Happy

‘Very pleased with the treatment received both from suction wax removal and subsequent hearing test. Lovely staff and very friendly.’   Mrs. Robinson York 25.05.19

Alan FINALLY gets his hearing sorted out

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

Alan has done work for our practice over the last 11 years. He first approached me about the possibility of wearing hearing aids 8 years ago. Last week, he finally got around to do doing something about it!

“I purchased my hearing aids 4 weeks ago and I am very impressed with the quality of the product and also how it as improved my day to day life. They are inconspicuous and easy to insert/ wear. I have the app on my phone allowing me to adjust the aids to suit my surroundings and also stream music or answer/make calls on my phone. A big thank you to Rob Donnan and his staff at RJD Hearing Care for their excellent service.”

Alan

10.05.19

Glenn overcomes any concerns about wearing hearing aids at work

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

“I have been known for being quite a loud character and have struggled with not clearly hearing exactly what people say for much of my adult life, but not really thought of doing anything about it. For years I have annoyed my wife and kids by asking my wife to repeat herself at home constantly, just thinking it was me being a stereotypical male and not listening! and am sure have been a real pain to my family at large for having to have the TV at home or radio in the car on far louder than anyone else felt acceptable.

At work, I have often struggled in meetings to catch the exact words colleagues or customers have said and often have had to rely on trying to lipread or concentrate very, very hard on what people were saying to me.

After my wife eventually nagged me enough to go for a hearing test, and after much research online to look for a company I thought I could trust, I found RJD Hearing. I filled out the online form and waited for contact…

From the first contact, I really was bowled over with Rob’s bedside manner. The first interaction was a phone call where he was immediately empathetic to my enquiry, during that call he quickly turned into a very consultative style, advising me on considerations for my choices, and also breaking down some of the taboos I had in my mind about hearing loss at my age.

On the first meeting, after having a hearing test and establishing the level of my loss of hearing, we discussed lifestyle and preferences and he recommended the Phonak Audeo Marvel and I left with them on a free trial. I returned for a second visit and I could appreciate the difference they were making at home to my general hearing and my quality of life, but I wasn’t wearing them out and about or at work. Rob was fabulous in his counselling to me, listening to everything I said about how I was feeling, how they were affecting me, what I was hearing etc. He made some changes to the programming of my hearing aids and sent me away again – with no pressure about buying them or even discussing the price or a payment plan.

On the second visit I had overcome wearing them socially, but still wasn’t wearing them during the working hours. Again Rob, was so calm and I felt, that he was interested about trying to improve my quality of life. He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject, he wanted to listen to everything about how they were impacting my life and I genuinely felt he wanted to solve the problem for me. So again, he made some changes to the programming of my hearing aids and sent me away!

On the third visit, everything had changed, I was wearing them religiously from morning till night and now wouldn’t consider going anywhere without them (apart from swimming or the shower!)

I have now purchased my hearing aids and haven’t looked back! I am hearing small things, that make such a massive difference, like the birds singing or a clock ticking! I am more engaged with my kids, I have stopped annoying my wife by ignoring her, and the family home is more in harmony because I can hear everything they can.

At work, I am fully aware of everything everyone is saying in meetings. I travel a lot with my work and having my aids connect by Bluetooth to my phone means that if I am on a train, plane or in a hotel room, I can listen to my phone, or watch my iPad etc without needing an extra set of headphones , as I can stream the music or audio into my hearing aids. Not only that, but when driving, I often have two phones with me (my personal and my work phone) so I can use either phone, with my work phone connected to the car bluetooth and my personal phone connected to my hearing aids Bluetooth. This has proved quite life changing for me when travelling during working hours.

The only negative I can find to say about my experience with Rob Donnan is that I wish I had found him 10 years ago!

I cannot recommend his services highly enough.”

Glenn

18.03.19

Oticon Opn 1 worn with a middle-ear implant

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

“Life Is Switched On”

img_4576At 4 years of age, I was seen as a naughty child. I wasn’t listening to teachers at school, I had a delay in my language development and suffered from constant fatigue. After a routine hearing test in school, I was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss. At 13 years old, my hearing became progressively worse (moderate loss), and I received my first pair of NHS hearing aids. I was embarrassed to admit my hearing loss as it was now more obvious. Bullying/teasing at school led me to hide my hearing aids under my hair, or not wear them at all. I relied on coping strategies (lip reading, note takers, subtitles, teacher of the deaf) and struggled through rather than excelled in school.

