My H, not quite 60 yet, finally saw an audiologist about his hearing issues. He was told that yes he does have some hearing loss (not mild, mid level?) and a prescription for hearing aid will be prescribed. I didn’t go to the appointment with him so his summary of the visit is a bit scant.
For background, he had shingles about 10 years ago with initial visible symptoms around his left side of the head/ear area. Since then he has had tinnitus and it has progressed to some decline in hearing. He did not see an audiologist when he should have in my opinion.
He was given resources about different types of hearing aids and was told to check what our insurance will cover. He has been researching online but has not yet talk to the insurance company. He said he’ll call insurance soon. In the meantime, I thought reaching out to you folks on CC may help me guide him gently. He’s not feeling great about wearing hearing aids (feeling old, a bit self conscious etc), but I think it will help him tremendously.
We do have good health insurance and already met our family deductible for the year. We also can afford expensive aids, but he wonders if he should start with inexpensive pair to see if it will help. After his initial internet research, he feels like he can’t wear the most minimal aid because his loss is not “mild.” He’s concerned about the over the ear kind because he wears glasses. I think not getting properly fitted aids for him will be even more discouraging in the long run. I want him to have a good experience and will see that the aids are truly beneficial.
Where should he get fitted for the proper hearing aid? I suggested that he starts with his audiologist. Are there particular brands that you recommend? I read on CC about Costco’s hearing aids that are good and priced well. What are the questions he should be considering as he starts this journey. I don’t have all the questions yet, so I may come back with more. Thanks!
There are excellent audiologists who fit hearing aids. That is my recommendation. It’s very possible that there are several kinds that would meet your husband’s needs. The audiologist will tease this out with him.
Check your insurance to see who is covered, of cost is an issue. Two good hearing aids will likely cost $5000…or so. Some insurance covers the aids and others do not. Some insurance will cover costs at selected vendors, but not elsewhere. So, you need to check.
There are plenty of people who wear both glasses AND hearing aids. This shouldn’t be a problem. He should wear his glasses to the hearing aid fitting. The new hearing aids are actually very small. The behind the ear part is really much smaller than older aids. Perhaps your husband is thinking about older aids he has seen (like with his parents, maybe)?
What will make him feel older? Not being able to hear others and engage in conversations, or wearing hearing aids that will help him? Most people don’t realize how much they have been missing until they get their hearing aids.
I want to add…there will be an “adjustment” period when he gets his aids. He needs to wear them every single day and I promise that he will adjust to their use if he does so. If he only wears them when he feels like it…he might never adjust to their use. So…wear everyday!
I’ve heard good things about Costco. But I don’t know what they do for the actual fitting of the aids. Perhaps someone who has experience can comment.
The fitting part is extremely important.
ETA…a good fitting audiologist will have your husband come back to check how things are going…and adjust or even change the aids if needed.
The newer aids are so small that really…no one will even know he has hearing aids unless he tells them.
My husband got his while he was still working. His insurance did not cover hearing aids but he was able to receive a grant from the bureau of rehabilitation services in our county.
There was no income limit, just that he be working and that hearing aids would help in his job.
He got that information from the audiologist, who’s part of the local ENT’s office, who helped him get the grant and do the paperwork
Your post is very helpful. I think he has a good audiologist; she is through our hospital system.
I think he’s just feeling self conscious because he doesn’t want anyone to notice him for wearing them. He’s a bit sensitive but he has to get over it soon after his pity party.
He has been missing out on things due to the hearing issue which he didn’t want to talk about for a long time!
Please go to an audiologist who does hearing aids. Please don’t go for the bargain. You want him to have hearing aids that are suitable for HIS hearing loss. The cheap over the counter aids you see advertised amplify everything. Well fitted, more expensive aids, will be frequency specific to your husband’s need, and have features like two microphones for distance and close up, and auto adjust when there is loud background noise.
