A question for those who use hearing aids.

[LouAvul]

Who to consult for preliminary considerations? The guys at Costco? Or a licensed ENT? I seem to recall some specific hi-tech test for best results.

Which type hearing aid is best? In the ear canal? Outside?

Cons? Short battery life? Don't do the job?

My situation is I like the tv louder than my wife; can't always hear her; miss dialogue in Bible class at church; etc.

thanks

[LouAvul]

You mean, a primary care provider? Or an ENT?

[Larry Lucido]

:)

[DCPatriot]

I've got some top-of-the line hearing aids, but IMO, they're too sensitive.

Walking to my car one morning, I heard a man yelling at the sky...trouble was he was 300ft away.

Even my hands sliding on the steering wheel are a distraction.

[dfwgator]

Eh?

[Lazamataz]

My ENT diagnosed in about 15 minutes what my primary could not in months. I’ve got bad GERD.

[telescope115]

The cheapies I used to buy ($120) were like that. EVERYTHING was amplified, from the softest sound to the loudest. I was afraid they were causing more damage than helping. I bought a pair of Lexie hearing aids ($800).

Still not perfect but they’re not blowing up my eardrums. My hearing loss, I think, is more profound than what these aids can handle. Still, they’re better than nothing. They DO help.

[Larry Lucido]

[ne1410s]

I’ve had hearing aids for over 20 years. I’ve had Beltone, and many other brands and service providers. The current technology is fantastic compared to what I started with.

My recommendation is for Costco. The audiologists are very good and, importantly are paid a salary, not commission. Result is more trustworthy recommendations. Also, if you’re traveling and run into issues with your hearing aids you can walk into ANY Costco store and get service (huge benefit!).

I’ve got a Phillips brand. It’s behind the ear with rechargeable batteries. I bought a separate battery powered recharger/dehumidfier for portability and maintaining a longer life for the aids.

The hearing aids come with Bluetooth connectivity for playing audio music & podcasts and for phone calls. Performance is very good. The phone app gives you control of the volume and settings (general, speech in noise, HiFi music, T-Coil looping, etc). You can monitor the battery level. There is even a “Find my hearing aids” function that I’ve used multiple times.

I love my hearing aids!

[mad_as_he$$]

BKMK

[joe fonebone]

Everyone is different.
I bought a set of Sensley 02 aids from vivtone hearing.
They look like earbuds, you dont have to shove them in your ears and they have 4 levels of amplification. Plus, they have rechargable batteries

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Batteries are expensive and a pain, unless you go camping in a wilderness area or live in an area where power failures are frequent. Then they aren’t expensive so much. ;-)

[Dave911]

I use Oticon and love them. Go to a audiologist for the best testing and results. They can tune them just the way you need them.

[Mastador1]

Costco is good but they don’t take Medicare Advantage insurance, so unless you like paying everything out of pocket 🤷🏼‍♂️ As always do your research, if you have insurance see what they cover cost, brand and type.

[telescope115]

I can’t afford the really good hearing aids,I bought mine online from Lexie. I did a lot of research and went with the battery model (B1). These are ok, but I think my hearing loss is in need of better, more expensive aids.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I bought hearing aids for the same reason you are considering. I got them with a Medicare discount for $2500 dollars. The guy who fitted me is licensed and he ran me through a hearing test, and fitted the amplification to my measured hearing loss. I am probably about in the same boat as you.

Honestly, they do not much improve intelligibility of TV. I could hear crickets when my wife could not, so high frequency response is much better. They did not much improve intelligibility of most speakers. I can listen to AM radio (Howie Carr) without any problems without them.

I pretty much only use them when listening to TV with my wife, and they really do not help a lot. I would wear them to placate my wife. I do not enjoy TV much anyway.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Been wearing hearing aids 10 years now. I’m on the second pair. My hearing loss comes from shooting guns since I was 9, many years without hearing protection, and having both eardrums burst on military flights in the 1970s. (My hearing and that of a couple friends took a sudden dip a couple years ago after Covid Vaxx, but that may be a coincidence.)

My advice is go to an ENT specialist to be sure you don’t have any organic or medical problem that needs correction. Some ear problems, if ignored, can result in serious damage. I think that happened to Rush Limbaugh.

Meanwhile, if you just want to hear your wife better:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018342050

I’m out in the woods a lot and don’t want to lose a $5000 hearing aid on a vine somewhere. I keep several sets of these on hand, and they work fine for hearing my wife around the house, too. I get them when they have a sale, of course.

[MosesKnows]

One reason to get a hearing aid is a courtesy for those around you who you constantly have to ask to repeat what they said.

[PUGACHEV]

Yes, that’s it. They are great headphones, especially for use with an iPhone.

[Red Badger]

Seems strange for s cymbal company!...............

[Biblebelter]

Rich Bowlin is a You Tuber who does uploads on tech for seniors.

He has an excellent video on using Apple Pro Air pod 2’s for hearing aids.