Kevin Davidson never worried about his hearing loss until it began to affect his work as a long distance lorry driver and impacted on his social life. Determined to find a discreet, comfortable solution that would fit in with his active lifestyle, he turned to us and got back to better hearing in no time.
Kevin Davidson didn’t really notice that his hearing had changed until he left the forces and started working as a lorry driver.
Over time he began to find it difficult to pick up on the verbal instructions he was given when he was sent out on a delivery and would have to make a phone call to check he had all the details correct. “If I went in the office to pick up the job information sometimes they’d be giving me the details from across the other side of a busy office. I couldn’t hear everything that was being said. “Even if I was being given instructions face to face I’d have difficulty hearing,” he admits.
“Sometimes I’d try to pick up on what people were saying by looking at their body language and trying to lip read. It was really frustrating.” Kevin also found sharing a joke with his friends in the pub was becoming more and more difficult.
“I’d always enjoyed a good social life but it gradually got to the point where if there were more than two of us talking I’d be totally lost. At home keen runner Kevin would wind down by running on the treadmill in his lounge whilst watching tv, but his hearing loss meant the volume was so high that it caused constant complaints from his family. Fed up asking people to repeat themselves, Kevin knew he needed to take action. When an Amplifon leaflet dropped through the door he decided to book in for a test and was instantly impressed with the service. The audiologist gave Kevin a free, in-depth hearing test using pioneering technology to identify his particular needs.
“He explained that the hearing in my left ear had deteriorated quite badly and we had a good chat about the pros and cons of the different hearing aids available to me. Because I’m very active at work, unloading the truck, sometimes sleeping in the cab overnight, I wanted something that was pretty much invisible, comfortable and well fitting. I also take part in a lot of half marathons and wanted something that I could be sure would stay put whilst I was running,” Kevin explains. When the audiologist put Kevin’s new hearing aid in, he says the difference was immediate. “I was ecstatic!” he laughs. “I could hear sounds I hadn’t heard for years, and I just thought, ‘how did I manage so long without a hearing aid? Why on earth did I put up with bad hearing for so many years?’”
Kevin was particularly thrilled with the aftercare service he received. “The staff at Amplifon have been brilliant,” he says. “When I needed to upgrade to get a hearing aid for my right ear as well they couldn’t have been more helpful. I know I can ring them up and they’ll do everything they can to fit me in – even though my job means I’m a nightmare to get hold of!” And he says that hearing aids have made a huge difference to his life. “It’s got rid of all the frustration I was feeling,” he smiles. “Before I couldn’t get up and go because I didn’t know where I was going to. Now I don’t have to ask people to keep repeating themselves any more and my wife and family ask for the tv to be turned up because they can’t hear it!
“Getting hearing aids has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made – I just wish I’d done it sooner and I’d say to anyone thinking of getting a hearing test with Amplifon ‘do it’ because you won’t believe the difference it can make.”
