Phonak CROS User manual

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Your ‘Wireless CROS Hearing
Aid Slimtube Fitting at Home’
Guide
Audiology Department
01483 464108
[e-mail]
https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/
audiology/

1) You have had a telephone fitting appointment with one of our audiologists.
2) During this appointment you agreed to proceed with a ‘Hearing Aid Fitting
at Home’.
3) We have sent you your Home Fitting ‘Hearing Aid pack’, if you have not
yet received this let us know.
4) We have sent this presentation to you via email or in the post to help you
fit your hearing aid at home.
5) Once you have fitted and trialled your hearing aid please let us know so
an audiologist can phone you to review your progress.
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How does the ‘Hearing Aid Fitting at
Home’ work?

•The hearing aid/s we have posted to you have been set to your most
recent hearing test.
•This means you should be receiving the correct amount of sound from
your hearing aid for your hearing loss.
• When we complete ‘Hearing Aid Fittings in Hospital’ we can make further
adjustments based on how you find the sound, as well as taking into
account the shape of your ears.
• Therefore although your ‘Hearing Aid Fitting at Home’ is accurate, when
we reopen we would like to review your hearing aid settings to check
they are at their complete optimum for you.
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How successful is a ‘Hearing Aid
Fitting at Home’?

•Batteries can be mistaken for pills. Please ensure they are kept away from medication.
•Hearing instruments and batteries can be dangerous if swallowed or used inappropriately. Such actions
can lead to serious injury, permanent hearing loss or can even be fatal.
•Always use batteries recommended by your audiologist.
•Never attempt to recharge the batteries.They may explode and cause serious injury.
•Never dispose of the batteries by burning them.
•Keep the batteries clean and dry, and away from extreme heat or cold.
•Keep the hearing aid dry. DO NOT PUT IN WATER TO CLEAN.
•Discard of batteries carefully in a place where children, animals or people at risk of misusing the aids
cannot reach them.
•Never change the battery or adjust the controls of the hearing instruments in front of infants, small
children or people at risk of misusing the aids.
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Before we start..
Please be aware of the following safety information and warnings

Further safety information and warnings
•Never put your hearing instrument or batteries in your mouth for any reason, as they are slippery and
could be swallowed by accident.
•Ensure your hands are clean when handling the hearing instrument and its parts.
•Your hearing instrument must never be exposed to extreme heat, for example left inside a parked car in
the sun. They must not be exposed to moisture. Wipe the batteries carefully if moisture is present as it
may affect their performance.
•The chemicals in cosmetics, hairspray, perfume, aftershave, suntan lotion and insect repellent can
damage your hearing instrument. You should always remove the hearing instrument before applying
such products and allow time for the product to dry before refitting your hearing instrument. If you use
lotion, be sure to wipe your hands dry before putting on your hearing instrument.
•Hearing instruments should be used only as directed and adjusted by your audiologist. Misuse can
results in sudden and permanent hearing loss.
•Never allow others to wear your hearing instruments as incorrect/wrongful usage could cause
permanent damage to their hearing.
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Lockable Battery Drawers
Are you currently living, or spending a lot of time, with a child below the age of 6
years or are you in close contact with any other individual at risk of gaining access
to the batteries in your hearing aid and swallowing them?
If yes, please do consider asking us for a hearing aid with a lockable battery drawer.
We can order these for you with no effect on the success of the hearing aid fitting.
The only difference between a standard hearing aid and one with the lockable
battery drawer is that you will require a tool to open the drawer (which we will
provide).
If no, proceed with your home hearing aid fitting.
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What is in my ‘Home fitting hearing aid’ pack?
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Hearing aid/s Batteries Pouch Information
Booklet
1) Slimtube and
Dome for hearing
aid
2) Slimtube and
Dome for CROS
Microphone Battery card
1) 2)

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Step 1: Getting to know your hearing aid
Right or Left
Indicator
Slimtube
Dome
Microphone
input
Programme
button
Battery compartment
with on/off switch
Volume Lever
Retention wire –for extra support
sitting in ear
There are different size domes
depending on ear size and
severity of your hearing loss
Size - Large, Medium, Small
Occlusion- Power, Closed, Open

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Step 1: Getting to know your CROS Microphone
Right or Left
Indicator
CROS Slimtube
Dome
Microphone
input
Programme
button
Battery compartment
with on/off switch
CROS Balance
Lever
Retention wire –for extra support
sitting in ear
The CROS tube is different as
it does not require sound to
travel through it.
It is there to hold the device in
place over the ear.
The CROS Microphone
picks up sounds and
Bluetooth this to the
hearing aid.
It will not amplify sound to
the ear it is inserted into.

