Hearing aids?

[drobertson]

I was able to go south and visit dad for the last week, while watching a bowl game with the extended family the ole timers were comparing hearing aids.  I had no idea that the cost was so high, but anyway after the bragging was over ;D  and we got home I asked dad if I could try his.  Let it be known I've never in recent history had a hearing test, but knew that there is some loss in hearing.
After dealing with dad and my wife jerking my chain and enjoying it, I stepped outside, and now I'm a believer, I heard the night bugs of S.C. for the first time in years.  Just wondering if there are many folks that have hearing aids and if the price has to be so high for good results?    david

[beenthere]

Just wondering if there are many folks that have hearing aids and if the price has to be so high for good results?

"so high" as what? 

[Onthesauk]

If you are a veteran, glasses and hearing aids are one of the things the VA will provide at no cost.  Bit of a chore to go through the paper work but at least in the cases of hearing aids it's quite a savings.

Had a friend two days ago who had an exam and estimate at Costco.  Just over $1,800 a pair.

[Dan_Shade]

what?

I think I have some hearing loss, but I'm not old enough for hearing aids....  :)

[Southside]

My dad got a pair last year, some new style. $8,000.

[LeeB]

There is a pretty wide range of prices depending on the type and style of aid you get. Service package also makes a big difference. The providers also have a lot of wiggle room on the price. My last pair lists for $8k and change. Negotiated down to $6k. This is for a pretty fancy in the ear model. Behind the ear models can be had for much less, again dependent on style and options. Please don't think you are too young to need them. You are only cheating yourself out of contact with the world around you and the people you know.

[goose63]

I got mine from the V A I did not know a news paper made so much noise  :new_year:

[drobertson]

Dads were around 3400 a pair, Harold's were right at 5K,  I just never knew they were this expensive, and I agree with LeeB, if they can be bought there's no reason to think we are too young,  I knew I was missing the sounds of the woods, just didn't know how much I was missing. 

[sawguy21]

After getting flak at work and from my wife over my loud voice, I went for a hearing test. Turns out I had some loss largely in one ear due to a previous sinus infection. The first pair I had were merely amplifiers, they turned up the volume but didn't filter the noise. They were uncomfortable and sounded tinny. They also were not covered by WorkSafe which I didn't find out until after I bought them for $1500. I wasn't happy with the hearing center, they should have known this.
I got a pair of hearing aids, there is a difference, which were covered. That's a good thing at 3500 bucks. Huge improvement, I can now hear lower frequency sounds that I was missing. I can also adjust them to filter out background noise in loud environments. High frequency sounds like our one dog's yip hurt, I make sure they come out before entering the house after work.

[cinnabar]

When I lost my hearing 3 years ago I tried 4 different types of aids.  It took almost a year to get it right.  The audiologist worked hard to find the right fit for my type of loss.   Cost was around 5K.  Next ones I get will not have half the features I have now.  The loss I have is not "old age" so just pumping up the volume is no answer. 
I have sudden loss in both ears (SSNL).  Can't hear music or most mid range sounds well, lots of distortion, tinnitius and hypercaucus.  Lost my hearing in 45 min. and was wearing ear protection at the time.(rifle range) I was back for a recheck with the Doc last week and have lost 10 points in voice recognition since my last test.  There is no fix for me, so I protect what I still have.  I don't run the paper shredder or stand mixer without my muffs on!
"When you lose your sight, you lose touch with things, when you lose your hearing you lose touch with people." Helen Keller

[Magicman]

 

 
Here are mine that I got last year.  They are computer tuned to amplify the frequencies that I do not hear well.  Many of these frequencies were preventing me from understanding speech.  It has a Bluetooth option where I could answer my cell phone but I did not want to have to carry the the little remote thingy.  I have three different hearing/sound environments that I can select.  They were $4K+.

[Bru]

Mine look similar to the ones above, but are older and do not have the Bluetooth. They are "tuned" to my specific hearing loss ("artillery ears" from crewing a 105 howitzer, plus small arms). Mine were only about $2500 for the pair. And no, the VA didn't pay a dime. Your mileage may vary, depending on your military postings.

[luvmexfood]

My father was totally without hearing unless he had his in. When he was in the hospital last time before his death they lost his. Took him in an ambulance to the ENT place to get a new one. He was in such bad shape he could not even stay concious for a test.

The older staff remembered him well from many years of being a patient. Just had them order the strongest beltone they could get which pretty much went along with what the audiologist said to get based on 20 plus years of seeing him. He passed the morning it came in. Does anyone know of a place that purchases used hearing aids? Tried donating them to a free clinic but no takers.

[valley ranch]

Wifey says I'm as deaf as a post she bought those Lee Majors hearing aids, they were only about $50. They work well but I forget to put it in most of the time.

