What to Expect at Your Hearing Aid Fitting

That's really interesting. Some Costco's have audiologists on staff; some do not. I'm sure they vary a great deal. I have profound hearing loss, and am bimodal with a CI and a HA that work very well together. I would not risk short changing myself by not going to an audiologist whom I know to be excellent. However, I would not discourage others with less serious hearing loss to try Costco. This also goes back to that trial period issue. If the aid(s) you are trying don't work, take the back and either go elsewhere or ask to try something else. That trial period is vital. I would also recommend asking whether or not a hearing purchased at Costco or other 'big box' provider, can be reprogrammed by a provider outside of Costco. I've heard that some of the aids they sell are 'locked' in a way that they cannot be programmed outside of Costco. This is may not be a big issue for some, but for those who travel it could be.

I think you're right about the Costco being the older model of some manufacturers products but it may not always be the case. If anything, we may be able to get a new model but it may not have a telecoil option, a rechargeable option, or have tinnitus masking, etc.
Tony in Michigan

I have no experience at Costco. But, in general, it appears to me that most decisions made by the big stores are made by the marketing department with the objective of making a profit for the company. I don't doubt they have some caring and competent people who want to server their patients (customers) well, but they have to operate within the constrains of store policy - determined by the marketing department. With the advent of OTC hearing aids this would be a huge consideration for me. There is no guarantee that a patient will get better care at a private practice audiologist either. But I agree with julieo4 about wanting to see someone I know is best positioned to help me.

That goes right back to the importance of being an informed buyer/consumer. Do some research on hearing aids. Talk to people who use them successfully. Use HLAA as a resource if possible. This is a unique area as we consider hearing instruments to be medical devices. They are, but since they are rarely insured so they are more like a 'consumer product'. You don't go out and buy a car, a TV or a refrigerator without knowing what options are available. Your lifestyle matters. If you don't enjoy social events, movies, plays, etc. you may not need all the options. On the other hand, if the reason you don't enjoy those things is because of your hearing loss, the options may be the incentive you need to get back in the swing. As I've said before: The telecoil is extremely important to me, and still would be if I didn't use it outside of my own home. home I use it on my laptop, and to listen to music on a variety of audio devices. I use it with my cell phone. Elsewhere I use it at our performing arts center, and in church. I turn to BlueTooth when we are out for dinner or in cocktail party settings. A hearing aid without a telecoil is like a car without air conditioning....you don't need it all the time, but when you do you are sure glad you have it! BT takes things a step further, but it does not replace the value of the telecoil. Lastly, it's up to the hard of hearing population to educate their communities about the value of hearing loops in public venues. They don't get there without that education. It's time we all stopped accepting that hearing loss is simply ignored when it comes to access. Communication access is a right but we have to claim it.

All true and well said. I, too, use my Connect Clip to listen to my computer and I have found music worth listening to only since t-coil and BT.

But I recently talked to a member of our church (equipped with a hearing loop) who told me he can't use the loop because he can't hear anything but the loop. I was the one who encouraged him to get t-coils in his hearing aids. I found out his programs do not include a program that activates the induction loop AND his hearing aid microphones at the same time. I told him to go back and tell his audi that he needs such a program. Another example of audiologists who don't understand our needs.

julieo4 and arrowshooter,

The one clinic audiologist told me that my aid purchased at Costco a year ago is new. It does have a telecoil, and the Costco fitter paired it with my smartphone when I acquired one several months later. She told me that she knew there would be a mic to pair with the aid, and that was correct. The other clinic audi (who only tests hearing to evaluate for possible CI) was totally dismissive of Costco on all counts. I scored 55% on the Ci test, 5 points above the level where Medicare would pay for a CI. She told me to spend $6,000 on two aids, wait six months, and come back to see if my hearing would have degraded enough for a CI for my ear that hasn't heard much for decades, and then a new aid for my other ear--a total cost in less than a year of $9,000!

Costco aids are about half the cost of the same aid elsewhere. There are several options, depending on amount and type of loss. The aid I bought has a two-year guarantee against everything, including loss and damage. There is no written statement about subsequent appts. for adjustments, and I've never been told that I can't have an appt. when I've asked for one. The nearest Costco is only 60 miles away...half the distance of the CI clinic. The only thing that I can complain about is that the Costco phone system isn't set up to take messages, so you have to call back if it's busy.

If I ever find a place in this little town where there's an induction loop (not likely!), I'll try that out. During weekly sessions of our lecture group, I sit in the front row and have my mic handy if the speaker tends to wander away from the podium while showing PowerPoints. If the speaker stays close to the podium, I generally don't need the mic. The first day I had it, I left it on, sitting on the table in front of me, during the break and was surprised to hear several people talking to the speaker while I was in the restroom about 75 feet away--surprise! I wasn't able to understand, because there were many voices, (I have a great deal of distortion at all times), but I could hear voices if not words. Because of the distortion, I rely on speech reading along with what I hear.