Step 2: How do I tell which ear my
hearing aid is for?
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If you have two hearing aids, your hearing aids
will have a coloured marker (Red = Right, Blue =
Left) at the bottom of the hearing aid to indicate
which ear it has been set up for.
Left Ear Right ear

Step 3: How to switch the hearing aid on and off
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To switch the hearing aid on, close the battery drawer with a battery
inside (please see next slide on how to insert a battery). You will also
require to do this with the CROS Microphone.
To switch hearing aid off, open the battery drawer so there is a gap. This
disconnects the battery. You will also require to do this with the CROS
Microphone.
Please see our video https://youtu.be/kPnYgSVdjwc

Step 4: How to change the battery
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The battery must be inserted the correct way to work and to not cause damage
to the hearing aid.
New batteries have a bright coloured sticker which needs to be removed.
Removing the sticker reveals the positive (+) side of the battery. The other side
is negative (-) which has a ring around the edge.
Inside the battery drawer there is a drawing of which way the battery
should be inserted to assist further.
Please see our video https://youtu.be/8i5KufhpTUQ

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Step 5: Can I change the volume of my hearing
aid?
Yes you can! However, please note that the lever on the CROS Microphone
works in a different way to the volume lever on the Hearing Aid. See slide
15.
There is a lever on the back of the hearing aid (just above the opening of the battery
drawer) which can be pushed to change the overall volume from your hearing aid.
Push the lever up to increase the volume (you can push up multiple times to keep making
louder).
Push the lever down to decrease the volume (you can push down multiple times to keep
making quieter).
Please see Stour video https://youtu.be/UukbO1Hwk3c

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More Information about the volume control on the
hearing aid
The volume can be changed while your hearing aid is in your ear. You will
hear bleeps when changing the volume level, when reaching the volume
range limits and returning to the middle (start-up level) of the volume range.
There is only a small limit on the volume range so you cannot
increase/decrease so far that you will damage your hearing.
The volume control can be deactivated, however, this can only be
completed at the hospital as we require the hearing aid to be connected to
our computers.
We recommend for the time-being the volume control remains activated to
provide you with more flexibility in the sound quality.

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What does the lever on the CROS Microphone do?
This changes the ratio of the sound received from the two devices.
Currently it will be set as 50:50 –equal amount of sound from the hearing
aid and the CROS microphone is being processed and provided to you.
However, if you increase the lever (same movement for turning up the
hearing aid), this increases the sound received from the CROS Microphone
and decreases sound from the hearing aid. Decreasing this lever will do the
opposite. So one click changes the ratio 60:40, second click 70:30, so on.
When is this useful?
If you have the person you want to hear on one side and noise is on the other,
you can change the ratio of sound so that the side the person is on is being
picked up better.
Very useful when in a car!

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Step 6: Can my hearing aid work with the Loop System?
If you have had a hearing aid before or you have requested access to the Loop
system (T Setting) then this may be enabled on your new hearing aid.
Press the button on the top of the hearing aid once to change programme. The
hearing aid will make a noise alert when pressing the button (jingle sound =
normal start-up programme, 1 bleep = 2nd programme.
If the loop system has not been activated on your hearing aid pressing the button
will not result in any beeps or changes in your hearing aid settings.
Please see our video https://youtu.be/ndaltvXTH0I
Please note that when on an additional programme, the CROS microphone
is not active. It will become active again when returning to 1st programme
(default programme) or when the hearing aid has been switched off

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More Information about the Loop System and other
Programmes on your Hearing Aid
If you would like to know more about the loop system, please see Page 15 of the
information booklet in your pack. The video on slide 22 also provides additional
information for using the loop system with the telephone.
If you are unsure whether you have a loop system on your hearing aid please check
on Page 31 of the information booklet in “My Personal Management Plan”.
The loop system can be activated, however, this can only be completed at the
hospital as we require the hearing aid to be connected to our computers.
You can have additional programmes on your hearing aid, if you have had extras
added the details will be listed on Page 31 of the information booklet.
If you are a new hearing aid user we recommend for now you keep the number of
programmes you have to a minimum.

The slimtube and dome should be changed every 3 months as the plastic
becomes worn and the dome can start to loosen off the tube.
To remove the slimtube from the hearing aid, simply unscrew the tube.
Please see our video for guidance.
If the hearing aid stops making a noise, after changing the battery, the
tubing is the next part of the hearing aid to check.
Please see slide 31 for how to clean the tubing.
Please see our video https://youtu.be/2bYuKtAKP_E
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Step 7: How to change you slimtube on the
hearing aid?

The junction for the slimtube works differently on the CROS microphone.
Pull the CROS tube down away from the CROS microphone and it will
open up the drawer. Remove the tube
Place the new tube inside the drawer and push the drawer shut.
https://youtu.be/l1Nvf4EcPwQ
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Step 7: How to change you slimtube on the
CROS Microphone

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Step 8: How to put your hearing aid and CROS
microphone in
https://c2hearonline.com/openfit/insertion.html
Please see below a link to a short
video if you require further guidance on
getting your hearing aid in.
If after practice you are still having
difficulties, please do contact us for
help and advice.