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Hearing aids ?
Radar
Member Posts: 2,309 ✭✭✭
Thinking about getting hearing aids. I've been checked and they said I need both. What kind and brand do you guys use ? I checked out True Hearing and the upper mid range cost about $ 2,600.00 for a pair.
Comments
Oticon 10 grand 85% hearing loss
Please don't get them from a guy with a tent set up. Your money and hearing deserves a true audiologist.
I have the Phonak Marvel, both left and right. They seem to do really well…no squealing or any of that like my Dad’s used to do. I really like that they have Bluetooth connectivity and work with either Android or I-phone. It’s convenient to take calls through them, listen to music, or stream “white noise” from youtube, etc. (to counteract tinnitus). There is also an app that lets you change programs/settings for different environments, and control some of the other features. I don’t use the app much, though.
Mine are courtesy of Uncle Sam, so couldn’t tell you the exact price. I think, however, they were about $1700 each.
Good luck!
But it was a she and she was very cute😁
I have Phonak Audeo for my 3rd pair. Don't scrimp. There's a big difference in performance. These were listed at $6800 for the pair. However, there is a thing called VSP Tru-Hearing that my past employer signed up for. It's not insurance, but a kind of buying club. My audiologist matched their pricing, which was $4200, so they wouldn't have to give VSP a cut. Guarantee was the same but I only got free service & batteries for a year instead of 3. ($40 a year for batteries.) Now they're pushing rechargeable, but I stuck with batteries as they couldn't tell me what the charge would be to replace the batteries in a few years. They last 8+ years & I figure it's less then $2 a day, which is a deal to hear what's going on.
no help
my ears are terrible from working construction , firing off countless rounds of ammo and open header cars oh and loud music
I know I could / should get them many years ago I was told my hearing loss would not benefit from hearing aids but I know they have gotten many times better now its just a matter of $$ 😁
so for now not the best solution I use my wife as my hearing aid and just turn up the TV louder
one funny side note where I use to work they tested our hearing every year . for a few years I worked third shift and use to talk with the plant nurse at night some one in th ergroup always had some issue so I would have to follow up . any way one night I stopped by just after my hearing test a few days earlier and she had my file pulled looked at me than started doing sign language ( not real but I knew what she was doing ) I ask WTH she laughed said I am looking at your hearing test I thought it best to use sign language as you can't possibly hear me
You got screwed my friend. They should have gotten you hearing aids and took the measures to prevent further loss.
My story is similar, but got aids from workers comp.
at that time I ask why bother to test them I knew they would not do any thing they replied we still have to test them per the guidelines if getting worse
some years later a co-worker did get a set of hearing aids . I was totally shocked but happy for him too late for me safe your self
I knew they would say when I started my ears were bad and just ignored me I should have went up the ladder to get a response but let it go . I knew they were bad from the 13 years doing construction standing next to a ram hoe or running a jack hammer days on end when I started working construction 1st time I ran a jack hammer the next day i told my boss I could not hear nothing last night . should I be wearing ear plugs or something , un heard of then no one had or used any hearing protection ), his reply you will get use to it .. I was just a young fellow so just said OK but years later figured out translation was you will go deaf and wont hear it
Sadly,yes.
Toolman286 makes a really good point. Don’t get the rechargeable versions. I also opted for replaceable battery type. My audiologist advised against the rechargeables. Not only a longevity issue for the hearing aids, but also a convenience issue. Batteries bought in bulk on Amazon are cheap. You can tuck a few spares in your wallet, in your glove box, etc. and ensure you always have a fresh one when you need it. With the rechargeables, if you’re out and the hearing aids die, it’s back to yelling and improvised sign language until you get home. 😁
The counter argument is that rechargeables are much more water resistant. Battery aids can and do soak up moisture from your sweat and have to be dried out to prevent corrosion. Rain is a major issue, too.
