Phonak Nadia...Perennial Problems..What should be my brand?

My experience with Oticon bluetooth enabled hearing aids has been great for the last 2 years. I have not had to take them back for any repair. I too clean them regularly. I love litening to audio books on by iPhone using my Oticon hearing aids at the gym. I also have Oticon TV adaptor that makes TV sound like clear surround sound which I can control separately from external TV speakers. It helps me hear clearly when people on TV speak fask or mumble. If you want to learn more about what Oticon users think, there is a great Oticom support Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1162193517205760/

You may want to see your ENT for checking your ears for wax. I go to mine every six months. Sometimes removing wax yourself causes more problems. I wear Widex aids, have been happy with them, but they’re in their 7th year and should be replaced. They have never stopped working in all those years so I can’t complain, but at $6,000 aids are a huge investment, especially when you’re retired. I also use a Dry n Store which helps to keep the aids dry and easier to clean. Have heard lots of good things about Oticon. The HLAA has a convention in June in Rochester. All the major vendors will be there. Worth going if you’re able to get there.

If there are Mayo group going to Rochester - we need to connect . I am going ( last one for awhile- expensive as my income has declined due to being retired)
Meeting regular folks as well as companies promoting products for Deefies. - has really being helpful.
Wax issues is a big deal peroxide supposed to help
And with warm flush out in shower

Good Hearing aids are no longer as expensive as before. At Costco under their Kirkland brand, one of the six major manufacturers of hearing aids sells for under $2,00.00 a PAIR. If you choose to purchase another major brand the cost is almost 50% less than at your typical audiologist or hospital office. You only have to be a member if you buy the aid. If not, you don't. Membership fee is only $60.00.

I would like to know if anyone who has purchased hearing aids from Costco has had a problem with them being 'locked'. I have heard that Costco is able to lock the hearing aids it sells, including it's own brand and others, so they can only be adjusted by Costco providers. This can be a huge issue if you don't live or vacation near a Costco location. I've read posts on MayoConnect about some people needing to have their hearing aids adjusted often. If they could not be adjusted by other audiologists/providers in a pinch you'd be out of luck. I don't know if this is true, but we should all know about 'tricks' like this before we buy.

That is scary if true. How do we make sure. People being telling me for years to go there to get aids but I did not like the choices. . Now a (y) hear away from cochlear which I may not get . I love music so

I think you have to act like a consumer when buying hearing aids. Ask questions. If you use Costco, ask them about their HAs being locked. Same with other providers. You have a right to know everything that hearing aid can possibly do or not do. But you have to be the proactive one. Regarding music: I have a cochlear implant. I enjoy music. If your hearing loss is at the point where a CI is a possibility, go for it. Your brain will have to learn. Mine adapted rather quickly because I used both the HA and the CI with the telecoils and an audio device. Used a neckloop to listen to music, speech, etc. My brain caught on pretty fast. I do have trouble with some music, especially if it's loud and booming. My granddaughter was the lead singer in a rock band. (She wore musician's earplugs. Yes.) While my brain had no memory of most of the songs she was singing, I was able to learn them as time went on. Mostly though, I enjoy the old songs I've known forever. I like lyrics that make sense. So many of them don't today. 🙂

Hi Julie....we meet up once again. And YES. The answer is yes that Costco does lock up their own name brand hearing aids so that only their hearing aid specialist can unlock them and make them work for you the customer. They will provide the hearing tests and give you a 'fine set of aids' but if you try to take them to a neighborhood audiologist and have them tested or readjusted - your audiologist will be unable to do anything with them or will find there is a limit to what they can do with them. The assumption is that there are plenty of Costco shops around the nation, so that if you have a problem, you can either mail them to your nearest one and have it fixed or you go the nearest one and have it fixed. They don't operate in the sense of asking questions about day to day needs, taking care of fixes when there stores are not close by, and high level of hearing loss that their hearing aids would not help
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Wherever you purchase you hearing aids from anyone, be it from a name brand store, an online MD, or your neighborhood audiologist group, the supplier (seller) should provide you with the brand of hearing aids they are trying to sell you and a type of warranty that goes with that particular HA. The warranty can vary depending on what type of aid you have purchased and who the party or manufacturer is that providing the time line of coverage. The warranty may have a short window of time for a trial use to see if they work for you and then a time frame of time for coverage for damage and usage.

TODAY, Prices will be reflective of the aid(s), level of qualify, hearing aid features, warranty coverage, and hearing aid specialist/audiologists services. This is the bundled services that includes all costs. That is why aids are so costly but bear in mind - you are purchasing a computer for your ear. Each aid is manufactured individually by at least 45- 50 people who are putting together a piece of equipment that will help you hear well. A simple hearing aid may not produce the same type of quality as one that has a list of 10 items that it may be able to do. HOWEVER, not everyone's hearing is the same either. My hearing which is mod/severe requires very expensive hearing aids that produce features that someone with little hearing loss would not need because they can hear what I can't. Not hearing is NOT like Not Seeing. You can't put a pair of glasses on my ears and expect me to hear.

Everyone wants to get in on the game now and sell hearing devices for hearing better. There are so many advertisements out there for aids that it is almost easier just to walk away. BUT the truth of the matter is, your brain needs to hear and the best thing is to make sure it has the best aid out there for YOU. If Costco is for you, then so be it. Any hearing aid that will help you to hear is better than none. Research shows what happens without any stimuli and it's not a pretty picture. Start looking now. Do you research. Ask questions of any and every company you look at. See your doctor/audiologist for a good baseline hearing loss - so you know what level you are at. Then from there - you can seek out a hearing aid(s) for yourself. Eloise

The OTC Hearing Aid Act was signed in 2017 - so that you and I can shop for hearing aids. So there are plenty of them out there. And don't forget the t-coil so your can hear on your cellphone... I't a must.
http://www.hearingreview.com/2017/08/president-trump-signs-otc-hearing-aid-legislation-law/

Hi Eloise. I hope Florida is being good to you. We will miss you in Wisconsin. Hey, it's really important to make certain people know that the telecoil in a hearing aid isn't just for the telephone. It's for many other audio devices that project sound, including large room public address systems, portable radios, TVs computers, iPads, etc. If it has an audio input jack it will take a neckloop that will use that telecoil to bring sound direct to you. In a room with a hearing loop you don't even need to plug in to anything...just flip the switch and the sound is right there for you.

Yes, there are many ways to buy hearing aids, but I go back to my number one suggestion. Act like a consumer when you buy a product. Ask questions. Read the fine print. Talk to other people who use the product you are considering. It's very easy to be taken advantage of whether we are buying computers, cars, hearing aids or refrigerators!

OTC hearing aids will help people with mild hearing loss. It is good that option will be available, but still...people will be buying a product like a consumer. Buyer beware.

Hi Julie, I miss all of you but love the hot weather and my pool too!
I agree that I wouldn't go without my t-coils since they allow me to use not only my cell phone but everything that you indicated. It is the ONE THING that was worth every penny I spent on my hearing aids. DO check out the many options that you should and can get with the newer hearing aids - they are very much worth the time and effort of your research. Asking others what they wear, how they like them and what they do for them helps answer your questions.
As a reference to everyone - Julie and I are but a few of the people who are long term members of the HLAA organization. We have been leaders in the org and have helped countless people with their hearing adventures. Participating and being part of this organization is only one benefit that helps in understanding hearing loss, hearing aids, and everything in-between. Eloise