topic Re: Question re Hearing Aids in Wellness

Question re Hearing Aids

dulwich — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 17:34:11 GMT

Over the Holidays at various gatherings I met 4 people who, when introduced, were prefaced with - ‘speak up she’s bit deaf’, or ‘talk in his left ear’ etc. etc.

Just wondering are hearing aids hard to use? None of the people I met used them or wanted to.

Thankfully I do not need them but I realized after a while conversations around them go back to ‘normal’ level and they then are not part of the group anymore as people moved around some forgot to speak up, etc.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

kaydee50 — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:18:28 GMT

My mother, may she rest in peace, was hard of hearing. She did have a hearing aid but she got frustrated with it, e.g, batteries needed to be replaced fairly frequently, so she missed out on a lot of what was going on around her. IMO, contributed to her dementia.

Maybe hearing aids have improved, become easier to use but I'm sure at a price which, IMO, would be worth it.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

nana59 — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:13:57 GMT

some people just don't want to use them...my father was one of those people....or maybe some people just can't afford them....they can be very expensive.....

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

CLHS68 — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:18:49 GMT

They are expensive. I have not had a problem with batteries. Mine last 7 -8 days. Batteries are not very expensive. I have noticed such a difference with mine. I only have an aide in one ear as the other was to bad nothing will help it. I think people do not understand hearing loss. The people look normal but are missing most of the conversation.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

I am still oxox — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:22:33 GMT

I had a trial pair last year and I did not wear them enogh to get used to them, my insurance is changing so I will get back double the amount and I will persue them again in early 2020

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

dulwich — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 18:32:51 GMT

@CLHS68 I so agree with your comment as after the initial greeting and brief conversations these guests seemed to be kind of left out as obviously they could not hear most of the chatter going on around them. It must be very hard.

You can tell by people’s eyes when they are not ‘getting’ the conversation.

My DH, not deaf, but very Brit accent chats away to people and I see their eyes glaze over as they have not understood a word he is saying! We are very used to this so I guess people hard of hearing know this too.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

ALRATIBA — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 19:01:36 GMT

I've worn hearing aids for 15 years. The biggest problem was gettng used to how noisy everythng was.

I was still working at the time - and there was really no issues with them. Technology has developed and the ones I have now (3rd pair) and fantastic. Programmable for various environments. I can adjust volume and switch programs easily.

My only advice is don't go bargain hunting on your hearing aids (or eye glasses!).

ETA: I see my audiologist every 3 months. He checks the devices and gives me a supply of batteries for the next three months .... all free of charge. Service included in price of hearing aids. Same audiologist for the past 15 years .... same service.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

Carmie — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 20:49:32 GMT

I come from a family of a lot of hearing impaired individuals. Hearing aids work some people and for others they don't work at all.

My mother was almost completely deaf and she did wear a hearing aid in one ear and it Helped, but not well. The other ear couldn't be helped. She could read lips and feel vibrations. If you opened her bedroom door, she couldn't hear, but she could feel it.

I am adding that my mother said she would rather be blind, than deaf. She said she missed out on a lot of life because of her disability she was born with.

My older sister is deaf in one ear and has several surgeries...which didn't work. She can only hear in one ear and you have to be on that side of her or she can't hear you very well at all.

My father never wore hearing aids and was in denial about his hearing loss. He really talked loud and you had to scream for him to hear you.

My younger brother has hearing loss, but will not wear hearing aids either. He also talks loud and you have to yell or whe doesn't hear you.

My DH was in denial for years. He now wears aids in both ears and they work. He needs a new battery around every 36 hours and removes the aids and battery when he sleeps. His hearing aid actually tells him " battery is low" when he needs a new one.

Some hearing aids make all noises loud, including those we only hear in the background. Those noises drive people crazy, especially in a crowed area with a lot of people. For this reason, many people can't wear them.

Over the years, I think aids have improved, but there are many different types of hearing loss and they don't work for everyone.

Some are extremely expensive and not everyone who needs one can afford one.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

chlema — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 00:22:36 GMT

I've worn hearing aids for over a year now. I got them because I was tired of asking people "what" all the time. Wear them in both ears and no, did not have any problems getting used to them, thank goodness. Purchased them at Cosco for around $1,600 for the pair. I wear them all the time (except for sleeping of course) and the batteries last about a week. Batteries are inexpensive, a card lasts for 6 months and are priced at around $8 or $9 a card. Needless to say I'm very happy with them.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

1Snickers — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 01:17:18 GMT

WHAT!?...Even with my hearing aid, that's what I would be saying in a crowd. Mine has a "party" Chanel that cuts out background noise a bit. Problem is, then people sound like they are in a barrel. If I turn them up everything sounds loud so I assume I have to talk louder. Then, I'll told "shush, quieter". So, I don't talk much.
I have to be certain their conversation has paused before I talk.