Yes he still works. So if employees, health insurance won’t cover it? He said he’ll call the insurance company soon.
I don’t know if IL or our county has a grant program. I can look into it, though we can afford them. I think he’s trying to figure out how to avoid them as long as possible.
My husband got his from Costco and is EXTREMELY satisfied with the product and the onsite customer service. Saved him several thousand dollars by going this route. He adapted to them quicker than he expected, and is so happy to have them! The phone app that allows you to adjust them to varying situations is a game-changer for optimal results. And, I find them to be barely noticeable. Today’s options are not like the ones our grandparents had!
DH got his through Costco as well and is very happy with the aids themselves and the ongoing service. He uses the Bluetooth app all the time. It’s frustrating for me when he’s doing something on his phone and doesn’t hear me! He doesn’t have long hair and you’d really have to look to see if he is wearing them.
Thank you, @Embracethemess and @the_mom_1 about Costco’s products and services. I read in other resources about Costco’s hearings. We are long time members so checking them out there will be easy.
You put the aids in a case that is the charger every night when you take them off. AIDS can last a very long time (five years or longer) if you don’t do something like put them in the washer, or something like that. They might need to be adjusted, but that’s doable.
One great thing about Costco is you can return them with no problems and no deduction or cost. I think you have 6 months to be sure you like it. My spouse LOST his hearing aid so got a free replacement set (never found the list aids). They will give one free set if you lose it—for 1 year. Costco replaced 5 individual aids because dad lost a pair and my mom just lost one aid.
I worked in the music industry in my twenties and wrecked my hearing going to too many loud concerts. It wasn’t so bad I couldn’t manage, but when I moved to France, I finally decided I should take it more seriously so I would be better able to manage in a new language. What I discovered is that hearing aids can be really cool. Mine are by Phonak, they are rechargeable and they function in the same way as earbuds, so I can listen to music, do my Duolingo, etc. without bothering anybody. I could also talk on the phone and ask help from Siri using the devices, although I don’t. The sound quality is excellent. The are the over the ear type, as the ones that go in the ear seemed uncomfortable and overcomplicated, but they are not noticeable. I do wear glasses sometimes and don’t find it problematic. The audiologist was very helpful, but I did a lot of research online as well, as the technology is improving all the time and a lot of the choice comes down to personal preference. The thing to remember is that hearing continues to deteriorate if it is not corrected, so it is important to do this.
I’d expect “fitting” to involve taking a hearing test that will measure the magnitude of loss at different frequencies. The hearing aid will be tuned to correct loss at specific frequencies correlated to hearing loss. For best wearing experience, fitting would also involve taking a mold of ear, so the part the goes in to your ear can be build to exactly your ear shape. Fitting also involves tuning and adjustments based on your personal experiences using the hearing aid, including things like creating programs that fit with your specific use cases.
Any standard audiologist could do the fitting above, including ones at Costco. The first step is to see an audiologist, get the hearing tested and discuss what models are best options for your priorities. Independent audiologist markup is often ridiculously high on hearing aids, so you can have substantial savings if you don’t use an independent audiologist. For example, when I last bought hearing aids, prices for a comparable pair were something like $1.5k at Costco vs $3k - $4k at Sonus vs $5k -6k at independent audiologist. However, there are downsides to Costco as well. If insurance is covering the vast majority, I’d instead favor a highly recommended audiologist over Costco.
Choose the hearing aid you want as a trial, not a cheap one . Costco and any quality audiologist should support trying them out and issuing a 100% refund if not satisfied within x weeks/months (confirm specific return policy before paying). I’ve heard of some audiologists encouraging customers to try several hearing aids, only keeping the one they like best. Comfort using over the ear with wire is a valid concern and relatively common reason for returning. However, it’s far more common to wear glasses with over the ear hearing aid, without apparent discomfort. It depends on many factors, so it’s difficult to generalize. If it is uncomfortable, mention it to the audiologist.