Five years ago Helen Nourish, aged 60, realised that, just like her mum, she was having hearing problems. She says: “As well as having the television turned up loud I was always asking people to repeat themselves.
It got to the stage where I couldn’t even hear the birds singing. “My husband John would laugh and say ‘You’re getting just like your mum!’ ”Helen was also suffering with a ringing in her ears – a symptom of tinnitus which often comes with hearing loss.
Helen, a former credit controller, went to see her GP who referred her to a hearing loss clinic where she was given hearing aids. But she was dismayed to discover that they simply weren’t up to the job. She recalls: “They made everything very loud, but with no clarity. And the dome that went into my left ear wasn’t comfortable. So I stopped using them altogether.” A keen walker, golfer and bowls player, Helen’s social life began to suffer as a result. She says: “I couldn’t hear what was being said in groups, so I would sit not saying much – I felt like I was missing out.”
Last year, after researching online, Helen decided to make an appointment at her local branch of Amplifon. She says: “The audiologist did a very thorough test and was able to explain that the reason I was getting discomfort was because I had narrow ear canals. “She recommended some different sized hearing aids which were better suited to my ears.”Since getting her new aids Helen hasn’t looked back. She says: “They are so comfortable I forget I’m wearing them.” One of the biggest advantages Helen has found from her new hearing aids is that they connect to her iPhone. She explains: “I hear the ringing direct to my ear, rather than from the phone – it’s brilliant.”
Not only has her improved hearing given Helen’s social life a boost, she can also chat happily with her two grandchildren, Sam, 9 and Poppy, 7, again when they call. She smiles: “It’s wonderful to be able to chat to them on the phone and hear what they are saying at last.” And Helen says her tinnitus has also improved thanks to her new aids: “The sound quality is much better and they even help with my tinnitus. “Because I can hear other sounds better I don’t notice the ringing in my ears so much. “Now I recommend Amplifon to other friends.”