My rechargeable aids last almost two full days on a single charge and the charging box has its own battery so I can get up to two full charges from it before it has to be plugged in again. That means I can go the better part of a week "off the grid" before I need to find an outlet.
mine are the resound rechargables from VA, not sure on price but I heard rumore about 3500 a pair, they also came with a little box you wire into your TV and the sound comes right to your aids, you can turn the volume off and still get volume through your hearing aids, these came with the hearing aids, at least through VA. as rocky said the box you recharge them in also hold a charge for 3-4 days on its own to recharge them without a wall outlet. if you also have bad eyes sometimes it can be a struggle to replace the batteries.
there is also a difference with the over ear, vs the in ear aids. My audiologist told me there were only a handfull of letters/sound frequencies I couldn't hear plainly and advised I get the over ear as they let more noise in the ear of the sounds I could hear, where the in ear aids blocked almost all the sounds and the aids amplified all of them.....
I'm fairly well satisfied with Miracle Ear. Custom adjusted to address my personal hearing loss. I think I'm due for an upgrade/replacement this year so getting one set up to connect directly to my phone so I don't have to deal with that pesky earbud which never stays in place.
I can give you my audiologist's advice. Great guy, extremely knowledgable. He told me if I wasn't going to put the "appliances" in my ears the first thing in the morning and wear them all day long for a minimum of 12 hours a day save my money and don't buy them. He said if you only wear them occasionally they are a total waste of money.
He also said to come in every 3 to 4 months to have them "tuned up". I do the regular tunings and wear them 14+ hours a day and I am very happy with mine. Tru hearing through Humana.
Here’s an alternative for you. My grandpa used to have hearing aids, but always hated them. Wouldn’t hardly ever wear them. Instead, my grandma (who also couldn’t hear much) kept a cardboard wrapping paper tube handy. They would sit in their recliners and one would hold the tube to their ear while the other one talked. Worked like a charm.
You have had years for your brain to adapt until being partly deaf is "normal". You'll can't unlearn that if you don't wear your hearing aids every day . It's that simple. No, you won't like them at first. Many things will be "too loud" like squeaky stairs, rustling paper, and -- believe it or not -- peeing in the toilet. But that's how they're SUPPOSED to sound. It is you that has changed, Bunkie, not the sounds.
Am on my 4th set, my audiologist is at Miracle-Ear. This pair cost me 5200 last year, 3 year warranty. Batteries are pretty cheap at Costco (didn't like rechargeables). My loss is "moderately severe". I have a "streamer" which transmits sound wirelessly from the tv so there is no sound in the room. Got an Apple iPhone with an app that does the same thing. Would hear very little without those gadgets. Be aware that programming the aid for your particular loss is important. Find an audiologist you can trust, for starters, to assess your loss & get recommendations from that info. Unprogrammed aids may make the sound louder but not necessarily clearer.
@Rocky Raab You're exactly right. It's a re-education process. I turn mine down part of the day so I can still hear, but "things" aren't annoyingly loud.
what all that stuff makes noise 😮
People that are to vane or to cheap to buy hearing aids or use other excuses to not get them are a real pain in the rear to their loved ones. People get tired of repeating everything 2 or 3 times and having to explain what other people are saying to them over and over again.
Just for the record, let’s remember that dropping $5K on a set of hearing aids can actually be a bit much for some folks, financially. Just saying…..
Mine cost me a 75 mile trip to be analyzed and another to fit and test the device. Up for an upgrade after 2 years and every 2 years forever(all free). I referred an acquaintance who bought the product and next time I was in the ME store, the franchiser handed me $50 bill.
I think I will try the Tru Hearing ones they are endorsed by my insurance (Blue Cross ) They are rechargeable, over the ear and programable for the higher tones that seem to be the worst for me and there is a free app for my phone so I can adjust vol. and ect. 3 year battery, 5 year device warranty and $ 2,600 for the pair. ( upper mid range on price ) I have 40 days to try them out. Thanks guys for the information.
Yep, but I'm not talking about people that can't afford them I'm talking about the ones that would rather run everybody in the family nuts just because they are to damn cheap to buy a pair. We've got one in our family that everybody walks out of the room when he comes in.
Got it…..my father-in-law. Tracking with you now. Ha!