Siemens Octiv S Owner's manual

Information about your
h aring aid

2
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................ 4
Types of hearing loss .............................................................. 6
Hearing aids ............................................................................ 8
Frequently asked questions ................................................ 10
Getting started with your hearing aids .............................. 14
Ear mould hearing aids ........................................................ 20
LifeTip hearing aids .............................................................. 26
Communication tactics ........................................................ 30
The patient journey .............................................................. 32
General notes on safety ...................................................... 34

3
What to do if the aid stops working .................................. 36
Repair service and batteries ................................................ 38
Battery collection service .................................................... 40
Sources of further information ............................................ 42

4
Introduction
Congratulations on getting your hearing aid(s),
the first step towards better hearing. There is
no doubt that, with practice, it will make a real
difference towards your quality of life.
Pl as tak th tim to r ad this guid as it will h lp you to g t
th b st out of your n w digital h aring aid. It will r mind you
of what your audiologist xplain d at your fitting appointm nt,
and also contains xtra information about how to us and look
aft r your aid.
You will also find tips that you can us to mak it asi r to
und rstand what oth r p opl ar saying. Th r is also contact
information for us ful organisations and support s rvic s.
If you hav any difficulti s that ar not solv d by this guid ,
your local audiology s rvic is th r to h lp you.

5
All h aring aids suppli d by th NHS
ar highly advanc d, digital aids. Your
h aring aid has b n programm d
l ctronically to tak into account your
individual r quir m nts. This b gins
with your audiologist p rforming a
h aring ass ssm nt.
Your new hearing aid

6
Types of hearing loss
250 500 1000125
0
2000 4000 8000
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
FREQUENCY IN CYCLES PER SECOND (Hz)
HEARING LEVELS IN DECIBELS (Db)
Mild
Moderate
Moderately-severe
Severe
Profound
Audiogram of familiar sounds
Please note:
People often ave earing
t res olds spanning two or
more of t ese classes of
earing loss in different
pitc es / ears.

7
May hav difficulty following sp ch, sp cially in noisy situations. This
typ of loss is oft n notic d by family first rath r than th pati nt.
Oft n has difficulty following sp ch and miss s oth r qui t nois s.
Amplification is v ry succ ssful for this loss, but th pati nt also n ds
to us good h aring tactics.
Unabl to h ar sp ch v n in qui t surroundings and may not h ar
g n ral nois s such as traffic unl ss th y ar loud. Amplificatio n is v ry
succ ssful for this loss, but th pati nt also n ds to us good h aring
tactics. Lip-r ading class s could b n fit p opl with this h aring l v l.
Unabl to h ar most sounds unl ss th y ar v ry loud. Amplification is
oft n us ful, but th pati nt will also n d to r ly on good h aring
tactics. Lip-r ading class s would also b us ful for p opl with this
h aring loss. Pati nts in this cat gory may also us sign languag
and watch sign assist d programm s.
Will n d to w ar appropriat amplification t chnology ( .g. h aring aids,
cochl ar implant, FM) in ord r to h ar conv rsational sp ch.
Mild
Moderate
Moderately severe
Severe
Profound

8
Hearing aids
If your h aring is suitabl , you will b off r d digital h aring
aids. This m ans that th y ar programm d with a comput r
to a pr scription suitabl for your loss.
Eit er an Ear Mould or
LifeTip as been prescribed
for you, depending on your
earing loss.*
Ear Mould LifeTip™
Octiv™M/M+ Octiv™S/S+ Octiv™SP+Octiv™HP/HP+
Your hearing aid(s) may look like one of these:

9
A h aring aid cannot giv you p rf ct h aring but th y should
h lp you to h ar v ryday sounds lik clocks ticking, birds
singing, tc.
Th aid(s) should also mak sp ch a bit cl ar r for you, so you
don’t hav to list n as hard. It should h lp you h ar wh n
p opl ar sp aking to you and giv you mor confid nc .
In noisy plac s th background nois will still b th r as it is for
som on who has normal h aring. You will probably find that it
is h lpful to watch p opl ’s fac s in noisy plac s lik high str ts
and r staurants.
You may still find it difficult to follow what p opl ar saying
and, if both ars ar impair d, w aring two aids may h lp you
to focus b tt r on what you want to list n to.

