Hearing Aids - Need Advice

[jyl]

Not for me, for my 86 y/o dad. He is pretty deaf in one ear and doesn't hear well from the other. His poor hearing makes it difficult to have conversations with him, get his attention, talk on the phone. He avoids social gatherings, partly due to his hearing but also due to other personality/mental issues (bipolar, depressed, some mental confusion, etc).

He had a couple pairs of hearing aids, some his and some my late grandmothers', but lost them all. I'm trying to persuade him to get new hearing aids. I've tried explaining that poor hearing is dangerous (especially since I'm trying to get him to walk more, and he's often distracted/head in the clouds already) and makes it hard for him to join in activities.

He doesn't seem too interested, partly due to cost (though he has the money), partly inertia, partly I just don't think he cares. On the last point, my observation is that when some people get old, they don't really care about being unable to hear, because other people do the work of communicating with them, and they don't realize how socially isolating it becomes.

I did get him an iPhone this weekend, so that he can communicate by text. He's learning how to use it, a little better than I feared.

So:
- Where do you get hearing aids at a reasonable price? I see them for $3,000 and for $100. I see traditional audiologist devices and new-fangled models that see more tech-y. I even see hearing aids that supposedly work with iPhones, though I don't understand what that means.
- How have you convinced older, not very compliant people, to get and use hearing aids?

My own hearing seems okay, BTW. I didn't go to loud concerts or operate loud machinery as a young man, and always used hearing protection when shooting. But at 56 y/o I do notice it is harder to have a conversation over certain kinds of music - like when the kids are playing rap in the car.

[pavulon]

Can’t help with the hearing aids but some older people can get a cerumen impaction that can go unrecognized for longer than many would believe. As you can imagine, having an ear canal plugged with old wax buildup causes problems. Just a thought if your dad avoids healthcare too.

[Bugsinrugs]

I sound like your father. I’ve always had a hearing impairment but loud rock and roll has taken its toll. I am exploring Costco hearing aids. They aren’t the newest technology but their prices are very tempting.

[dennis in se pa]

MDHearingaids.com. I have em, like em. You get a free trial of an actual working pair and they are 700-800 a pair. They have various settings for different frequency hearing loss! No need to spend $6000!

[Bill Douglas]

I THINK YOU NEED TO TAlk to an audiologist and have him tested and matched to the right hearing aids. It depends what sort of and which pitch his hearing loss is at. Sorry it's more complicated than just making it louder. And if it's not right he will give them up in frustration.

[Jims5543]

I used to have a nerd for hire come to my office to help with IT stuff over my head.

He used to sell hearing aids like my father who is an Audiologist. I asked him why he didn't do that anymore.

He said, "Imagine working for a prosthetic company, every day a woman comes in with her husband who is missing a leg, he is leaning on her with all his body weight and she can barely walk into the office. She says, my husband needs a prosthetic leg, and the husband shouts at her and to you, I DOT NOT!! I AM PERFECTLY FINE!!" You fit him with a leg because the wife begs you to. 2 Days later they arrive again and the husband is demanding his money back because he hates the leg and really does not need it, you refund them and they leave with him back to leaning on the wife. He then asked me if that sounded like a fun time?

I said no it sounded depressing.

He shook his head and said and that is why I went back to school and I am an IT guy now.

I honestly do not know how my dad does it. He is about to retire, wants to hand his business down to a kid or grandkid, no one wants it. I do not blame them.

Hearing aids have come a long way, they are tuned and fitted based on your loss and what frequencies you need help with. They have all kinds of filters on them now to cut down background noise, like in a restaurant. They also have blue tooth so you can use them to take a phone call, listen to the TV without blasting it etc... My dad has some pretty trick hearing aids, oh he is a user too. He worked for United on the ramp when he was in his early 20's and was too cool to wear hearing protection.

Your biggest battle is convincing the old man he needs them. He will hate the cheap ones as much as the expensive ones if he is not on board.

[Jims5543]

And this....

It is a big case of you get what you paid for.

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I THINK YOU NEED TO TAlk to an audiologist and have him tested and matched to the right hearing aids. It depends what sort of and which pitch his hearing loss is at. Sorry it's more complicated than just making it louder. And if it's not right he will give them up in frustration.

[gchappel]

Sounds like my father. Properly done, they are very expensive and they work. Improperly done they are very expensive and are not worth a crap. Go to a good audiologist. From my limited experience, expect to spend $3-5000.
Is he by any chance a veteran? I ask because the VA actually does a good job with hearing aids. It seems to vary from year to year, but hearing loss does not always have to be combat related for the va to supply help. Just a thought if he is a veteran, will save him a couple of grand.
Gary

[PD41]

I was helping this old WWII pilot that lost his hearing aid. He couldn't hear me.
I went to the auto parts store and bought a long transmission funnel.
Then bought a small rubber elbow and glued it to the funnel end.
He was surprised how well it worked. Said he could hear good when he held it up to his ear. Lol

$5 hearing aid.

