up. I’ve been wanting to do my own programming for the last year. My original audiologist did a superb job and even improved the programming on the 2nd year visit. She left and the new guy really screwed things up last week. He didn’t even bother to check my hearing test results and simply started tweaking things … He rolled off the highs and now my tinnitus is overtaking the aids at that frequency. Where can I buy the wireless connect device and download software? I have ReSound “Future” from CostCo.
Eric Vornis
April 29, 2016
I’ve only just discovered limpingchicken.com, and arrived at it by typing the following words into Google:
‘buy a hearing aid which I can program myself’
It seems the only sensible way forward. I am in limbo with a rapid deterioration in my hearing, mostly in the last six months. Initial GP consultation was August 2015, and after a long wait I now have an NHS audiology appointment on 26th May 2016.
While I’m waiting I have been experimenting with an iPhone app called ‘Petralex’, which I find good for gaining some understanding of the pros & cons of hearing aids.
When running the app it appears to others that I’m listening to music. It works with the Apple headphone, or alternatively any stereo headset. You can set it up for any environment (eg indoor/kids playing, outdoor/quiet/birdsong etc.). An audiogram and profile are stored for every environment, and you set up a many as you like.
Petralex is obviously unable to fully take the place of a hearing aid, which I now urgently need.
It seems to me that the hearing aid market needs to fully embrace the latest technology, particularly smartphones. Will Apple ever spot this gap in the market?