The 3Rs of Checking Your Own Hearing is a very easy-to-remember self-check that you can use on a regular basis as an early warning system for any changes in your own hearing. You don't need any special equipment. It's all based on things you'll encounter in every day life.

We often joke that someone has "selective hearing", meaning they ignore us when it's convenient to them.

But actually, selective hearing is something far more powerful. Its secret lies in the partnership that our ears have with our brain, and harnessing its power can have huge benefits when it comes to listening in challenging situations.

This article explains how.

Many hearing aid users in the UK are missing out on the full benefits of their current hearing technology because it hasn’t been properly optimised for their individual hearing and lifestyle.

That's why we've developed H.A.L.O.™ (Hearing And Listening Optimisation) – to ensure you get the very best out of your hearing aids.

This gentleman has very kindly agreed to explain his observations on his recently upgraded Phonak hearing aids. He plays the clarinet so that was an important factor in the choose of technology. We needed to ensure that the sound reproduction for music was natural and without distortion.

Danish manufacturer GN Resound have launched a new type of hearing device called be by Resound which has created a brand new category called Invisible Open Technology.

The body of the device is small enough to be fitted completely into the ear canal, whilst leaving enough of a gap around its edges for most wearers to feel as though their ear canal's open.

I decided to do something about my hearing around three years ago. I had begun to find it difficult to listen to conversation in crowded places and in business meetings.

On a one to one or on the phone I was fine, but as soon as I was in a crowd, say at a meeting or in the bar after the rugby, I could only pick out every other word. I began cupping my ears with my hands to help me hear better and, in business, I was starting to worry that I was mishearing or misinterpreting what was being said to me.

I was fitted with hearing aids and the results were immediate. When I was fitted for my first hearing aid, the audiologist asked me if I wanted to wear the new aid there and then. I agreed that I would and drove home. When I got out of the car I became aware of a strange noise, and it took me a while to work out that it was the wind rustling in the trees – I had just never heard it before.

I can now hear almost everything that is being said to me in a crowd, which is a great advantage. I know that there are plenty of people out there who should get their hearing checked – ex-service personnel like me, and farmers, who often lose their hearing as a result of the loud noises on their farms. My advice would be, do something about it sooner rather than later.

Mr Tracy Turner

Watching TV (including DVDs and Videos) and listening to music is the main activity in the UK after sleep and work. It takes up a huge amount of our time, and it's usually because of the TV that people notice they're not hearing as well as they used to: volume goes up, and friends and family start complaining we have it on too loud.

This article explains why TV listening can be difficult, and how to watch TV at a volume that won't annoy anyone else.

A commonly asked question about wearing hearing aids is whether you should wear a hearing aid in one ear or both ears.

Although the answer depends on your personal circumstances – including your type of hearing loss – there are very significant advantage to wearing one in both ears. In this article we explain what those benefits are.