MGrid - Middlesbrough Education Grid for Learning

Guidelines for the safe use of all hearing aids during swimming and P.E. plus guidelines about swimming for children with grommets

Swimming with hearing aids:

• All types of hearing aid need to be removed before swimming and kept dry at all times
• All external parts of a Cochlear Implant must be removed

 

Swimming with grommets:
Surgeons will advise whether it is safe to go swimming following grommet insertion. Generally it is safe to go swimming from one month after grommet insertion as long as there have been no infections since the grommets were fitted. If it is allowed the following guidelines should be followed –

• Do not swim for at least a month following surgery
• Do not dive or jump in (this will force water through the grommet into the middle ear)
• Do not swim in any pool which is not chlorinated
• Earplugs and neoprene headbands are available to keep ears dry during swimming

 

P.E. with Cochlear Implant or B.A.H.A (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid)

• Non-contact sports – can be worn but protect from knocks
• Vigorous sports (e.g. Football) – remove external parts of CI / wear head protection if risk of blows to head. BAHA users wear safety line
• Contact sports (e.g. boxing, Judo, Ice Hockey) – C.I. or BAHA users should not participate as blows to the head are likely or inevitable
• Helmet sports (cycling, riding, sailing) – external parts of C.I can be worn with a well-fitting, good quality helmet. Remove BAHAs
• Gymnastics – C.I’s should be removed. Remove BAHA if rolling on the head. C.I users should take part with caution and consider use of head protection. External equipment should always be removed if working on plastic mats to avoid static electricity

 

P.E. with Hearing Aids (Behind the ear / In the ear / Bone Conduction on band)

• Contact sports (e.g. boxing, Judo, Ice Hockey) – hearing aids should be removed when there is a high risk of blows to the head
• Hearing aids can be worn for most other sports activities as long as they don’t cause the wearer discomfort

 

The adult responsible for the physical activity needs to decide if it is more or less hazardous for pupils to participate wearing hearing aids, in terms of their safety and that of other pupils.

[ top ]

ESSENTIAL ADVICE TO BE GIVEN TO ALL STAFF WHO TEACH

Please ensure pupil has a good seating position at all times (towards front/side usually best). Please assess different seating situation using the general principal, “best view as possible of teacher and peer group”.

If radio aid is in use, please ensure all staff using equipment are familiar with the information provided by this Service on issue of the equipment – “Effective Use of Radio Aid”.

Gain pupil’s attention before information is given.

Please use visual clues whenever possible – such as real objects, illustrations, key words on white board, demonstrations.

Frequently check understanding.

Take care with activities such as during note taking/TV/video. Pupil cannot lip read/watch you and do something all at the same time. Allow more time to watch, think and speak.

As more effort is required to listen, please try to keep noise levels down. Pupil may suffer from listening fatigue towards the end of the school day.

Please check “Special Arrangements” for all SATs, Optional SATs, GCSEs, A Levels, AS Levels, NVQs and any other formal tests such as MIDYIS or NFER. Pupils may be eligible for taped test materials to be read out from transcriptions, extra time, a separate room or other special arrangement.

PLEASE REFER TO BOOKLET PROVIDED BY THIS SERVICE FOR MORE DETAILED AND PUPIL SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND ADVICE

[ top ]

Hearing Aid Repair Clinics

	James Cook University Hospital	Guisborough General Hospital	Redcar Health Center	East Cleveland Brotton	University Hospital of North Tees	The Life Store The Mall	Caroline Street Hartlepool
Repair	Mon to Fri 9:00am-4:30pm Audiology Reception	Mon 2:00-4:00pm Admiral Chaloner Wing	Tues & Thurs 2:00-4:00pm	Wednesday 2:00-4:00pm	Tues & Thurs 1:30-4:30pm Outpatients	Mon & Fri 9:30am-noon Main Reception	Wednesday 9.30am - 11.30am
Batteries	Mon to Fri 9:00am-4:30pm Audiology Reception	Mon to Fri 9:00am-5:00pm Main Hospital Enquires Desk	Mon to Thurs 8:30am-5:00pm Fri 8:30am-4:20pm Reception	Mon to Thurs 8:30am-5:00pm Fri 8:30am-4:30pm Reception	Accident and Emergency Dept Reception Anytime	Mon & Sat 9:30am-5pm Main Reception	if families of children contact Caroline Street they are normally slotted in so they don't have long to wait.

Tips For Hearing Aid Users

There are 3 different types of hearing aids available, both on the NHS and through private hearing aid dispensers.

A ‘Behind the Ear’ (BTE) hearing aid, an example is shown below:

Another type is an ‘In the Ear’ (ITE) hearing aid, an example is shown below:

Users need to be aware that:

1. Hearing aids are amplifying devices. They do NOT restore normal hearing.
2. All hearing aids that are issued are now digital. Each hearing aid is matched to the user’s hearing loss / audiogram. This means that each hearing aid is tuned to fit the user’s hearing loss and cannot be used by another person.
3. Some hearing aids have very sophisticated software built in to them.
4. Many have several programs for use in different listening environments e.g. quiet, noisy, loop systems.
5. The amount of benefit a user gets from his/her hearing aids depends on their hearing loss, the environment in which the hearing aid is being used and how the hearing aid has been set up / programmed at the time of fitting.