An MRI scan at 22 years old lead to my surgeon diagnosing me with a severe bilateral conductive hearing loss and otosclerosis. In 2014 after 10 operations and endless ear infections, I was lucky enough to become one of the first recipients of a Middle Ear Implant. My appointment at ‘The Switch On’ was a life changing day. Unfortunately I was unable to receive another implant for my other ear, as during surgery there was too much infection to attach the implant. This meant I had to wear my NHS hearing aid on my right ear. The unnatural sound, mould causing reoccurring infections and bulky size on my small ears, just wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted the same feeling I got previously at ‘The Switch On’.

I can state confidently, I got it! Since I purchased The Oticon Opn, I have heard sounds I don’t ever remember being able to hear. Examples being the biting point/revs in my car and certain frequencies of bass whilst listening to music. Whilst wearing the Oticon Opn, I have had no ear infections (now I don’t have a mould in my ear), and I’m now able to use the telephone independently. The ability to stream telephone calls and music right into my ear is fantastic. I am now able to enjoy music like never before as I don’t rely so much on the vibrations, I can hear the different frequencies. My friends have commented, noting my concentration fatigue has been reduced as I don’t have to rely so much on lip reading and worrying about feeling isolated in conversations.

All this, I have Rob at RJD Hearing Care to thank for! He allowed me to trial different hearing aids to find the right device to suit my needs. Throughout the fitting process, he was knowledgeable and was only interested in what works for my lifestyle. He listened, valued my opinion and I was never pressurised to buy at any stage of the trial period.

Having a deaf identity is important to me. I’m proud to wear my Hearing Aid and Middle Ear Implant. Rob, for giving me back my independence and increasing my confidence, I can’t thank and appreciate it enough!

Nuala Donnellan, 26
Mirfield

Visit RJD Hearing Care

Opn changed my life!

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

“I’ve worn hearing aids for more than 40 years (since I was a toddler) so I thought I knew what I wanted: better hearing, no fuss. I got that, but I also got a lot more. Here’s how.

My hearing loss is more complicated than most, because it comes with a progressive loss of vision. With less than 5% of my sight remaining, I need to make the most of what I hear. Especially since I’m juggling three primary-age children, a guide dog, freelance writing/editing work and volunteer activities. I need to know when I drop something!

My old hearing aids were falling apart. I needed new ones. The latest technology is only available privately, but it’s pricey and I didn’t want to make an expensive mistake. So, I stalled, until one day I came across RJD Hearing Care’s advertisement offering free trials. They also gave the option of home visits, which are much more manageable for me, and that tipped the balance. I decided to give them a try.

I’ve met a lot of audiologists, so I felt sure I’d spot a scam. As soon as I met Rob, my doubts receded. He knew his stuff and his straightforward manner meant we could have a direct conversation with no hard-sell. Quite the opposite: I was let loose to try out a pair of Oticon iPhone-compatible hearing aids with no financial commitment. This is ground-breaking and makes such a difference: trying hearing aids in a soundproof office (or, in my case, my own kitchen) isn’t a guide to how they’ll perform out and about.

I loved the new aids. But disaster struck a couple of weeks later. Rob returned to fine-tune the settings and a software crash combined with manufacturer issues meant one aid was unusable for several weeks. But Rob came through for me: he replaced those aids with the latest top-of-the-range Oticon model at exactly the same price. And no bill yet: I could try them out first. I even took them abroad on holiday.

The sound was excellent: clearer, smoother, and more distinct than ever before. No feedback, either. Best of all, though, is the new iPhone-compatible technology. My phone streams via Bluetooth directly to my hearing aids. No one else need hear it (unless I choose to change the settings and let them). It makes a huge difference to the clarity of the sound. Phone calls are much easier. Audiobooks, podcasts and music are all suddenly accessible, which they never have been before. As a voracious reader, losing the ability to read print was very hard for me, but now through technology I can still read on the backlit high-contrast screen of my iPhone X, and listen through Bluetooth streaming. It’s a great joy.

A world of sound has opened up. Because there’s no extra equipment; just my hearing aids and my phone, both of which I have on me nearly all the time, I listen to audiobooks or podcasts in every spare moment: emptying the washing machine, walking home, waiting in a queue. There’s no dead time any more. I even watched 58 children each perform the same poem at a drama festival with a beatific smile on my face while actually listening to War and Peace, and no one around me knew (until now …) Sometimes, my husband breaks off conversation, gives me a suspicious look, and asks if I’m listening to something else. (No, darling, of course not, tell me more about your day. Ahem.)