I read lips some but it's very hard to have a conversation. My friends know this and will tell me if it's something really important. Usually.
The hearing aides help but the sound isn't like your real ears.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

AuntG — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 02:47:10 GMT

My DH got some this year. They definitely help. Batteries last about eight days. He said those commercials that say hearing aids will change your life are highly exaggerated, but is thankful he got them.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

Sunshine Kate — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 02:54:32 GMT

@chlema wrote:
I've worn hearing aids for over a year now. I got them because I was tired of asking people "what" all the time. Wear them in both ears and no, did not have any problems getting used to them, thank goodness. Purchased them at Cosco for around $1,600 for the pair. I wear them all the time (except for sleeping of course) and the batteries last about a week. Batteries are inexpensive, a card lasts for 6 months and are priced at around $8 or $9 a card. Needless to say I'm very happy with them.

@chlema I need to get my mom hearing aids or at least check into it.

I've heard Costco is a good place.

Do you know about how long 2 hearing aids for $1600 should last? (One year, five years?)

Thanks

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

RedTop — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 03:13:57 GMT

My husband has worn hearing aids for over 5 years, and has top of the line digital devices.

The hearing aids do help him hear better than he could hear on his own, but he hates to be in a crowd where multiple people are talking at the same time. I often see him adjusting the hearing aids to tune out the loudest, overpowering voices. One on one he is fine, but his clarity is compromised in a group situation.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

panda1234 — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 08:57:34 GMT

@RedTop wrote:
My husband has worn hearing aids for over 5 years, and has top of the line digital devices.

The hearing aids do help him hear better than he could hear on his own, but he hates to be in a crowd where multiple people are talking at the same time. I often see him adjusting the hearing aids to tune out the loudest, overpowering voices. One on one he is fine, but his clarity is compromised in a group situation.

@RedTop Same here. In a crowd all of the voices just mesh together, it can be better not to have them in.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

shoesnbags — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 19:17:48 GMT

I’ve had my hearing aids for not quite a month at this point. They felt like my own hearing, but better, from Day 1.

I had put off looking into aids partly because of other people’s dissatisfaction with their hearing aids. Also, on audiology tests my hearing isn’t that bad, just “borderline.” But in reality, I was struggling to catch what people were saying. If someone had an accent, forget it. (I caught about every fifth or sixth word in my Irish priest’s sermons.)

Now I’m so glad that I took the plunge! Technology has come a long way, and these newer digital hearing aids are amazing. I went with the top of the line, because I wanted to get the best hearing experience possible. Not only am I happy, but my husband and son are, too, because I’m not asking them to repeat themselves.

In my opinion, hearing aids are expensive, but worth every penny. If they don’t help significantly, return them immediately and try another kind. In my state there is a one month grace period to return and get a full refund, except for the fitting fee, which for me was $150. I purchased through my ENT’s audiology department.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

chlema — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 00:52:44 GMT

@Sunshine Kate You know I never asked the Costco rep about the life of my aids. I've had them for about 18 months now and the only problem I had was some wax got stuck in the center thingie which I cleaned out myself with a litttle tool they came with. Easy to do. I do use a dehumidifier device each night which they did highly recommend. Cost about $40 or so.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

Sunshine Kate — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 02:30:39 GMT

@chlema wrote:
@Sunshine Kate You know I never asked the Costco rep about the life of my aids. I've had them for about 18 months now and the only problem I had was some wax got stuck in the center thingie which I cleaned out myself with a litttle tool they came with. Easy to do. I do use a dehumidifier device each night which they did highly recommend. Cost about $40 or so.

Thanks for the response, @chlema

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

arizele — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 02:50:14 GMT

Exactly what Alratiba said. My husband has to wear them due to a military disability (21 years of flying fighter aircraft...jet engine noise) He gets them for free from the VA. He has the latest ones and gets new ones every 3 years. He tells me it amplifies the noise too much. Sometimes quiet noises sound so loud and no matter what mode he puts them in it's way too loud. Sometimes there is feedback. Crowds, parties and restaurants are the worst for him. If he didn't get them from the VA the type he wears would be $7000. Lots of people cant afford them. They are not covered by insurance. TV watching and movies are difficult due to loud background music. It really causes people to withdraw and can contribute to dementia. Please understand and be kind to those going through this.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

Boehm Collector — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 13:49:26 GMT

@dulwich .... my Mom was hard of hearing. I fought with her for the longest time about getting hearing aids. Once she finally got them.. at the age of 81.... she loved them. She was sorry she waited so long before getting them. She had absolutely no problem inserting them into her ears.

Re: Question re Hearing Aids

LonestarBabs — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 03:44:55 GMT

My mother has two sets: 1 really expensive digitally tuned/customized via audiologist set for her specific range of hearing loss, and 1 pair I purchased from Amazon at about $120 that are rechargeable without those little batteries. She won't wear either pair -- says she doesn't like to hear her own voice, doesn't want to hear my voice, it's too much trouble, you name the excuses. So I have to yell, repeat myself and she can't understand anyone without reading their lips. I got her a set of TV Ears for her TV and she loves using those, but sometimes I catch her just reading the closed-captioning and not bothering with her TV Ears. I give up. Done all I can. It's a shame that there are ways to improve her quality of life but she has no interest in taking advantage of them. There is no reasoning with her, since she also has dementia. Even before her dementia diagnosis she wouldn't wear them.