Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

No matter where you purchase hearing aids, be sure you understand their trial period/return policy. Also request real ear measurement in their testing. AND, do not buy hearing aids that are not equipped with manual telecoils and a manual volume controls. You're a consumer, not a patient when you buy this technology.

Hi! I’m 68 and have been working up to HA for 5 years and finally broke down last year. My Kaiser audiologist could fit me but suggested going across the street to Costco for half the price. I figured I could try that with their 6month trial period and if it didn’t work, try more expensive ones. So far so good. I had a short or something in my left one, which was easily replaced. Then, wearing masks these days, I lost one. I found this forum while looking for info. Turns out Costco has a warranty so I called, left a message. They called me confirmed, emailed a form, I signed and emailed back today for a free replacement! So far, for my first pair, the Kirkland Signature 9.0 works fine for me. I can hear in meetings again and I love the Bluetooth with my cellphone. Still imperfect in large restaurant settings and they pop out too often, but I consider those fall under adjustments. I got a Captel home phone but rarely use it. I’ve enjoyed reading the many useful comments here.

@julieo4 Great advice. I think many states require that the hearing aid dispenser has a trial/return period. My experience has always been with an audiologist who is a private dispenser and holds a doctoral degree. The practice used to be part of an otolaryngologist practice and still occupies space within that doctor's office, but the two operate independently. I personally like having the services of the otolaryngologist there in case I need wax removed or anything like that. Other than that though, Costco does a good job from what I have heard.
Real Ear measurement for some reason is generally just done on pediatric patients at my audiologist but I requested it and they did do it. It definitely made a small difference.
I hate to admit this, but I am not sure if my HAs have telecoils! I think they do not -- they are Oticon Opn1 HAs. They are Bluetooth enabled and talking on my iPhone with my HAs is far better than talking on my landline phone. My HAs do have a number of programs that can be used to adjust volume, and supposedly other things but I don't find them to be much help.

@boomerldy I don't think any HAs are great in restaurant settings. The best I had for that was some Phonaks. Their directionality was great. When I put that program on in a restaurant if I faced the person speaking I could often hear them better than the other people at my table could! I switched to my Oticons because at the time they had the best technology for clarity which had become a large problem for me.
JK

Yes. Most states have a mandated trial period, but some providers offer more than the 30 days required. It's important for the buyer to try the new hearing aids in every possible situation during that trial period. Those telecoils are hard to try using if there aren't any looped venues in your area, but with that personal neckloop...that really should be standard as a piece of equipment with all hearing aids...IMHO, one can experience high quality understanding with a simple portable radio or computer. OR...when you are being fit with hearing aids, ASK to try the telecoil feature when in the fitter's office. Don't let them discourage you from trying it. This should be a choice you make based on how it works for you. If you don't try it how do you know?

I have a profound hearing loss. I am bimodal, as I use both a cochlear implant and a hearing aid. My husband and I go out for dinner a lot. We enjoy going out with friends and family. I agree, it's tough in a restaurant. However, if you are willing to use the cool accessories that go with hearing aids and CI processors, it helps a lot. I've been using a wireless microphone with my personal devices since they were available in the late 90s. Prior to that I used a hand held mike that was connected to my hearing aids via a cord (direct audio input). These devices have made it possible for me to continue to enjoy going out. Do I hear everything? No, but neither do others with typical hearing in noisy settings. For some people, the problem with these add on devices is that they show. Heaven forbid! Yes, they do show. They show that you are doing the best you can to hear in touch situations. I've had wait staff ask "What is that?". When I tell them what it is they either apologize for asking or say "That's really cool, my grandparent or parent needs to know about that!" Either way, I have a chance to open the door to educate someone who may be able to benefit from the information. No need to apologize for asking or for hearing loss...hey, it's my 'norm'!

@julieo4 Julie, you seem pretty knowledgeable with these ALD's. I have Starkey HA's without a telecoil (they were supposed to have one but my Audi screwed up!). Does that neck loop work for what I have if I want to listen directly to my laptop or connect with a hearing loop in a meeting? Or do I need to add something. Thanks.

A neckloop will only work with telecoils. You may get OK results by taking your hearing aids off and plugging in a high quality set of noise cancelling headphones. A shame that your audi botched your order. I hope you made him/her aware of that problem. Believe it or not, those professionals learn from us if they don't turn deaf ears our way!

I could not agree more with JK although my impression is they are probably best for people with mild to moderate hearing loss rather than severe loss.

@barbb That is certainly a good consideration. I intend to stay with the audiologist group I now currently go to, but if for some reason that changed I had wondered about Costco. I have a severe loss in one ear, profound in the other, so perhaps it is best for me to continue going to a reputable private audiologist group.
I say reputable because there are some in my area, basically storefront audiologists, who are less so. People I know who have gone to them have not been happy with the results.
Always check the qualifications of the audiologists. There are four where I go and all have doctoral degrees. I think that is required in some states, but not all, or perhaps it's one of those things that is "grandfathered" in and those in practice before doctoral degrees became a requirement were already in practice.
JK

FWIW, the woman at the Costco I go to is NOT a full-fledged audiologist...but she's demonstrated that she actually knows more than two real audis I've seen. She's aware of the latest developments of things like speech-to-text apps...which neither the audis nor the doc at the Hearing Center knew anything about. Her level of caring about those she helps is extremely high, and she's willing/able to take the time to explain things. She wants everyone to have telecoils in their aids and have them activated, although they do sell some in-canal aids that don't have telecoils (recommended only for those with moderate loss). Just as it is with docs, the level of caring is far, far more important than the degrees on the wall, or where they originated.

@joyces I have not had occasion to see a hearing aid dispenser who was not an audiologist. Your experiences were somewhat negative but all four of the audiologists in the group I go to are very caring and very knowledgeable. The one who I consider to be "my" audiologist very obviously does care about helping me. My appointments with her are always long and very caring. She feels like a friend.

I am sorry your experiences have been negative because I think if an audiologist is good they generally do know more than someone who is a hearing aid dispenser, although there are always exceptions to every rule. You seem to have found one of those who are an exception. Since you are comfortable and she/he is serving you well then there is no reason to change. If your hearing problem gets more complex at some point, you may need to.
JK