10
Frequently asked questions
Will I have normal hearing with hearing aids in?
No, th h aring aids can only work with th h aring that you hav
l ft. It will sound strang to start off with, but with p rs v ranc it
will sound mor natural. It should tak th strain out of list ning
though.
Will my own voice change by wearing hearing aids?
It is v ry common that your own voic may sound slightly diff r nt
to what you ar us d to h aring, this is b caus you hav b n us d
to h aring your own voic with a h aring loss. Wh n th aid is
initially fitt d th sound of your own voic can sound a littl strang
as it is now b ing amplifi d. Your own voic may app ar a littl
qui t r to oth rs.
What if I don’t like the sound of my own voice?
To start with, your voic may sound unfamiliar to you but aft r 2-6
w ks this should subsid with r gular us of th h aring aids. For
som pati nts this may tak long r than 2-6 w ks.
Is there anything else that could help, as well as
a hearing aid?
Y s, additional quipm nt for th t l vision, t l phon and doorb ll
is availabl . Pl as ask th Audiology D partm nt for advic .

11
Are there any listening situations that I will still have
difficulty hearing, even with my hearing aids?
Your h aring aids ar programm d to automatically adjust to suit
th nvironm nt that you ar in, how v r th r ar limitations to
th t chnology. Som tim s manual programs can b add d to h lp
sp cifically with nvironm nts that you find sp cially hard to h ar
in. Th s options can b discuss d with your audiologist.
How do I get used to wearing a hearing aid?
By w aring th h aring aids you ar t aching yours lf to list n
again. Wh n your h aring d t riorat s it tak s tim to g t us d to
all th n w background nois s and h aring sp ch can b strang
to start with. Just lik glass s, it tak s tim to g t us d to th
physical fit. Th mor you w ar th h aring aids, th mor natural
th y will f l.

12
I’ve had one hearing aid for a long time and now I
have been given two, one for each ear. What will
this feel like?
Th n wly aid d ar may tak a whil to g t us d to w aring a
h aring aid, compar d to th ar which has had a h aring aid
pr viously. Similarly to wh n you r c iv d your first h aring aid, your
brain n ds tim to adjust to h aring from this sid again as it is
l arning to us both ars tog th r. To start with it may sound l ss
natural but pl as p rs v r with it until your h aring aid r vi w
appointm nt to allow for this adjustm nt.
I’ve been given two hearing aids – should I wear
them both together?
W aring two h aring aids giv s a much mor balanc d, mor natural
sound. It will also b asi r to locat wh r sounds ar coming from
wh n both h aring aids ar worn. Th h aring aids hav b n
programm d as a pair and if you only w ar on aid th s ttings may
b incorr ct for your h aring loss.
How often should I be wearing the hearing aids?
Id ally all day v ry day – th mor th y ar in th ars, th b tt r.
Som tim s it may not b obvious how much you can h ar with it but
p rs v r as much as you can. R m mb r, you n v r know wh n you
might n d to h ar som thing, for xampl , th doorb ll or
t l phon , tc.

13
Please note:
T e earing aids s ould not get wet. During s owering,
eavy rain, at t e airdressers etc., t ey s ould be removed
to prevent damage. If t e aid is damaged t roug negligence
a c arge may be incurred.

14
Getting started with
your hearing aids
Turning ON/OFF
Turning the
hearing aid ON
•clos th batt ry
compartm nt
Turning the
hearing aid OFF
•op n th batt ry
compartm nt
You may hav an alt rnativ
ON/OFF on your h aring aid.
Ask your audiologist for
furth r d tails:
Rocker
Switc
Pus
Button
Remote
Control
Changing the battery
Op n th batt ry
compartm nt.
R mov colour d stick r
from n w batt ry, plac
batt ry in draw r with +
symbol on batt ry + sid up.
(You should only r mov th
prot ctiv stick r wh n you
actually us th batt ry).
Clos batt ry door
Your battery size is:
312 13 675
1
2
3

