Hearing Aides; do they work?

[vash]

thinking of flying to my hometown, to drag my mom to the ear doctor. all friendly and supportive-like of course.

she is having a hard time hearing me on the phone. i can hear the frustration in her voice. she sometimes interrupts me mid-sentence and says, "okay, that's nice..goodbye"

click.

does a modern state of the art hearing aide work?

[billybek]

I think she is just tired of talking to you.
(green font)

[recycled sixtie]

From what I remember from my mother(now deceased) about three years ago she had a hearing aid. They work well, needs a replacement battery once in a while. What I remember most was that ear wax would readily plug the hearing aid making it useless.
Regular irrigation of the ear canal with warm water fixed the problem.

Guy

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by billybek

I think she is just tired of talking to you.
(green font)

LOL....I "think" they do work fine, but some elderly folks just aren't gonna go there....heck, I might just opt to tune EVERYONE out too someday. I have one aunt who doesn't wear a hearing aid, but I think she has some type of amplified phone as she's fine on it....maybe another option to consider. Or just don't piss her off

[pavulon]

Hearing aids are pretty expensive. State of the art is OMG expensive. If you're fortunate, she just needs her ears cleaned.

[stealthn]

Most get static/feedback with a phone

[chocolatelab]

What did you say?

[5String43]

Do they work? Oh, hell yeah! I resisted the pressure I was getting from my spousal unit but finally I succumbed. Man, what a difference! Seriously, they really improved my life, in all aspects. Yes, they can be expensive. Or, really, really expensive. The hot tip is get examined at Costco, which does not charge for the hearing exam, unlike some other aid dispensers. And their hardware is much less expensive than at most other places while still offering competitive quality, value and technology.

[porsche4life]

Definitely work, but don't go for the cheapest ones. My grandma picked her own the first time and cheaper out and they weren't comfortable and didn't work well. Finally one of my aunts went and got her to get out of the depression era mindset and spend a little more. It's very noticeable how much better the new ones worked. Definitely worth the $$$

[slodave]

Here's my take from a family friend. Yes, they do work in quiet situations and if you talk directly to them. In a crowded restaurant, they can have problems. The family friend repeatedly starts new conversations at a restaurant when everyone is engaged in a conversation already. The cacophony of noise seems to overwhelm the hearing aid. When my dad talks to his friend on the phone - landline to landline - there is often a lot of repeating going in on my dad's end.
Other than that, seems to work just fine from what I hear.

[Scuba Steve]

I think they're great. The wife has one and I wish she'd actually use it more. It's really annoying repeating myself all the time with her and it's the usual "you're mumbling!" vs. "you're the only one that has a hard time hearing me" talk that comes up once or twice/month. Same conversation my dad and grandma had.

My grandma needed one but never would get one. My dad used to get on her all the time about it. Now it's my dad's turn to get one and he keeps putting it off. I hope he doesn't hold out forever like his mom did.

[GothingNC]

I have been wearing hearing aides for the last 10 years and they are well worth it for me.

First thing I noticed after getting them is the directional clicker in the car is loud:-)

Bonus is the volume automatically decreases when the wife is in a cranky mood

[URY914]

My mother-in-law is deaf as a door nail. The classic line my wife and I joke about is during one Christmas visit we were talking and wife asked her a question and she replied with the time of day. "Mom, do you want water or tea with dinner? Oh, it's about 10 to 5....."

So my wife finally took her to get aids. It was a battle and in the end she stopped wearing them. She didn't have a hearing problem, everyone else has a mumbling problem.

[Rikao4]

some good info..
and folks without any idea what not hearing does to one..
been wearing the H-aids for well over 10 yrs..
expensive they can be..
but much depends on what one needs ..

my Mom finally wears hers..
and I'm not at my wits end by the end of a meal..
just bought my M-law a set..
came down for a visit & lots of blank looks & wrong responses..
let use one my old ones during her stay...
night and day difference..
she cried when she got hers..
as she can participate and not be frustrated..

get her tested..
could be wax's..
if not..you can easily do each ear for 1K..
sure there the 5k ones..I have them..
but they have multiple setting's for different situations..

Rika

[Steve Carlton]

[sand_man]

[5String43]

Yes, they do work in quiet situations and if you talk directly to them. In a crowded restaurant, they can have problems.

Depends, I think. Mine have three settings, selectable by buttons on the aids or with a supplied remote. The first is for normal use. The second is for restaurant settings. The third is for music.

Selecting the restaurant setting changes which of the several mics on each aid is turned on - instead of the mics on the front and back, only the front mics are used. It works very well. The music setting changes the frequency response curves so that soprano instruments don't make them howl.

[Rikao4]

5String is correct
mine has 4..
# 4 ties into the Wi-fi some Museums have for information // audio tours..
for handicapped folks..
stand in front of a painting..and voila...
I start hearing bio,dates..

Rika

[patz]

Directional is best. I had a GF that had them. A vet that had hearing loss from barking dogs close to her ear. I tried them out. Normal mode EVERYTHING was amplified. The directional thing was a deal closer. The remote was a PITA but it made the difference.

[John_AZ]

I bought a pair of Tweak Focus.

I am not a full time user but very good for movies, TV, and conversation in restaurants and more. Stops asking someone to repeat.

The price is very low for the quality- a good choice instead of $$$$ for the first time hearing aid user.
Tweak - advanced personal sound amplification product

Good reviews on Amazon. Barely visible, and no problem using glasses.

John