[21incher]

I have been wearing them since 1995. I was told that I have a calcium build up on the three little bones in my ears and they do not conduct the sound properly. The last set I purchased in 1999 is a in the ear analog type that was custom made by Starkey with a couple of extra DB added to make them last longer. The total cost back then was $1600.00 for the pair. I can't believe they have lasted 16 years, but now they are starting to act up and need to be replaced. It sounds like a new pair will cost at least twice what my last pair cost because no one offers the analog type anymore so I must switch to digital which seem to be less reliable from what I am reading. I wish Obamacare had done something to help with the cost of hearing aids as my insurance company will not pay a penny where they would pay for 50k of operations to replace the bones which may solve the problems with my hearing if sucessfull. Once you get them you will find out How much you are missing.

[valley ranch]

Just came back by this thread, and was reminded, so I put in the aid.

This one as I mentioned was $50 ~ are the very expensive ones so much better that they are necessary?

[Hilltop366]

I have a uncle in Arizona that has hearing aids, I'm pretty sure he took a little vacation to Mexico to get his a a much reduced cost.

[LeeB]

I paid $6k for my last pair. Was not happy with them after several attempts to make them right. They scrapped them and made me a new pair. I walk in any time I want with no appointment and get good service for the life of the hearing aids. My old pair is 7 years plus and I still get the same service for them. Not all of the cost is for the aids themselves. For $50 you get amplifiers across all wavelengths of sound. You may be doing more damage than good.

[21incher]

Last week they opened up a new Costco near me. My old hearing aids have been acting up lately so I got a appointment for today. They gave me the best hearing test I have ever had, then loaded up a demo set of aids with my test results and let me walk around the store with then for a hour to test them in real world conditions. They spent 2 hours with me testing and setting up the demos and ran out of time due to other appointments. They then set up another 4 hour appointment for me in 2 weeks to demo two more different brands of aids so I can see which ones work best for me before buying them. What a difference going from 16 year old 1 channel analog aids to the latest 4 core processor 42 channel digital aids that talk to each other. They do all this for free with no commitment and their aids are at least 50% lower cost then anyone else in my area with a longer warranty including loss and damage. So far I am impressed with their service and would recommend them as a good place to start if you have problems hearing your loved ones and want to see if hearing aids would help you with no cost or commitment required.

[WV Sawmiller]

Got several hearing aid related jokes a while back. See below:

Man was having trouble with his hearing aids so went to see his doctor. Replaced with new model and man could hear perfectly. Dr. saw him several weeks later and asked patient what his family thought about his corrected hearing. Man told him "I haven't told them. I have changed my will 3 times in last 2 weeks though."

Dr. saw elderly patient and he had a hot young lady friend and they were having a blast. Dr. told the man he looked like he was having a good time. Patient said "I'm just following your advice." Dr. asked what he meant. Man said "Remember at the last visit you told me to have a hot mama and be cheerful?" Dr. Said " Come by next week and we'll check your hearing again. What I said was 'You have a heart murmur and be careful'."

[21incher]

Well I was way overdue for new hearing  aids and got tested again at Costco.  60% loss in the left ear and 90% in the right. Really was losing word recognition and having a hard time understanding women with soft voices and the tv.  Before Thanksgiving I got tested and ordered a new set of the Jabra enhance pro 200 with custom earmolds plus a remote  microphone for my wife to wear in noisy conditions.  Well technology has really advanced in the last couple years and they have the latest Bluetooth le audio and auracast connectivity that will soon replace the telecoil in public places like airports to clearly stream broadcasting directly  into  the aids for clear sounds. They also remap the lost  frequencies to areas you can hear in giving unbelievable results in speech recognition.  All for under 2k. Rechargeable and sealed so they are water resistant along with a fantastic app for the phone. I have an android phone and have to answer the phone manually but with an I phone you just tap the aid with a finger  to answer your phone. I recommend anyone that has hearing problems see an ENT specialist or at minimum get a test and demo at Costco or dispenser of your choice to see what you're missing.

[Dan_Shade]

I have a set of widex resounds, I've had them for almost 7 years, I recently replaced the receiver wires on them.  I'm hoping for an additional 7 years...

The costs seem to be coming down and the bluetooth would be nice to have.

[21incher]

I have a set of widex resounds, I've had them for almost 7 years, I recently replaced the receiver wires on them.  I'm hoping for an additional 7 years...

The costs seem to be coming down and the bluetooth would be nice to have.

My Rextons were almost 8 years old but didn't have the ability to improve speech recognition and couldn't  be pumped up anymore. Plus manufacturers support had ended.  The new Jabras are the first models available with the Le audio Bluetooth that uses very little  power and compresses the sound better without degrading it for the best sounding Bluetooth yet.   The Auracast is awesome  technology that will make things like earbuds sound better and allow broadcasting a shared stream of high quality  sound in public places and from things like TVs that aren't affected by background noise. This will eventually force all audio Bluetooth away from proprietary versions and reduce power consumption of devices.  Android devices  are lagging behind implementing le audio so I probably will have to upgrade to an IPhone to gain all the benefits.   

[Dan_Shade]

@21incher

You'll have to check back in with us to report on the status of your "selective hearing" with your wife having a dedicated microphone.

:D

[Magicman]

I ain't fallin' for dat trap.