What? Can't hear you!

[Jim]

So which are the ones to get? My mother has been struggling with this for far too long from Costco to local stores, etc. I'd like to get her something that works. Which one is it?

You need to get her to go to an audiologist. They take the results of her hearing test and upload it to the hearing aids that they feel will work best for her lifestyle. Then they fine-tune it from there.

Going it on your own "may" work, but I doubt it'll ever produce the kind of results that she will get from a professional. There is just so much good stuff happening with these "aids" it's just wonderful. Little things like using your cell phone in handsfree mode. Listening to music if you so desire. Watching videos and understanding what they say, and not bothering anyone else in the room. Just a bunch of little things and it all adds up to a more enjoyable life.

Oh, and you can hear better too!

 

[Neal]

Thanks - I think she's been down that path but I'll discuss with her. She just can't afford the "good stuff" with SS as her only income.

 

[sheridany]

@Neal try ziphearing.com. I have bought at least four pairs of hearing aids from them over the past ten years, and they are the best prices I have seen anywhere for the quality brands. They are aligned with audiologists around the country to do the hearing test, take a mold if needed, and make recommendations for the best brand to suit the patient. You pay them directly, and they are shipped to the audiologist, who will program them based on the hearing test results. I have sent a lot of people to them, and I have never had anyone have a bad experience. It is a 45-day trial to try them out.

 

[Neal]

I mentioned that one to her when it was mentioned early in this thread. I think she called and there was a location not far from us. I'll check with her to follow up on that and see what she found out.

 

[Headhunter]

So which are the ones to get? My mother has been struggling with this for far too long from Costco to local stores, etc. I'd like to get her something that works. Which one is it?

In my humble opinion, I have tried about 4 or 5 different brands, from Costco to independent audiologist My vote is for Miracle Ear. They have their own brand, Not cheap, but they were the only brand that lasted 5 years. It is also important to have an office where you can take your hearing aids to be cleaned and checked out, Miracle Ear does this at no charge every 4 months. Your hearing aids will get dirty with use. You have to change the mini filter and the ear bud that goes inside the ear canal every so often. Plus a three year warranty is a good thing, some company's only give one. And if you are very active, it is a good idea to take out insurance, in case you loose or damage a hearing aid.

I was cutting trees on my property once, cut a branch and it came back and whacked me in the face, poof the hearing aid went flying down a 30 foot embankment never to be seen again. That one cost me $700 to replace. I was working on a car, had the hood up, somehow my right hearing aid popped out while I was stretching under the hood. I slammed the hood on the hearing aid, all gone. But I had insurance on that one LOL. And of course every once in a while if they are very comfortable you will get in the shower or jump in the pool with them still in your ears. This is where water repellent or water proof comes in.

Phonak brand is very good, but they didn't last for me. Costco brand hearing aids are about half the price of what you pay at Miracle Ear, but you get what you pay for. With Costco you can call them to make an appointment and they are very helpful, but they have people waiting in line and usually it is a pain to wait around. Like I said my last Costco purchase I had been back three times, each time a 1.5 hr drive to Costco, and my hearing aids still don't work correctly. Thus back to Miracle Ear.

 

[sheridany]

One thing she might try if she has an iPhone or Android is a captioning app. Surprisingly, they work well. I use mine if I think it won't be easy to hear because of background noise you can get in Call Centers or accents. I use innocaption and it has worked well for those times I needed it. It can handle both inbound and outbound with call forwarding.

 

[House Husband]

I got the Phonak I90 hearing aids from the VA about a year ago. Still hard to understand the DW when driving the MH. Lady at the VA sent me a Roger ON for the DW to wear. It blue tooths her voice directly to my hearing aids and filters out the back ground noise. YES!, I like to hear the DW while driving.
When having lunch or dinner with friends, I set the Roger On in the middle of the table.

Richard

 

[Raydawg]

Finally admitted to myself that I need to seek professional assistance with my hearing. Years of unprotected firearms usage, workplace noises, and concerts in my younger years, all of which has contributed to me missing a lot of what people are saying. Plus, I’m tired of Trish asking me, “what’s that clicking sound?” lol.

So, I took a step in the right direction and scheduled a hearing examination with a specialist, and we’ll see what they have to say. Anyone else having problems with hearing high pitched sounds or in environments with background noise?

