OK, I'll admit it. I would benefit from hearing aids. I've put it off for several years. But the conversations are getting pretty funny, what with me misinterpreting words incorrectly. I'm not ashamed or embarassed, just confused. There seem to be an endless number of products from which to choose. How can I trust that I'll get the best device for me? I'm furthur put off by the endless scams. There's a common one in today's Blade for Miracle Ear Hearing Centers. They all start out like this:
"Wanted - 30 people who have difficulty hearing.... blah...blah...blah. Candidates will be asked to evaluate our instruments for 30 days. At the end of thirty days if you are satisfied..... you may keep the instrument at a tremendous savings."
Really!!?? I'd better get hopping if it's just thirty "candidates" who can get in on this. Please. I'm may be going deaf, but I'm not going stupid.
And then there's the cost. Some of those "instruments" cost $3,000 - EACH. So, does any TT'r have any factual input into the choice of a reputable audiologist and/or a reputable hearing aid manufacturer. Plunking down $7,000 requires more investigation than whether or not I'm a possible "candidate".
I've asked my family physician and my ENT. Neither have any advice about the best instrument choice. They did recommend different audiologists, which I found not particularly helpful.
Pretty much it's what best fits you. Your best bet is to go talk to one of the Audiologists and they will give you options to choose from.
There are the type that goes into your ear and then a thing goes behind your ear to keep into place. My grandma has one like this and hates it.
Now my grandpa has one that is like an ear bud and goes right into the ear and loves his and wears it all the time.
You are right though both paid a pretty penny for both.
Looking forward to reading the thoughts of other TT-ers on this topic. I am heading down the road to a hearing aid in the next few years, and I know nothing about them.
Go to an ENT first and make sure that you have significant-enough hearing loss to warrant getting a hearing aid. If your ENT likes a particular audiologist, take his/her advice and see that person.
I've heard good things about Hearing Associates on Monroe St. I've also heard that Costco has a very good hearing aid department. So, perhaps you get the prescription from the audiologist and take it to Costco?
And sorry, Holland, but be prepared to spend the equivalent of a used car on your hearing aids, if you need 'em.
Good link for basic information, but you need to subscribe for the ratings.If I was going to spend that much I wouls buy the subcription. One of the most scammed and overpriced products out there.
http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/home-medical-supplies/hearing/hearing-aids/overview/hearing-aids-ov.htm?INTKEY=195BHE0
I finally got fitted for my first hearing aids a couple of years ago, bet decision I ever made. Turn out I had 80% loss in one ear and 60% in the other, mostly upper frequency. I had the testing and fitting done in the VA hospital in AA.
I got the Siemens Life 700's. It's a behind the ear model, very small and lightweight. For me, they were much less intrusive than an in-ear hearing aid. They're linked via Bluetooth and communicate with each other and have noise cancellation, really handy in social situations with lots of background noise. They're apparently even available with remote control too.
Remote control sounds cool until the grandkids get a hold of it.
Well, thank you all. I knew virtually nothing except that the cost was painful. This is all good stuff that I'm sure will benefit me greatly.
I have several friends/family members who really like Kenwood Hearing Center on Central - they're in the business building complex next to Sears at Westgate. They speak very highly of Joyce at that location.
I just wanted to chime in to second the recommendation of the Kenwood Hearing Center. Joyce Kinker-Johnson is excellent at what she does; she's been my audiologist since I was a toddler. (I'm 32 now.)
Definitely take the time to visit an audiologist rather than just a hearing aid vendor. The devices do seem really expensive, but getting the right one can make the difference between continuing to miss out on life and experiencing life with an increased richness and level of participation. Every time I get a new set, there are a whole series of sounds that I realize I hadn't been able to hear before.
The technology is constantly evolving, and devices are completely different now than they were just 5 years ago. Many insurance companies still don't cover hearing aids, but I think many of us are hopeful that as Boomers age into hearing loss, more insurance companies will make that coverage part of a standard policy.
My mother in law surprised us all this past January and got her 90 yr old self over to Sears, got tested, paid only $4K for a set and she loves em. The only thing she didn't like about the transaction was that they wouldn't take her Discover card so that she could get credit towards more gift certs for clothes, lol.
and, please, don't wait. The Hub has an aunt who waited too long, thought she could get thru reading lips, and forgot how to hear by the time she got cochlear implants. :(
My mom goes to Kenwood Hearing on Central Ave. They are all very professional, competent, and kind.
I've read all the posts. I'm grateful for each and everyone. The Consumer Reports article certainly should be in hand when seeing an audiologist. It's the price that stands in my way. I don't feel that the benefits outweigh the costs at this time. Really, I think its a major rip off. I'm at the vanguard of the boomers. The "hearing instrument" companies must be just salivating at the number of new customers coming their way in the near future. I'm going to tough it out a while longer. So - Speak Up, Please.
I read somewhere that 63% of individuals who need hearing aids don't get them. After researching the issue as well as one can, I fully understand why. They are way, way, way overpriced, they dont work that well and you can't be guaranteed you'll get the right product. Its a lose, lose, lose situation. You might as well just learn to live with it.