As for music, I quit playing when my right ear went south because the recruitment literally made me sick and I wasn't able to hear others playing around me. For years, I didn't listen to music, but about 10 years ago I began to listen to classical and jazz that I knew well, filling in the missing parts in my mind. Since I went bilateral, the distortion is so dreadful that all higher instruments (flutes, trumpets, etc.) sound like kazoos. I went to a concert with the Air Force quintet...kazoos! Imagine that! After several years, I'm hoping that the recruitment will taper off, as it did with my right ear after many years. So far, this recruitment isn't quite as bad as it was for my right ear, but the distortion is very hard to learn to live with. I hear sounds, but I don't know what they are--the car engine, the dishwasher or washer, microwave, a faucet running...all sound the same, just pulsating rumbling noise. Part of that is the new tinnitus in my left ear, so when I walk a quarter mile to the mailbox along our gravel road, it constantly sounds as though there might be a car coming even though there seldom is. When a car does approach, it isn't much louder than the T! Strange world out there!

Next trick will be to take a deep breath and start what is likely to be weeks of effort to get Charter to display captions on more than one channel on our TV. I'll work on that after I finish all the fall chores, esp. gutter cleaning. The ship has sailed as far as finishing exterior painting this year!

This is another thing that's misunderstood. Many people prefer a 'T' only option, while others like an 'M/T' program that brings the sound in from the loop but also allows one to hear through the hearing aid microphone while using the loop or other device that relates to the telecoil. Some people I know refer to the M/T option as 'the marriage saver option'. Why? Because when one is using the T only option, all they hear is what is coming through the broadcasting system, meaning the microphone being used by the speaker or audio device. In many instances, that is the ONLY thing you want to hear. In others, perhaps in the family room with TV, you might want to hear your spouse ask a question. The M/T allows that. However, it also brings in the very background noise we are trying to eliminate. Not a problem in a quiet setting, but a big one in an arena setting. Most digital hearing aids have 4 programs that can be set by the 'fitter'. One can be used for T and another for M/T if that's preferable. Some hearing aids have remote controls that will allow adjustment in an M/T setting that determines which of the two is at a specific volume level. Those who fit hearing aids have an obligation to educate the people who buy them. It takes time, but should be expected.

Joyces, your experiences are interesting and also quite typical, yet everyone's hearing loss is unique. Most of us have trouble identifying sounds, knowing where they are coming from, etc. Some are distorted. Most of us who enjoy music, and many do, prefer music they enjoyed prior to their hearing loss becoming severe, or that which is clear and easier to understand than some of the rap, rock, etc. that is so popular today. I hope you own a neckloop that you can try with personal audio devices. Getting loops installed in outside places takes education. You sound like an educator. You sound like someone who attends educational events. Be an educator and tell people how much loops matter. If you can get one installed in your small community it can multiply, but someone has to start the process. A library is a good place to begin, as is a church. Libraries tend to be interested in ideas, churches want to be helpful and inclusive. Good luck with the TV captioning. That too is a matter of education for local programming. National programs are captioned by law. One problem seems to be finding and employing people who are able to provide the subtitles/captions. Again, this is called 'communication access', and it is just as much a right for us as curb cuts are for people with mobility issues. Hearing loss is at a disadvantage because it is invisible. Invisibility to some means non existent and easy to ignore. That's especially problematic because so many people spend more energy trying to hide their hearing loss than they do trying to manage it.

Julieo4, listening to music, now that it is so hopelessly distorted by my enemy, the Meniere's monster, is far down the list. Right now, my great effort is to learn how to hear in small groups--meetings about environmental issues, lunches during lecture days. Next would be figuring out how to hear at least some of what each speaker is saying in auditorium settings where (a) it's impossible to sit near the speaker due to setup of the room, (b) the A/V equipment is often of low quality, and (c) the audience is encouraged to participate in formally at all times. I am fortunate because the lecture series has good A/V; by sitting in the front row, I can understand most of what the speakers say.

As for captions for television, I often see that there's a logo and "closed captioning provided by" message, but no closed captions appear on our TV. I've set it to use captions, but only one channel provides them. Since it took us months and FOUR separate numbers to get phone service from Charter, I just haven't had the time and willingness to go to battle once again. Seems as though the $180/mo we pay doesn't get us much, but I do appreciate the fact that I have access to the internet. We've given up on attempting to have continuous television and expect that the picture will pixilate and all sound disappear frequently...but not often during commercial breaks. <g> Charter is Charter, and that's the one service available to us, living in an isolated area near a very small town.

Loops are definitely classified as a luxury by this town and the slightly larger one 40 miles away because it takes all the tax dollars they collect to provide infrastructure to enable the tens of thousands of tourists every weekend to "have a nice time." Basic services like water are very expensive to provide in a community that has few roads and large undeveloped areas--long runs of pipe for few customers. The tourist economy also means that the homeless problem is extreme every winter. There's no way minimum-wage workers can "save for the winter" when they're paying elevated prices for rentals during the summer while they work two or three part-time jobs (20 hours of less means the employer doesn't pay benefits). Relying 100% on tourism definitely has a downside. Having a tribal casino that doesn't contribute to unemployment only makes matters worse.

Well, it's obvious that you live in a very remote area. Where? I spend considerable time in a tourist area, but don't seem to have the issues you are describing. As far as loops go, we've been using a loop at our HLAA meetings since 1984. We built the original loop we used for 20 years out of telephone wire, an amplifier and a hard wired microphone. While professionally installed loops have some new standards, a loop can be built fairly easy if one has even minimum understanding of how they work. Cost: A few hundred bucks. You might also consider purchasing a personal FM system to use in those social settings you describe. There are numerous products that can work like FM does. That could also be used in venues with speakers if you are willing to ask the speaker to use a microphone that you provide.