I was born with a severe hearing lost, this was years ago when they tested each year in grade school. I always took the note home and gave it to my parents who for whatever reason did nothing, youngest of five, they were most likely spent. Anyway I survived, learned to read the clues of communication, I play a bad arse game of poker I know what cards you hold just by your breathing pattern
Anyway, way into my years my wife had enough of yelling at me and repeating herself, so I got hearing aids, even tho I think they sure gouge people. I have moved up 3 times in getting better aids, more functions, etc.
What I can say is that you MUST use them DAILY to become proficient at learning to "block out" background noise, etc, just like normal hearing do in the same situation....

 

[Jim]

I’ve had mine for about a month now, and I’m really enjoying them.

I had lunch with some friends recently, and for the first time in over a year, I could actually understand almost everything Howard said. He speaks pretty softly, and I’ve always struggled to hear him, it was a real pleasure to follow along for once.

We also went to the movies the other day, I enjoyed that too! Turns out, understanding the dialogue really helps with the plot. Who knew?

I recently picked up a Phonak TV Connector, which links directly to the TV and streams the audio straight to my hearing aids via Bluetooth. It’s fantastic. I can watch TV at night without bothering Trish, or just enjoy shows without missing half of what’s being said.

I hardly ever use my phone the old-fashioned way anymore. It usually stays in my pocket or in the truck console, I answer calls through the hearing aids, which have built-in mics that transmit my voice back via Bluetooth. It’s a little strange for passengers when I suddenly start talking to what seems like nobody, but I’m used to the weird looks.

In the office, I use Google Voice, so my laptop routes the call audio right into the hearing aids, feels just like wearing a headset. So yeah, it’s safe to say I’m really enjoying this new toy. And hearing sounds I haven’t noticed in years? That’s pretty cool as well.

I do have to ask Trish to calm down sometimes because apparently she has gotten used to speaking loud to me, and it can be a bit irritating. But I’ll learn to live with that.

 

[Boat Bum]

I think I'm at the early stages, I've taken to using closed caption with sound on to fill in what I miss. For anything I want to enjoy watching or hearing it's over the ear headphones.

 

[Raydawg]

I’ve had mine for about a month now, and I’m really enjoying them.

I had lunch with some friends recently, and for the first time in over a year, I could actually understand almost everything Howard said. He speaks pretty softly, and I’ve always struggled to hear him, it was a real pleasure to follow along for once.

We also went to the movies the other day, I enjoyed that too! Turns out, understanding the dialogue really helps with the plot. Who knew?

I recently picked up a Phonak TV Connector, which links directly to the TV and streams the audio straight to my hearing aids via Bluetooth. It’s fantastic. I can watch TV at night without bothering Trish, or just enjoy shows without missing half of what’s being said.

I hardly ever use my phone the old-fashioned way anymore. It usually stays in my pocket or in the truck console, I answer calls through the hearing aids, which have built-in mics that transmit my voice back via Bluetooth. It’s a little strange for passengers when I suddenly start talking to what seems like nobody, but I’m used to the weird looks.

In the office, I use Google Voice, so my laptop routes the call audio right into the hearing aids, feels just like wearing a headset. So yeah, it’s safe to say I’m really enjoying this new toy. And hearing sounds I haven’t noticed in years? That’s pretty cool as well.

I do have to ask Trish to calm down sometimes because apparently she has gotten used to speaking loud to me, and it can be a bit irritating. But I’ll learn to live with that.

I know, huh...... I have a different brand that I control all its function through my phone, but I can still do it by clicking the small buttons on the aids. What I like about using my phone it shows a graph to what I am doing. They are researchable too, no more buying batteries that don't work.
My wife use to get bugged when I asked her to speak louder, now she gets bugged when I tell her she's YELLING....

 

[Jim]

I know, huh...... I have a different brand that I control all its function through my phone, but I can still do it by clicking the small buttons on the aids. What I like about using my phone it shows a graph to what I am doing. They are researchable too, no more buying batteries that don't work.
My wife use to get bugged when I asked her to speak louder, now she gets bugged when I tell her she's YELLING....

Yeah, clicking those small buttons are tough, especially if I'm wearing glasses, but I'm learning.

 

[Jim]

I think I'm at the early stages, I've taken to using closed caption with sound on to fill in what I miss. For anything I want to enjoy watching or hearing it's over the ear headphones.

Yep, that sounds like me, I did the exact same thing. And then we replaced Dish Network with a SuperBox and a VeeSee, neither of which have support closed captioning. So I was screwed in that respect. But just as well, I'm liking the improved hearing all around.