Basic hearing aid care

1. Don’t allow the hearing aid to get wet. Do not have a shower, bath, go in a swimming pool or use a sauna with the hearing aids in. It is sometimes easy to forget you still have them in and dive into a swimming pool!
2. Don’t keep hearing aids in your pockets. It is very easy to forget about them and they can end up in the washing machine along with your clothes.
3. Don’t place the hearing aids in direct heat. If you ever need to dry the hearing aid, simply open the battery door and allow it to dry out on its own. Never store the hearing aids near direct sunlight or a heat source. Do not keep them in your car on hot days.
4. Don’t drop the hearing aid. If the hearing aid falls on a carpet, rug or soft furniture it will not usually do any damage. If the hearing aid falls onto a hard floor or other hard surface then it could be damaged.
5. Don’t put hairsprays, creams or gels on your hair while wearing the hearing aids. These materials can clog the microphone and even begin to break down the plastic of the hearing aid case. Put hairsprays, creams or gels on your hair first and then insert the hearing aids.
6. Don’t store your hearing aids where young children or pets can reach them. Pets can easily chew hearing aids to destruction in a few seconds. Young children like to experiment with hearing aids and can accidentally swallow the batteries.
7. Clean your hearing aid by wiping it carefully with a soft, dry cloth or tissue. Don't use any cleaning solutions as they can damage it. Take care not to get the aid wet.

Wax

1. Wax can clog the earmould of the hearing aid and block the passage of sound to the ear. A large build up of earwax can also cause the hearing aid to have feedback or whistling. The amplified signal from the hearing aid bounces off the wax and back to the hearing aid where it is reamplified and causes the whistling.
2. Wax can be removed using a special ‘wax picker’ available from some audiology departments. Care needs to be taken when removing wax from an ‘In the Ear’ hearing aid as the electronics are just below the surface and can easily be damaged.
3. Only wash the earmould and tubing and not the hearing aid itself.
4. To disconnect the earmould and tubing from the hearing aid, gently pull the plastic tubing from the elbow (hooked part) of the hearing aid.
5. Do not remove the elbow - this is part of the hearing aid and may be damaged by removing it and washing it.

Feedback/whistling

1. Whistling can also be caused by badly fitting earmoulds where amplified sound leaks out of any gaps between the ear and the earmould, enters the hearing aid and is reamplified causing whistling.
2. The earmould should fit snugly in the outer ear. If the earmould is too big or too small it will not fit properly and feedback may occur.
3. Earmoulds should be changed at least once a year, more often in the case of children who are growing. Young babies may need their earmoulds changing as often as every one or two weeks, as they grow so rapidly.

Tubing

1. The tubing on BTE hearing aids can become hard after a few months.
2. The tubing can also come away from the earmould and may not fit properly afterwards.
3. In both cases the tubing will need replacing.
4. Ideally this should be done at the local audiology department but can be done by the visiting Teacher of the Deaf, by older children themselves or by an adult with experience of looking after their own or a child’s hearing aids.

Batteries

1. It is a good idea to carry spare batteries with you. If you are worried about the hearing aid battery running out half way through an important event, change the battery beforehand.
2. If the sound from your hearing aid gets fainter, disappears, becomes crackly, fuzzy or distorted, you should change the battery. Some digital hearing aids give warning beeps or other sounds when the battery is just about to run out.
3. Depending on the hearing aid the warning can mean that the battery may run out in few minutes or in an hour or more.

Batteries for NHS hearing aids

If you have an NHS hearing aid, new batteries are supplied free of charge.
You can get new batteries from any NHS audiology department but you will need to take your hearing aid record book with you so the audiologist can record the number of batteries they have given you and so they can easily see which batteries you need. Hearing aid batteries may also be available from GPs surgeries, clinics and walk in centres. Your audiology department will be able to tell you where else you can get batteries.

Batteries for private hearing aids

If you bought a hearing aid privately you will have to pay for the batteries yourself. You can get replacement batteries from most high-street chemists, pharmacies or your hearing aid dispenser.

Changing batteries

When you replace batteries remember to follow the instructions carefully.

1. There may be a coloured sticker, usually blue or orange, on one side of the battery. You should only remove the sticker just before you put it into your hearing aid.
2. Make sure the battery is the right way round, the ‘+’ on the battery should match the ‘+’ on the battery compartment. Some hearing aids have a picture inside the battery door showing which way rund it should go.
3. When you close the battery compartment, don’t force it shut. If the compartment sticks, it might be because the battery is the wrong way round.
4. Check that your hearing aid is working properly.

[ top ]

Websites for Cochlear Implant users.

People often give recommendations about useful websites but it is often difficult to remember what they were or where you wrote them down. The Ear Foundation’s Sounding Board tries to help with this by keeping a constantly updated list of useful websites which you can check at any time.
http://soundingboard.earfoundation.org.uk/resources/