Someone told me that the reason that you can't use accessories made for other aids with yours is that each manufacturer makes their aids to work on a slightly different frequency, obviously not to make the technology more available but to keep you loyal to their brand once you've spent additional $$$ on various accessories. Also, one of the disadvantages of going to Costco is that the aids you buy can't be adjusted by someone at an audiology clinic--and they're quick to let you know that they can't work on those "inferior" Costco aids, even though all of them are made by major manufacturers. (Nor can the aids you buy at a clinic be adjusted at Costco, I assume.) If the manufacturers actually cared about HOH people, they'd all work together to continually improve the technology. If you break your glasses frames, you can generally get them repaired at the place where you bought them...or repaired at any dispensary for a small price. Many of us enjoy the ongoing miracle of seeing clearly, for far less than a thousand bucks, but hearing well in normal situations appears to be asking far too much, even though we've spent thousands.

It's exactly like the drug biz: the pharmas all claim that drugs are so expensive because they spend gazillions developing and testing them, because they "have your best interests at heart." Bah, humbug! Forty years ago, my insulin-dependent husband could walk up to any drugstore counter and buy a vial of insulin made from beef or pork pancreases for $6. Then they figured out how to manufacture insulin artificially in labs and quit making animal insulin. A vial of the simplest insulin today costs close to $200--designer insulins twice or more. Unfortunately, all the insulin made in labs is too fast-acting for about 5% of diabetics, leading to getting to know the local paramedics and ERs really, really well. Seems it would be "too expensive" for them to manufacture a small amount of slower-acting insulin for that small percentage. We've been importing animal insulin, first from England, now from Canada, for years. To discourage us from doing that, the FDA requires 10 (yes--TEN) separate documents to be submitted with each order, including a PASSPORT for the insulin user!!! You can't convince me that the FDA is looking out for our interests! No, they're protecting the drug manufacturers. Each time we order (unable to use our excellent pharmacy insurance, of course), it costs a little over $1,000...and I'm stressed while waiting two weeks for the precious stuff to arrive, because the FDA can seize it at the border as an "illegal drug."

If you are having hearing aid problems during these difficult times, don't assume that your provider is completely closed to service calls. Many audiology groups are serving their clients by having someone on duty at their clinic each day. It is likely a drop off and pick up procedure, but if they are quality providers they do care about the people they serve. Recently, I had a communication from someone in a large metro area of Wisconsin who was frustrated that ALL the audiology clinics were closed in their area. I did some checking in our smaller metro area and found that most of the clinics here are providing urgent services. Do some due diligence to see what's going on in your area. If you have quality hearing aids and like your provider, you don't want to step down. Another suggestion which may be helpful to some people is to purchase a Williams Sound Pocket Talker. They can work with headphones and/or hearing aids with telecoils. Many people who don't wear hearing aids use them to amplify. Many hospitals keep them on hand to use with patients who have trouble hearing. They generally cost around $150. A device worth having. And, if you get those telecoil equipped hearing aids back in working condition, the Pocket Talker can be really helpful in noisy settings like restaurants. Everything costs money, but spent well it's worth it.