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I'm completely new to the world of hearing aids. Advice please.

Posted by omegaman17 @omegaman17, Oct 28, 2021

I'm completely new to the world of hearing aids. I have one month left a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and I want to get a new hearing aid while I can. I am limited to a budget of $2500. I have tinnitus. I have tried my wife's hearing aids that she purchased at Cosco and I have two problems with them. The first is they don't feel very secure when I put them on. It feels like they could come off pretty easily. The second problem is I don't like the flimsy earphone piece that fits near the ear canal. It would seem to me that I could solve both of these problems if I could get a hearing aid in the old-style. A little bit larger with more of an earplug versus the two that points into the ear. Also the audio that comes through my wife's hearing aid seems a little scratchy and distorted. Any recommendations?

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daveshaw | @daveshaw | 3 days ago

I agree with everything Julie has said but want to add two very important pieces of information.
One not all audiologists have the same skill level and because there appears to be a shortage across the country even the good ones are overwhelmed because many companies have cut the audiologists on staff from two to one. They just don’t have the time to properly fit you with the best hearing aids and more importantly adjust them properly. If you have a good hospital in your area make an appointment with an audiologist on their staff. They will have more sophisticated equipment to test your hearing loss and more time to adjust your hearing aids.
Two there are companies like TruHearing that offer top of the line hearing aids at greatly reduced prices. The problem is you have to stay within their provider network. That is where you might have to go outside that network to find an audiologist that has the time and expertise to better adjust those hearing aids. It might cost you a slight copay but it is well worth it.
Finally something else you might want to consider is a quality custom ear mold to maximize your hearing aids effectiveness.
Good luck to all of you.

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Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | 2 days ago
In reply to @daveshaw "I agree with everything Julie has said but want to add two very important pieces of..." + (show)
@daveshaw

I agree with everything Julie has said but want to add two very important pieces of information.
One not all audiologists have the same skill level and because there appears to be a shortage across the country even the good ones are overwhelmed because many companies have cut the audiologists on staff from two to one. They just don’t have the time to properly fit you with the best hearing aids and more importantly adjust them properly. If you have a good hospital in your area make an appointment with an audiologist on their staff. They will have more sophisticated equipment to test your hearing loss and more time to adjust your hearing aids.
Two there are companies like TruHearing that offer top of the line hearing aids at greatly reduced prices. The problem is you have to stay within their provider network. That is where you might have to go outside that network to find an audiologist that has the time and expertise to better adjust those hearing aids. It might cost you a slight copay but it is well worth it.
Finally something else you might want to consider is a quality custom ear mold to maximize your hearing aids effectiveness.
Good luck to all of you.

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Thank you for mentioning the value of a custom fit ear mold. That is definitely a plus. Creating that custom ear mold requires skill and patience. Often times it's necessary to have an ear mold filed down slightly for comfort.

The advent of 'domes' in the last decade has simplified the procedure to fit hearing aids but has not necessarily improved those fittings. Domes have made over the counter (OTC) hearing aids possible. Of course, those OTC devices are not professionally fit. The hearing aid 'industry' is interesting.

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h2h | @h2h | 3 hours ago

Julie provided you great information. Do research on the website she mentioned as well as the http://www.centerforhearingaccess.org. For sure insist on telecoils and bluetooth. I can almost guarantee you whomever you see will likely try to talk you out of telecoils as being 'old technology ' and there's new technology coming. It is old technology but is still the gold standard where there are hearing loops installed. And the new technology is Auracast, actually just a newer type of bluetooth still years away. Another pitch you might hear, that IMO, is trying to make one feel vain or embarrassed to wear hearing aids, and that is that having both will make the hearing aid larger. Not by any substantial amount imo, and if I was told the last part I would walk out. That is totally unprofessional. It's already difficult for people to finally get HA, and too many people with HA already don't speak up for their rights or want people to know they have hearing loss. We all must speak up and speak out otherwise attitudes won't change. Keep asking questions and educated about hearing loss.

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