Many blind or partially-sighted people use specially-designed satnav apps to help them find their way about. These have never been an option for me as I couldn’t hear the instructions clearly. Now I can. My guide dog and I trekked off to an unfamiliar location with me listening to the new voice in my head (it’s real, honestly). Yes, the journey took an hour and a half when it should have taken twenty minutes, but we got there, which wouldn’t have been possible before. I didn’t celebrate (I was too busy apologising for being late) but the app obviously thought I should because it helpfully pointed out there was a pub 50 yards to the left. Since it was only ten a.m., it’s just as well that no one else could hear.

That’s only the beginning. I’ve bought a Bluetooth connector that lets the TV stream directly into my hearing aids, with separate volume controls to the sound going into the main room. So my husband can finally turn the TV down to a level that doesn’t blast his ears, and I get an amazing cinema-sound experience that means I don’t need to be glued to the subtitles. Next on my list is a Bluetooth doorbell that streams via my iPhone to murmur discreetly into my ear, Jeeves-style, that Someone Is At The Door, Milady. (Possibly it won’t actually say Milady, but I’m sure that’s the general tenor.)

Since childhood, I’ve thought that hearing aids lacked imagination. People with hearing loss want a lot more than a glorified ear-trumpet. Now, at last, the superpowers are arriving. ”

Penny,

Harrogate

11.05.2018

Widex Clear 440s at home

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

Buying a new hearing aid can be a worrying experience but not when you deal with Graham Fiddes and Marianne Williams of The Hearing Clinic Ltd. 

First and foremost, they come to your home.

Graham’s first visit inspired confidence from the word “go”. There was no hard sell, just concerned and caring attention to my personal needs, and apart from the reasonable prices quoted, I felt I was in good and capable hands.

As I am still active as a public speaker, the recommended hearing aids are a joy. But it is the free aftercare that is so outstanding. If there is ever an issue, however small, that requires their expertise, one phone call or text message brings Graham or Marianne to my home and the problem is fixed instantly and always with a smile and courtesy that means so much to me in this day and age. 

We were once on holiday in Eastbourne and one of my hearing aids needed attention. We were going to the theatre the next day and we were astonished when Marianne came to our hotel to make sure I went to the theatre with both hearing aids in full working order. One cannot ask for more than that and I highly recommend them without reservation or hesitation.

Ann Rachlin MBE

From John Kay

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

“Alan Jackson has been my Audiologist for the past seven and a half years. That means between 15 and 20 appointments, so I feel qualified to recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone who thinks they might not be hearing as clearly or as well as they used to. On a professional level he is first class and in personal terms he is kind, considerate and never rushed.

His approach quietly and methodially professional, combining an excellent understanding of the impact of hearing deficit on the individual, with a great deal of technical knowledge of what hearing aids can achieve, to produce tailor made suggestions of products if aids are needed. He is also very skilled in servicing and maintaining aids to maintain their effectiveness and prolong their life.

When he decided to become an independent Audiologist, I was keen to continue to access his services. I was just at the point where one of my seven and a half year old aids needed to be replaced and Alan was able to do me a deal that was the same as I paid over seven years ago, for superior and more technologically advanced aids, fit and calibrate them for much less than I would have paid to his former national employer.”

John Kay
20.02.2018

“…My questions are answered and any situation or problem is resolved”

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

It has been a couple of years now since I was tested and supplied with Hearing Aids at the above center, but even now if I have any queries or tweaks that need to be done – I am seen as soon as possible, my questions answered and the situation or problem resolved! The original service was more or less as expected, but the aftercare exceeded my expectations, and as time goes on, the original cost becomes more and more value for money. Highly recommended.

Practice: Graham and Marianne. Upper Brighton Road Worthing

David Edwards
20.03.2019

“The professional, friendly and honest service cannot be bettered”

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

Dear Marianne Williams,

I am writing to thank you for the exceptional service we received from the Hearing Clinic. We were delighted by the professionalism, the time and effort devoted to us and the care and attention to detail not to mention the friendly and relaxing atmosphere created.

the effort devoted to our difficult circumstances far exceeded our expectations. It would have been so easy to give up at the first obstacle, or to propose a compromise solution, but instead with much patience and determination a professional conclusion was reached. I would thoroughly recommend the Hearing Clinic to everyone, the professional, friendly and honest service cannot be bettered. 

Yours sincerely,

Keith Micklewright

Long term care from Alan Harwood Jackson

5 out of 5 stars
5/5

“Even though I have been hard of hearing from a young age and I have only started wearing hearing aids over the last few years. I have been looked after by Alan for many years and am very grateful for the professionalism, support and patience that he has shown me since I have started wearing hearing aids. To start wearing hearing aids in my late 30’s did seem a bit strange but following Alan’s advice and a little time I now forget I am even wearing them.

Kind Regards,
Anthony
03.05.2018