15
You may hav a volum
control on your h aring aid.
Your h aring aid has an
automatic volum control
which adjusts d p nding on
th list ning situation you ar
in.
You can us th
rock r switch to
mak additional
volum adjustm nts
to mak th sound
mor comfortabl .
Pr ss up to incr as
volum and pr ss
down to d cr as
volum .
Please refer to t e 'controls' section
of your User Guide for your specific
controls configuration.
With th controls you can, for xampl , adjust th volum or
switch h aring programs. Your h aring aids may hav a push
button or rock r switch. Your audiologist has assign d your
d sir d functions to th controls.
Volu e control
• W en t e volume control is at
maximum or minimum levels, t e
earing aid will indicate t is wit
beeps. If you continue to press t e
volume button, t e volume will not
increase or decrease any furt er.
• To reset to your prescription volume,
turn t e aid off and on again.
• Batteries last for up to 2 weeks.
Beeping will sound 40 minutes
before t ey run out. Do not wait
for t e battery to completely run
out, c ange at t is time – or bot
batteries if t ere are 2 earing aids.
• Battery and tubing postal service
are available from Sout port and
Ormskirk Audiology Departments.
Please note:

16
Progra s
To chang
program pr ss
th push button
bri fly.
If using a rock r
switch, changing th
program may b a
bri f pr ss of th up
or down rock r
switch or long pr ss if
th rock r switch is
configur d to chang
both volum and
program chang .
Please refer to t e 'controls' section of
your User Guide for your specific
controls configuration
Everyday Listening
Upon switching th h aring aid
on, program on is activ . This
program automatically and
continually adjusts th digital
f atur s of th h aring aid for
you, to nsur that sp ch is
comfortabl and audibl from
all dir ctions.
Noisy Environment
This program r duc s nois
from b hind th list n r and
focus s mor on sp ch from
th front.
Loop System/Telecoil
This program allows th
list n r to h ar sound dir ctly
from a microphon .g. banks,
th atr s, sup rmark ts, church s
or anywh r you s
this symbol:

17
L av your h aring aid in
your ar and working
normally.
Put th t l phon r c iv r
to th h aring aid towards
th top of your ar as shown
in th pictur bottom right.
This will mak th voic of
th p rson calling loud r
for you.
Telephone program
You may pr f r a c rtain volum
wh n using th t l phon . Ask
your NHS Provid r to configur
a t l phon program.
•Switch to th t l phon
program wh n v r you
ar on th phon .
1
2
Using the telephone



18
Your progra s
D p nding on how your
audiologist has programm d
your h aring aid(s) will
d t rmin what program you
s l ct. Wh n th program
button is pr ss d onc , you
will h ar two b ps indicating
a mov onto program two. If
th program button is pr ss d
again, you will h ar thr
b ps and so on.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ev ryday List ning
Please note:
• To reset your earing aid to t e original program (1),
press t e program button until only one beep is eard or
alternatively to reset all settings, turn t e aid off and on
again.
• Do not use t e loop setting (3) unless you are in t e vicinity
of a loop system. If t e loop setting is active at any ot er
time, t e amplified sound will be reduced.

19
Re ote controls
easyPocket
A r mot control may also
b us d to chang th volum
and h aring programs. Th
asyPock t™r mot control is
availabl as an optional
acc ssory for all Octiv mod ls.
Th s can b purchas d from
your Audiology D partm nt.
If you t ink an easyPocket would
assist you please ask your audiologist
for furt er details about ow you can
obtain suc a device, or enquire at
reception.

20
Ear ould hearing aids
Putting your hearing aid in
Rais th aid to your ar as
shown. Tuck th top point
of th mould into th fold
of your ar.
Put th bottom half of th
mould down into your ar.
Pr ss th mould pi c firmly
into your ar.
You may n d to us your
oth r hand to str tch your
ar to as fitting.
Hook th aid ov r th top of
your ar. Turn th h aring
aid on.
1
2
3
4
5
Hearing aid
Elbow
Mould
Top point
of mould
Hearing aid
Elbow
Mould
Top point
of mould