Hearing Aids - take me to school, please.

[Jumping Frog]

Alright, I just spent Thanksgiving weekend with extended family (six siblings and wives, plus 20-odd nieces and nephews) and realized I missed about half of what was being said.

I've already stopped in at Sams Club about a month ago for a free hearing test, and naturally they were trying to sell me $4,000 hearing aids.

I get the feeling that hearing aids can be a real benefit if you know what you are doing and purchase well, or they can be an overpriced scam if I get fleeced by the wrong outfit because I do not have basic knowledge.

I know I can't be the only middle-aged shooter that needs to come to grips with hearing loss, so can we discuss the subject in this thread. What kinds of hearing aids are available? What technologies/brands/models make sense? What kind of price ranges qualify as a "smart purchase" versus "getting fleeced"?

What is important for me to know that I am not even informed enough to know I need to ask the question?

Help!

[mojo84]

Please don't be insulted if you are younger. If you are of medicare age, some Medicare supplement plans have an excellent benefit for hearing aids. My mother in laws plan will provide three to five thousand dollars aids for several hundred dollars.

The main thing to remember, the smaller the more expensive and you have a real strong chance of getting fleeced. They charge way too much for aids. My mother in law has been taken to the cleaners in the past.

[CHLLady]

I have nothing to share on the subject that would help you, I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for taking the big step of admitting you have hearing loss. I've been telling my hubby for years he had hearing loss, but he refused to believe me, until it was officially told to him by a doctor.

I think you should start with your doctor and get a referral for a professional test. Something you can take with you to order to the exact specifications.

I wish you all the best!

[Crossfire]

Check out the NRA hearing benefits. I used them to get hearing aids for my mother.

http://nrahearingbenefits.com/?ORGANIZA ... =NRASEPT13" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Oldgringo]

Mine ($2k) came from Costco....in Kalispell, MT at a considerable savings over the 'hearing aid stores' and with a 3 year guarantee. Not all Costco's have hearing aid centers, check 'em out.

[Blindref757]

My wife has been nagging me about it too. Funny thing...I took two tests online tonight. One test by a company that sells hearing aids, and one by an independent lab. I went 1-1 in those tests...you'll never guess which one I failed!!! :-)

[Oldgringo]

People with hearing loss sometime tend to talk louder than they realize. We had Communion in church today. After we had been served and returned to our pew, I "whispered" to my wife that we should get some of that bread. She told me to shut up, everybody in church could hear me. It was good bread.

[rwg3]

PM sent

[WildBill]

I have nothing to share on the subject that would help you, I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for taking the big step of admitting you have hearing loss. I've been telling my hubby for years he had hearing loss, but he refused to believe me, until it was officially told to him by a doctor.

I think you should start with your doctor and get a referral for a professional test. Something you can take with you to order to the exact specifications.

I wish you all the best!

The high price of hearing aids really makes me angry. I can't imagine that they have any technology that justifies that kind of price. IMO the iPhone is thousands of times more complex than the electronics in a hearing aid.

[Oldgringo]

I have nothing to share on the subject that would help you, I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for taking the big step of admitting you have hearing loss. I've been telling my hubby for years he had hearing loss, but he refused to believe me, until it was officially told to him by a doctor.

I think you should start with your doctor and get a referral for a professional test. Something you can take with you to order to the exact specifications.

I wish you all the best!

The high price of hearing aids really makes me angry. I can't imagine that they have any technology that justifies that kind of price. IMO the iPhone is thousands of times more complex than the electronics in a hearing aid. I think that companies jack the price up knowing that insurance companies will pick up some of the bill.

Medicare does not cover hearing aids; subsequently, our supplemental insurance does not cover hearing aids. It is an out of pocket expense.....or huh?

[Oldgringo]

PM sent

to whom?

[n5wd]

The high price of hearing aids really makes me angry. I can't imagine that they have any technology that justifies that kind of price. IMO the iPhone is thousands of times more complex than the electronics in a hearing aid. I think that companies jack the price up knowing that insurance companies will pick up some of the bill.

The hearing aid industry is second only to NASA and the USGovernment in the use of DSP (digital signal processing) techniques and chipsets. It's really amazing the amount of audio processing power that can go into that tiny, hide-it-in-your-ear hearing aid. Take a look at Texas Instrument's webpages -they used to feature how their DSP integrated circuits were being used in medical (including hearing aid) devices.

Whether or not it has a value to you, though, is of course something you can decide, but it's not your Granny's church hearing receiver (did they used to have those things built into some of the pews, where older folk could hold the little speaker up to their ear to hear the sermon?).

[WildBill]

The high price of hearing aids really makes me angry. I can't imagine that they have any technology that justifies that kind of price. IMO the iPhone is thousands of times more complex than the electronics in a hearing aid. I think that companies jack the price up knowing that insurance companies will pick up some of the bill.

The hearing aid industry is second only to NASA and the USGovernment in the use of DSP (digital signal processing) techniques and chipsets. It's really amazing the amount of audio processing power that can go into that tiny, hide-it-in-your-ear hearing aid. Take a look at Texas Instrument's webpages -they used to feature how their DSP integrated circuits were being used in medical (including hearing aid) devices.

Whether or not it has a value to you, though, is of course something you can decide, but it's not your Granny's church hearing receiver (did they used to have those things built into some of the pews, where older folk could hold the little speaker up to their ear to hear the sermon?).

Thanks. I had no idea that this technology was so advanced. It doesn't have much value to me since, I don't need a hearing aid. To those who do, it is quite valuable.

A link to a website that uses TI DSP Technology:

Digital technology is typically found in hearing aids costing $2,000 to $3,000 each. Songbird Digital has a suggested retail price of $79 per hearing aid, and lasts 70 days when used 10 hours per day.
I think that this is a step in the right direction. Maybe this is a good place for Jumping Frog to start looking.
http://www.audiologyonline.com/releases ... joins-6272" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.songbirdhearing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LabRat]

I have hearing aids; just got them about 5 months ago.

My insurance specifically does not cover hearing aids, but will contribute to cochlear implants if prescribed.

I didn't think I needed hearing aids, but I found I was missing about 50% of everything that was said. I struggled in meetings with multiple persons or in a background-noisy environments such as restaurants, family gatherings, etc.

It was to the point of interfering with my job and was hindering my performance, specifically in meetings.
You know how companies are these days; it's tough to begin with; not being able to keep up can make it tougher.

I when thru DARS (Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services) http://www.dars.state.tx.us/
They were very nice and helped me get through the paperwork, appointments and fittings that are required.
There are offices across Texas; could be one near you.

I suggest you give them a call and see if they can help you.
Since they are a government agency, the wheels turn slowly, but they do turn eventually.
It's based on need, so they might be able to help with all or some of the cost.
And the cost can be prohibitive; hence this thread.

The hearing aid program is funded by one of the taxes when you pay either your landline and mobile phone bill. So you've already paid into the funding. It's not like you're getting something for free.
I'm a bit prideful and didn't want to go to the government for money, but when they explained that I've already been paying into the program, I felt a little better about accepting the assistance.

Hearing aids are not difficult to use, if you have them properly programmed and fitted.
Mine are over-the-ear, pretty small and do make a huge difference. I hear much better and I don't feel left out like before.
Keeping on top of discussions in meetings is now much easier. My job is now easier to keep up with. I'm back to my expected excellent performance reviews.

The ones I have are made by a company called Phonak.

Hope this helps.

LabRat

[WildBill]

This has been an education for me.