Exposure To Noise –
Mr Sim served in the Royal Air Force for many years, he was exposed to a lot of noise from the aircraft engines. The jets were taking off and landing on a daily basis and reeving their engines on the landing strip. Mr Sim also spent time on the rifle ranges firing live rounds along with the other servicemen.
His Daily Struggles-
Mr Sim had been wearing a pair of NHS hearing aids but is not getting on with them at all. He struggles in most situations where there is a lot of noise going on around him; shopping, restaurants, driving.
Hearing Assessment-
Mr Sim’s audiogram shows a mild-moderate and mild-severe sensorineural hearing loss in the left and right respectively. This type of hearing loss is typically associated with difficulty in complex listening environments in which there are competing background noises. Softly spoken speakers and conversations over a distance will be difficult for a person with this hearing loss, especially if they are unable to see the speakers face. It is often the case that people with this kind of hearing loss start to avoid complex listening environments which int turn can lead to social isolation and a decreased quality of life. The preferred volume of the television or radio for a person with this type of loss is too loud for normal hearing individuals. The steep slope and more significant loss in the high frequencies mean that there may be many alert or alarm sounds within these frequencies that Mr Sim does not hear.
Outcome-
Mr Sim now been fitted by audiologist Ben Olivier at Hear4U Hinckley, with a pair of GN Resound Linx 3D9 rechargeable hearing aids. These will enable Mr Sim to actually participate in conversation in a crowd and reduce frustration with the situation, in which he has been going through with his NHS hearing aids.
Mr Sim will continue to receive our support along with Hear4U as part of his after care service.
We wish Mr Sim all the best with hearing well again.
