Hearing loss- Public waiting times or go private.

little bess

Hello all,

I suffer from hearing loss in both ears, one ear more significantly than the other - this started about ten years ago and has been gradually getting worse.

I've received a referral letter from my GP for Beaumont but she said the waiting time is very long? Does anyone have any idea how long she may mean? I have a medical card but am considering using savings to just go and get an aid myself as I'm finding the hearing loss is adversely affecting life in general at the moment! Thanks.

gar32

My dad has the same issue and was told he could be waiting up to 4 years. He was told if he paid €2000 he could be seen right away.

I don't under stand Ireland. I remember if you waited more then 6 months you could ask to be sent to UK for medical treatment. Should this not be the same.

Well I am asking could anyone say if there is a cheap faster way?

CiDeRmAn

This is the scheme you are mentioning
Treatment Abroad Scheme
It is something you will have to discuss with your GP and, possibly, your consultant in Beaumont.
It may be cheaper to see a private consultant, to get an idea of what treatment you might need, and then see what options are available.
The private consultation and testing may be less, they tend to be pretty up front about fees to be honest, so ring them and ask, they normally are in the phone book or try this,
Beaumont dept and consultant phone numbers

gar32

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Left-Right-Hearing-Aid-Sound-Voice-Noise-Amplifier-Mini-Behind-Ear-Lightweight-/231256311079?hash=item35d7f34527:g:~YQAAOSwnDZULER7

Why can't someone just buy one of these?

joanmul

You can - but you get what what you pay for. Aldi had them a few years ago. I don't think you can compare them in terms of quality of sound, volume, etc etc. However, you won't lose much money by buying them and then you can decide whether you want to pay for a much more expensive aid.

TomOnBoard

gar32 wrote: »

My dad has the same issue and was told he could be waiting up to 4 years. He was told if he paid €2000 he could be seen right away.

I don't under stand Ireland. I remember if you waited more then 6 months you could ask to be sent to UK for medical treatment. Should this not be the same.

Well I am asking could anyone say if there is a cheap faster way?

Hi Gar.

You're in Dresden. Don't try to apply German rules to the Irish situation.

Forget about trying to apply solutions that might exist in UK, or anywhere else in Europe to us in Ireland. Please understand that, in and from 2008 to 2011, this country was judged to be the economic basket case of Europe... The fact that it still exists as a viable nation is nothing short of a miracle..As to where the waiting list issue ought to stand as well yer Dad's position thereon....

Well...

I would say simply this is yer Dad yer talking about. Here's some free advice from someone who understands how **** happens here..

First thing is to establish, does he have any brain or associative injury, particularly in respect of his hearing-such as acoustic neuroma or whatever.... That is a medical/surgical assessment that will most probably need investigations like CT, MRI. Navigation of that process is not for here... That can only be done in the world...

So, let us assume that, following all necessary testing, your Dad is judged to have hearing problems that are not capable of being resolved by a medical/surgical intervention. His hearing difficulties result from "whatever" issues that have given rise to damage. So now we have arrived at the point of trying to improve his hearing in the face of that damage. Note: At this point, we're not interested with cure of any/all underlying problems... Here,we're dealing with symptoms alone...

Dealing with Symptoms:

Has Dad got PRSI cover for Hearing Aids?.. This is easily established depending on the number of insurable weeks he has at the appropriate class. Speak to the local welfare office if necessary to establish same.

Otherwise, just short circuit the process and get hearing tests (generally free) from a few local practitioners. Make sure you include Specsavers as their prices for 4-year all inclusive contracts are, to my knowledge, one of the cheapest in Ireland.. However, the value of that depends most on the quality of your Audiologist....

And those latter points are for you or yer Dad to judge.

Costs? Specsavers provide an open book pricing model. That ought to give you a first impression...

Am I a Specsavers employee or shareholder, owner or wotever... No! I have just been investigating this stuff for the past year for my own needs and am just passing on that knowledge... I wish I knew a few more outfits that wud actually publish their prices so that we all could compare/ contrast....
etc..

gar32

I am in Germany because Ireland went to &%$§. I lost my job like many others and moved without really wanting too. I miss Ireland and Family but the services and am glad to leave behind.

Thanks for the info. My dad in 70 and still works part time to try keep his head above water. The money spent on the health system is 90% wages. I am sure the top earners take a disproportionate amount of that.

Mean while people are left waiting or worse get to see doctors too late to help them.

jtkpenguin

....gradually noticed it getting worse the last yr or so...

Visited local Specsavers for a free test, they referred me to their senior audiologist as they thought I had a significant loss in one ear & minor loss in the other (at that appt. I was thinking "big sales pitch coming up here").

BUT to my utmost surprise the guy wasn't interested in selling me anything.
Instead he did a thorough test & gave me the report (took a while to explain it fully to me), plus a letter for my gp.

GP sent the report & a referral ltr to the Audiologist in St. Michael's, Dun Laghaoire.
I was seen within 3 mths. He wanted another more detailed test done in Blackrock Clinic which took 2mths.

Another month later I was back at the consultant for the results.

Unfortunately, there is nothing surgical they can do for me & (as I've a full medical card) he gave me the clinical report to send to the HSE for a free Hearing aid.

I sent them in to the HSE Audiology office & waited.
When I hadn't heard anything after a month I rang & was told that they don't acknowledge receipt of anything.

When I asked what to expect I was told that my referral letter & report would be reviewed by the Audiologist & assessed - I would be given an appointment based on how urgent my situation is, the waiting list was currently approx. 1yr....

I just can't afford to pay for any aids so I'm just hoping I'll be seen sooner....

Jtk

jtkpenguin

I received my appt. at the HSE Audiology dept. & have now been seen. The very nice lady there took a fitting of my ear & said it'll take about 6wks for my hearing aid (thankfully only need one) to be made.
Now just have to wait for another appt. to go & get it fitted.
Will post another update in due course.
Jtk