Hearing loss and the correct hearing aid

Everyone's hearing loss is different, so there isn't a single answer to your question. What level of hearing loss does your audiogram show? Have you been tested by a hearing healthcare professional? If so, did they clearly explain where you lie on the hearing loss spectrum?

Over the counter (OTC) hearing aids were approved by the FDA just a few years ago. The purpose of OTC products is to provide low cost hearing aids to people with mild to moderate hearing loss. OTC devices can be purchased online or at retailers like Best Buy where sound related products are sold. It is a buyer beware thing though as the sellers know little about hearing loss. They know mostly about amplification and also sell headsets, etc. These devices were available prior to the regulations that allowed them to be called OTC hearing aids. They were then called PSAPs (Personal Sound Amplification Products). Originally, they were developed for hunters to use in the woods to hear game approaching, or for birdwatchers to hear the sounds of birds. Because they amplified sound, much like the hearing aids of days gone by, people started using them as hearing aids. FYI: The first hearing aids I was fitted with back in the 1970s was an amplifier. A single hearing aid then cost $500. Today the best hearing aids cost $2500+.

Over decades, thanks to greater focus on the growing hard of hearing population, research has led to more sophisticated products. Of course we have seen extreme technology advances in every tech area; computers, TVs, automobiles, home appliances, and just about everything else. All of those things have become more expensive, as have hearing aids. They all do more than they did years ago.

The best advice I can share is to make sure you have had appropriate and thorough audiology testing so you know your degree of hearing loss. If you are mild to moderate you may want to try those OTC devices. If it's more severe those devices probably won't do enough to help you. Hearing loss creates difficulty hearing in background noise that exists in social settings, at meetings, etc. The greater the loss the greater this issue.

Whether you purchase OTC products or sophisticated hearing aids it is your responsibility to test them in all settings where you want to hear. If they don't help you, you want to return them. Make sure that is an option.

People who sell true hearing aids must give you a trial period of at least 30 days. You can return them during that period for a refund with the exception of the cost of testing which should be in the contract you sign. Read it. There are some providers that allow longer trial periods. ASK about this so you know. They will not accept returns after that trial period.

The reality is that the more costly hearing aids in today's world, do more than amplify. Most have options such as bluetooth, telecoils, and in some Auracast is included. They connect with cell phones and assisted listening systems in venues. You best ask the provider to show you how to use those options and explain what they do. If you want to hear in theaters, social settings, etc. they can make a very positive difference. Auracast is a new technology that is coming. It is not useful yet. It adds cost to the product, but the products last 5-8 years. so it's fine to be ahead of the game. It's confusing, isn't it?

I know from personal experience with my severe/profound hearing loss that I need and am willing to pay for the best technology available. It's worth it even though it has meant budgeting for it over the years.

There is no simple answer to your question. Your audiology tests will help indicate what should work for you. Your willingness to test available technology will be important to your success with it.

Please share your plan forward with us.

I’ll be making some phone calls to area audiologist and Drs. And learn which type of hearing aid I will need to bad they cost so much. it seems as if I didn’t work all my life. I could probably get a free one, but unfortunately for me I worked all my life and has Insurance and have insurance.

Thanks Julie

my loss is moderate. am considering OTC aids. anyone have experience with the ear centric one? or the demicure one? or success with any of the the less expensive ones?

Regardless of your degree of hearing loss or type of hearing loss, you will need to test hearing instruments to know how much they will help you.

OTC aids work for some people, but are not much help for people with severe hearing loss.

More costly hearing aids need to be properly fit to do the best they can. Even so, the person who is using them absolutely must test them in every environment where they want/need to hear. After fitting you have a limited time to do that.

People who sell regular hearing aids should (by law), offer a trial period of at least a month. However, it's the buyer's responsibility to test the aids and return them within that trial period if they don't help enough. Read the fine print or ask about it in the purchase agreement.

I've responded to several people in different discussion groups who have expressed concerns about how hearing aids are often fit with domes rather than with custom fitted ear molds. Those domes have a tendency to pop out if they are not the right size. However, they make fitting hearing aids a much easier task for the providers.

A custom ear mold is carefully designed to fit in an individual's ear. It's much like casting a dental inlay and takes a learned skill. I strongly encourage anyone who is having problems making hearing aids work well for them to ask the provider about custom ear molds.

It's unfortunate that insurance and Medicare do not cover hearing aids. More people need to advocate for this. Meanwhile, a well fit custom hearing aid is worth the cost. Hearing is priceless.

Julie: I use OTC aids successfully, but wonder if an ear mode could be used with them rather than the ear dome. However I would want an open air type listening and not have the ears occluded from room sounds not amplified by the hearing aids. Maybe that would defeat the advantages of an ear mold?

As a retired electrical engineer I have researched OTC hearing aids for the last 10 years or more and the hearing aids I have selected for my next purchase claim to have Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted hearing technology:
https://elehear.com/products/beyond

I do not know the answer to that question. There are many different styles and brands of OTC hearing aids. No one size fits all thing among them.

Most custom ear molds have vents that allow some 'air type listening'. I don't know if OTC devices can be fit with custom ear molds. If anyone knows this, please let us know. We learn from one another.

There's a big difference between OTC hearing aids and professionally fit brand name products. Obviously, cost is one of those differences. It's important to understand that when hearing aids are professionally and properly fit they are likely to do more to enhance hearing. That's true with all degrees of hearing loss.

OTC devices are recommended only for people who experience mild to moderate hearing loss. They have only been available legally for the past few years. Prior to OTC there were devices called PSAPs that were often advertised as 'hearing aids'. PSAPS were personal sound amplification products that only amplified sound.

Regardless of the type of hearing help one chooses, it's important to know about options that are available in some products and not in others. It pays to ask questions and share experiences.

Thank you for sharing the link to information. If you choose to order these hearing aids let us know how they work for you.

It looks like the kind of AI included is not something that can connect you to sound systems in places where you want to hear to be able to participate and enjoy.

Auracast is a technology that is in development. Some hearing aids include this feature now, but it is not yet ready to use.

Personally, I would never order a hearing aid that wasn't equipped with a telecoil and also with Bluetooth connectivity. The telecoil allows me to hear in church, at the performing arts center, in meeting rooms, etc. BT connects me to my cell phone and TV. When the desired sound is broadcast directly to my personal hearing technology, I can participate fully.

Obviously, there are a lot of choices to make!

What is a telecoil? I can’t hear in meeting rooms. I’m ok in big Church as we have a great sound system but in the class rooms if the speakers tone varies from normal to soft I just can’t get it no matter what. I’ve got Costco’s best and love the Bluetooth, the “Live Listen” is helpful at times.