Ask the Audiologist webinar

When I went to the universities and battled through macro, statistics, and all those wonderful classes, I learned about SUPPLY and DEMAND. If there are enough people purchasing a product or services, the costs of these items go down. If not, they stay up. This applies to our precious hearing aids and assistive listening devices, etc. If the hearing loss public insists on denying and staying away from using these devices and instruments, they will always be very costly. That is why all of the manufacturers can charge what they want because their overhead or costs to make them will be high for the few that they make. If they had to make more - it would cost them less...just like Julie stated .... Think about that! We all lose unless we use our brains and get with the program...people.

In response to Tony's post about remote mics and TV streamers: This is what makes is so difficult for us to decide what to buy! We hear that a particular brand of aid has better add-ons, or that this or that add-on will work in more situations, but we don't really know enough to make good decisions. I've heard a lot about neck loops, but really don't know exactly how they work and whether they're the best add-on, so I've not purchased anything, waiting for better information. Right now, I have more than enough to figure out with new software, made necessary when I reluctantly and stupidly upgraded by devil box to Windows 10 to avoid viruses months ago. That means the HD is wiped clean, and you lose all software. Because of Covid, I had almost no design work, so kept putting off buying new software, but the time finally arrived and, over a thousand dollars later, I'm struggling to learn entirely new versions of software I'd used for decades. Much of the old software (which did everything I needed to do) is incompatible with Win 10, so it's learn or do without. The next time there's a forced upgrade, I'll buy an inexpensive new system, remove my existing system from the world at large to avoid viruses, and use the new system to communicate, the old one to do actual work.

well, yes, I went to those classes, understood the production curves... but also realize that with hearing aids there is a technology shift... that changes so much..The way the hearing aids are marketed in many cases includes the price of rent, training, and of course the device. The following article from AARP explains it quite well. https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2016/hearing-aid-costs-prices-cs.html

Obviously a lot of financial resources at the manufacturer go into research and development. Things do change, yet many stay exactly the same. Hearing instruments amplify sound. They can be set to amplify at different decibel levels. They can block some background noise, and they can have directional microphones. They cannot do much about clarifying speech. However, with add ons like FM systems, handheld microphones, Roger Pen, Pocket Talker, etc. they can bring speech directly to the ear and bypass the background noise that adds to the distortion of speech. Unfortunately, those add ons are not included or even sold with most hearing aids even though they are available. Tony is right whey saying some devices should be included. Because they don't receive the education it takes to do well with hearing aids, people have to learn by trial and error. If the HA industry would stop marketing stigma, denial and invisibility in all of their advertisements it would help the industry sell more hearing aids. (See advertisement attached.)

It breaks my heart when someone comes to an HLAA meeting for the first time and has no clue what a telecoil is, what a hearing loop can do, and whether or not their expensive hearing aids even have telecoils. In far too many instances, they do not have telecoils in those expensive hearing aids. Nor do they have the money to go out and buy a new pair so they have that feature. They have to take those precious hearing aids off and wear a $15 headset or pair of ear buds to attach to a receiver to hear. 🙁

People who sell hearing aids should be required to demonstrate telecoils in an office setting that teaches the buyer/customer what a telecoil is and does. If the customer doesn't want it, they at least know what they are giving up. It's just plain unfair for a seller to tell a customer that this feature is 'old technology' and is not needed because no hearing loops are available in the area. Hearing loops are out there, and if they are not in your theater, performing arts center, school, church, etc. they can be advocated for and installed.

A simple $50 neckloop has many uses. It will connect to any audio device with a plug in, including cell phones, tablets, computers, iPods, portable radios, etc. . A telecoil does NOT add cost to a hearing aid. (It's mortal sin is that it takes up space in the hearing aid...so has been removed to make the aid a millimeter smaller.) Other features do add considerable cost. BlueTooth is an upgrade that's worth having, but it adds considerable cost, and it should not take the place of the telecoil. If people knew what they could do with telecoils they would not want hearing aids without them. It takes a 'teacher' who is willing to spend time to educate. "TIME IS MONEY". It takes time to educate. I would never buy a hearing aid without a telecoil I can control, and a manual volume control.

A recent research bit from Stanford University focused on the high price of hearing aids, said that a pair of hearing aids, for many people, is the third most expensive investment they will ever make. House if first, car is second. No wonder people go without.

Off band stand now. Going to watch the Green Bay Packer game! Go Packers!!!

@julieo4, It is personally very helpful to have this "reminder" of all that should by now already be firmly ensconced "upstairs"! But one question regarding what you say here. It has been my understanding that if a person has a hearing aid minus the T coil, at least in many instances, and then decides they want one, the audie can then install a T coil at little additional expense. No???

NO - the manufactures install the T-coil in the hearing aids. The audiologist only turn them on if the aids have them inside the aids. If the aids don't have the small wire inside them - then the person with the aids needs to find another device that can take the place of the 'missing' wire that was not added to the wiring inside of the aid. Remember, your hearing aids are mini-computers. Just like your PC or laptop - these micro hearing aids are separately made by around 50 people on an assembly line - putting all of the individual pieces together - configured to your specific hearing loss. That is why you need to take care of your pricey hearing aids and that is why they do all of the various wonders that they do. However they still do not copy what our natural ears do in the real world.

A telecoil cannot be retrofitted into a hearing aid that was made without one. Often, the telecoil is in the aid, but the fitter didn't activate it. It's a pleasant surprise for one to find it is there when learning about it. Good time to ask the question "Why wasn't it activated and explained to me?" So the answer is 'no'. It's either there or it isn't, but it may not be turned on.

@julieo4 Thanks Julie for the clarification.

@nurseheadakes I appreciate your vivid description !

Your welcome Barbb - Like Julie says...we find out the hard way. For years I never knew about the t-coil until I met Julie years ago. My first audi NEVER told me about it. My HA had them in them but she didn't tell me about them nor did she turn them on. Julie through our communications told me about them and I then asked my audi to turn them on. She was shocked and then said where did I learn about them. I said HLAA. She then turned them on and it is history from then on. After that, I switched audiologists who always promote the t-coils, and looping.