I was working with a couple last week who decided they both needed hearing aids. Robert is 96 years old and Maria is 92; you would never believe it by looking at them. Now Robert’s hearing is really bad, he has a flat loss of 90db straight across and Maria’s is about 50db, also a flat loss.

Robert’s word understanding is about 20% with amplification and Maria’s is 60%. So now that I have set you up on how bad their communication skills are, you will understand the challenge that I was going to have.

Maria really didn’t want the hearing aids after I started to talk with her about getting used to the new world of hearing again. She just wanted to get them so she wouldn’t lose her automobile license. She was pretty tough in the beginning but after a bit she started to relax. After about an hour of working with her, she was hearing pretty well with her new Audeo Yes V’s. So now it was her husbands turn!

We started working with Robert and he didn’t care if he had to wear hearing aids, he just wanted to hear! Robert is wearing the Naida V hearing aids also from Phonak. He caught on to everything we were doing right away. I was so amazed. It didn’t take him any longer then 10 minutes to learn how to put the hearing aids in his ears. One of the girls I work with was teaching Robert everything he needed to know about the hearing aids and he did awesome! We worked with him for awhile and he was able to communicate with all of us. It has been so long since he has been able to hear and communicate with his wife and friends.

Robert and Maria were doing really well hearing us talk to them. One of the physical therapists came into the room and was so thankful that she could talk to both of them without having to yell. Everyone that they have had contact with were so happy to be able to talk in a normal tone to Robert and Maria. So, now comes the big test. I looked at Robert and said, “Say something to your wife to see if she can hear you.” Robert looked up at his wife and said, “I love you” and she looked up at him and said, “I love you too.” Wow! what a moment. This is the first time in years that they both could actually hear those precious words.

What a great moment to be able to see and hear.

I went to visit my 96-year-young patient at his residence today to see how he was doing with his new Phonak Exelia Arts. This young man has very poor word understanding, about 36%, and he has an average of 80% of his hearing is gone. He and his wife live in a retirement community here in Florida and frequently eat dinner with other couples. He has a lot of trouble conversing with the couples because of the noise in the dining room. Even though he has difficulty communicating with other people, he did not want to spend the money on getting new hearing aids but his wife wants the best for him and she insisted. His wife doesn’t care about the money, she wants him to enjoy life and be part of the conversations at their retirement community.

On his first follow-up visit after getting the Phonak Exelia Arts, his wife was in the hospital so I wasn’t able to get her input, however, his feelings about how he was doing with the hearing aids was fairly positive. Today, on his second follow-up visit with me, I was surprised to see his daughter was in town from California. She has known how much trouble her dad has been having when talking with her over the phone every weekend, so she also was all for the new hearing aids as well. His daughter told me that she had called her dad before her and her husband left California to come to Florida. She said they had a good conversation with barely any repeating of words and she could tell right away that he was doing good. His daughter also said, “When I arrived and we started talking he could hear everything I was saying; he never could do that before.”

About that time, his wife emerged from the bedroom and sat down. I asked her (me biting my nails waiting on the answer), “So, how do think he is doing?” At this moment I was hoping and praying that she was going to tell me that he was doing good, as he has been struggling for so long. She replied “He is doing fabulous!” I about jumped out of my chair. She said, “He is able to hear me and he is able to hear at the dinner table and converse with other couples with no trouble.” I could that he was doing well when in quiet and talking with his wife, BUT, I was floored to know that he was hearing so well in a noisy dining room. WOW!

I turned and looked at him and said, “I am so happy to hear that you are doing so well, and I also think we are more happier about that than you are.” He said, “Well I did this for my wife.” He is so humble and what a giving man, for if his wife would have not been here to urge him to get the hearing aids, he would have never done it for himself.

I went to visit a new hearing aid patient today for her first week checkup. As I pulled up, her care giver was outside and so we walked in together. The first thing I noticed was when I called out to Hilde(my patient) she answered me back from a few rooms away. Before, she could never have heard me from, but now with her new Phonak Nios, which are very small behind-the-ear hearing aids with the remarkable Sound Recover, she can! Heck before the Phonak Nios she couldn’t even hear the door bell, even when she was in the same room as the chime. Even though I already had a good idea, I asked her how she was doing with her new hearing aids. She replied, “Wonderful! I love them and I can hear so much better.” Her caregiver spoke up excitedly and said, “she has been doing so well with her new hearing aids it is amazing.” Her caregiver said that now she has to watch what she says because Hilde can hear everything!

The Phonak Nios hearing aids are usually marketed for pediatric use, but they can be fit on adults. What I like about the Nios is that, since Hilde has memory issues,, the Nios hearing aids have some great features which can help her. For instance, the battery has a lock on it so it won’t fall out and they are small and lightweight with retention wires that can keep the hearing aids in place so she won’t lose them.

I have to say that It really makes my day to take this lovely 88 years young lady from not wanting the hearing aids at all to being so very happy and elated about hearing again. You should have been there to see the glow she had on. Maybe she will let me snap a picture and I will post it here. It is priceless!