[pwd72s]

Two old guys:

#1 "Just got a great new hearing aid. $5,000 but worth every penny."

#2. "That's great. What kind is it?"

#1 (looks at his watch) "12:51"

[JackDidley]

You do not need to spend a lot of money. I use a Siemens aid wnd they are reasonable. You can even get a used one for maybe $100 off ebay and take it for a test drive. If it does not work out, its only $100. If it does then upgrade.

[jyl]

Thanks everyone and thanks for the PMs too.

I thought of something. My dad asked me to get him some "earphones" for his new iPhone. I'm going to get him the Airpods and have him use the Hearing Assistance feature. Then if he likes that, I'll try to persuade him to get real hearing aids. And losing $150 Airpods is better than losing real hearing aids.

[MBAtarga]

If COSTCO is nearby - consider them for hearing aids. They are known to have high quality hearing aids at a value price. I've got 1 for my right ear - have had a hearing loss from birth but it's gotten worse over the years. I paid $1300 for my hearing aid model that offers bluetooth control and integration with my iPhone. Also - they've got a 6 month no questions asked money back guarantee as well as a 2 year parts/labor warranty.

[piscator]

At $169.00 -- this is the best bargain on the planet! Works just great at a price you can buy one just to try. I lose, misplace, wash & dry my hearing aids, so these have been a Godsend. I keep spares and have given them to people who couldn't afford a hearing aid otherwise.

How good are they? I had an $800 unit and this one is every bit as good. My mom misplaced her $multi-thousand$ unit and I gave her my spare. She said it worked as well as her expensive one.

One thing I do is change the ear-piece to a smaller foam one. There are many ear-pieces available for cheap. You just have to 'buy and try'.

I wear one of these units every single day and wouldn't be able to hear without them. I have no affiliation, just love this product!

Walker's Game Ear Elite Digital HD PRO Beige Assisted Listening Device

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GRG470/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Crowbob]

It may not do any good whatsoever to get your dad hearing instruments. A large percentage of people simply cannot be accomodated by hearing aids. It isn't denial or obstinance, either. Some people will never be able to tolerate a sound-generator in their ear canal(s).

Imagine walking around with tubes made of tin cans strapped over your ears with every little ping and ting and squeak and crumple of paper, fans, motors and compressors, road noise, engines, blowers and even water dripping out of a faucet is magnified to just below the pain threshold. Now imagine those annoying sounds, which one has become totally acustomed to not hearing, assault you constantly while not being able to hear anything else.

At 86 years of age, it isn't likely your dad will change because in his mind, there isn't anything worth hearing other than conversations and even those are rare. Texting, close captioning and electronic communication via email, for example, is just about as good as it gets for some people with hearing loss.

Hearing loss is devastating. It is an invisible impairment and probably the only impairment that causes frustration and anger directed at the vicitm by those around them.

Vison loss separates you from things. Hearing loss separates you from people.

[tops911]

I have Resound hearing aids, been wearing them for about 3 years now. I'm pleased with them. They blue tooth with my iPhone so i can hear the phone a lot better. Smart phones control them as well. All that said I still struggle in loud places like restaurants and other places with a lot of background noised i still kind of struggle with conversations if i can't see peoples mouths when they talk. I got to where I avoided noisy places and got tired of always saying "i did not hear you". After asking "what" for the second time and still not understanding I would just say "yes", LOL I'm glad I have them now. Gun fire, artillery fire and air craft during my time in the Army is what did my hearing in.

[LWJ]

New tech hearing aids are AMAZING. I will be getting some one day. Spend the $$.

[fintstone]

I use Widex Beyond https://www.widex.com/en-us
They were not cheap, but were worth every penny. They were fitted by my audiologist who was able to set them up to exactly match my hearing tests and then tweaked them slightly. She was willing to give me a rather long trial and take them back if I did not like them. Routine follow ups have been free. I guess her cut was from the original sale. I wear them all the time except when I shower or sleep. They are hard to see due to size and color. I use in conjunction with my iPhone where I stream music a lot (several hours each day)...and they are great for long phone calls. I had gotten so that I really could not listen to the radio or watch TV because I missed so many words unless I turned it way up. When on a call or listening to music, I generally turn off the microphones in the devices via my iPhone so outside sounds are greatly reduced. It is the best listening experience that I have ever had with music as it seems like it originates in your head (must be what guys taking acid thought in the day).

I didn't think I would like them...but just the opposite. They are so much better in every way than the high end wireless ear buds I used for music before. It really helps if one is comfortable streaming music and using an iPhone.

[jyl]

I ordered him the inexpensive Siemens aid and will get him the Airpods. If he uses them, I'll get him to an audiologist. Which he'll probably refuse to do.

[fintstone]

These are pretty inconspicuous in the ear:




Unless you look right into the ear from the side.


The non-Bluetooth version that does not stream music/phone is much smaller.