My mother got hearing aids about two years ago at Costco, they really have not ever worked. She had a few adjustments, but most times when she goes in, the girls clean them and tell her not every one gets that much help from them. She feels very dismissed and ignored by them. Really weird for Costco, I generally expect amazing customer service there, but am not happy with the hearing aid department at our local Costco.
I took her to an ENT associated hearing clinic, she is trying a sample set which would be $2500 (EACH!) if she chooses them. That seems way to high. Is there any type of place besides Costco which has good discount pricing?
The hearing aids are the kind you wear behind your ear and have a little piece that goes into the canal. They said the prior aids are the kind with holes in the cone, which vents nicely, but which lets a lot of sound out. So far she is hearing much better with the sample pair, but does not want to pay $5,000.
Firstly, I would see if Costco would return the hearing aids. She’s not happy and I would try and get a refund on them. Costco usually has a very generous return policy.
The cost may depend on the severity of her hearing loss, hence the high cost.
My H has hearing aids, they costs $3000, my mom’s were around the same. My fil has very severe hearing loss, I would suspect that his are in the $5000 range.
Is there another hearing center associated with another ENT? It wouldn’t hurt to get another opinion.
I am biased as my bil is an ENT. But I think a center associated with a doctor office would be a bit better than Costco or another center. Just because a doctor would get rid of a center with his name behind it, if it wasn’t working, as he/she would not want complaints associated with their name. At least that is what my bil thinks, his reputation is important to him.
I would try to find a hospital with an audiology center. They would probably give you better service and the hearing aids should be cheaper. You would also get to try out different kinds of aids until you find one that you like and then you have a trial period to see if you are genuinely happy with your selection. (You’d have to have a hearing test first, however). Nowadays, hearing aids are digital, which means that the audiologist hooks the aid up to the computer and does the tuning that way until you are happy with what you hear. My hearing aids run about $1500 each but they are the behind-the-ear ones and I got the lower-end model because that was the best for me. After 50-plus years of buying hearing aids, I would not suggest going to Costco or to a stand-alone hearing aid store. In fact, I would not be caught dead in those places.
Also, I’ve noticed that older adults who get hearing aids have the worst time adjusting so it is crucial that you find a very understanding audiologist. She may always have problems hearing in noisy places or with background noise and there might not be much that can be done about that.
Oh, simply cleaning hearing aids won’t work! True audiologists know their stuff; they will sit you down, take your hearing aid, listen to it to see if they can detect a problem. If the hearing aid checks out okay, they will hook you up to a computer and fine-tune your hearing aid . Also, I don’t remember how long the warranty is but if it’s covered, they will send it to the lab to be fixed. My hearing aid went bonkers after about 10 years; they sent it to be adjusted and I got it back in 3 days. Sometimes filters need replacing. Ear molds sometimes need replacing; I get mine replaced at least once a year. Ear tubes sometimes need replacing but that’s a very easy fix. I guess my point is, you are not getting the services you should be getting from Costco.
I take my mom to an audiologist. He was recommended by her ENT, a long-time family friend and neighbor. After his name are the letters Au.D, and it says he is a Doctor of Audiology. He and his staff take good care of mom and are always willing to help adjust and clean her hearing aids. I will sometimes just take the hearing aids in and have them adjusted/cleaned without mom along, as it is very difficult to take her places now. We clean them weekly, change the batteries often, and also change the microphones (they are tiny!) monthly. This is her second set of hearing aids. Her first set lasted about fifteen years. The current set cost about $6000. They are worth every penny.
Good luck! I hope you find something that works well for your mom, somemom.
Another option might be to go to a different Costco. The staff is different at each one, so you may have better success at a different Costco store location.
Your mother should,have her hearing evaluated by an audiologist. A licensed audiologist with American Soeech and Hearing Association certification as well. An audiologist will be able to identify the type of hearing loss, and IF there is a type of hearing aid that will benefit your mom.
There are times when no hearing aid will make a difference.
$2000 or so per aid sounds about right in terms of cost to me.
Go to an audiologist. My HA cost 5,800. I feel like mine is on call practically, she gets me in very quickly. If I’m still in warranty, which is 2 years, she’ll send them back and often will receive a new pair. They are expensive because the pair probably work wirelessly together to give her speech in noise, and other bells and whistles so important to us with hearing loss. I even use a streamer for the TV that is wonderful