I need to purchase hearing aids for my mom and am completely confused. Can anyone give us advice?

@Dog It is a dog eat dog business (sorry) and unregulated. Ask the audiologist for a reccomendation.

I have been wearing hearing for three years and aquired them after retiring from my police department.

First, let a qualified audiologist do a throrough exam of your mother’s hearing.

There are several types of hearing aids and one type is not correct for all people. Its more or less a trial and error situation. I have hearing aids that have a tube over each ear. This type of hearing aid has the best fidelity, meaning it combines amplification from the hearing aid, as well as allowing outside sounds for a more natural hearing. Inside the ear hearing aids, I did not like. They were too tinny sounding and unnatural.

My hearing aids cost $3,000.00 each and well worth it. I tried several brand names and settled with Phonak. They are suppose to be the best out there and I believe it. I love mine.

Your audiologist will be able to help your mother decided which hearing aids are best for here. Just remember to never let the aids get wet in the rain or shower. They short-circuit very easily and replacement is expensive.

It will take several visits for the audiologist to find the correct balance of sound for your mother. Everyone is different.

I have heard sounds that I have not heard in 30 years. Costco has the cheapest hearing aid batteries.

Let me know if you have further questions. I am here to help. jp

I don’t know much about this stuff, but my stepmom spent a boat load on the first one and wasn’t happy. She bought this one from Lee Majors with a money back guaranty, and loves it.

https://www.hearingaidtv.com/Default.asp?

Ah, good, @hearkat is responding. I was going to suggest that you check out Consumer’s Report. Hearing aids are an expensive purchase where I think there is a vast difference in quality. You need an organization that is unbiased and actually does the research.

@Dog, I seem to recall you are located in California. this link provides some information that I hope can help you. My dad bought my mom a hearing aid from a magazine for like $800 bucks. She used it and it helped but buzzed and really annoyed her. She finally went to an audiologist and he actually cleaned her ears out and she didn’t need the hearing aid.

It was a family joke, but she gave the hearing aid to my uncle who is using it to this day. The point is, if you don’t have much money, a used hearing aid may help. I’m providing a link with info, including organizations that provide refurbished hearing aids. I hope it helps.

“Civic/Service Organizations
Many community service organizations receive charitable donations to purchase hearing aids and other devices for low income deaf and hard of hearing people. Clubs often recondition hearing aids and donate them to needy individuals. Many of these organizations are listed in your telephone directory.

“Organizations that typically offer this type of assistance are as follows:

”-National Easter Seal Society http://www.easterseals.com/
-March of Dimes http://www.marchofdimes.com/home.asp
-Telephone Pioneers of America http://www.telephone-pioneers.org/
-Lions Clubs International http://www.lionsclubs.org/
-Kiwanis Clubs http://www.kiwanis.org/
-Rotary Clubs http://www.rotary.org/
-Sertoma Clubs http://www.sertoma.org/
-Optimist Clubs http://www.optimist.org/"

http://www.cahearing.com/resources.html

Please remember that you are not simply buying a device, most facilities include their services in the purchase price for 1–3 years (depending on the warranty period). We even include batteries for 5 years – which is the average life of a hearing aid. I know what our cost and mark-up is, and I am sure there are some patients that I have lost money on for our practice because of the time and counseling they need. So really you are shopping for a hearing health care provider more than for a product. In fact, Audiologists are very closely regulated, so if you are not comfortable with the devices, make sure you are working with a licensed, certified professional to help you understand the differences.

There are FDA regulations on hearing aids. There are NOT regulations on the ‘personal amplifiers’ that are sold on late-night TV and internet ads. There are also many manufacturers of hearing aids, and many retail options. Those who advertise the heaviest are typically franchises who live and die by the sale, and they practice ‘bait-and-switch’ advertising to get people in the door with the cheapest price and gimmicks. Miracle Ear, Beltone, Zounds, and HeaRx are owned by the hearing aid manufacturer, so their staff are limited to one or two product lines to choose from. Also, many of those chain stores invest their money into advertising and not into research and development, so they do not have the leading-edge technology. So I recommend that you find a practitioner who is independent and can choose from a variety of makes and models to help find what will best suit your mother.

Hearing loss resulting from ototoxic chemotherapy agents is typically in the highest frequencies we measure. Most of the economy models do not amplify much beyond 4000–5000Hz. Depending on the configuration of the hearing loss pattern, and your mother’s lifestyle, the cheaper models may not be satisfactory for her. Make sure that you consult someone who offers a trial period with not only a refund policy, but also the option to exchange, so that if your first choice isn’t working out, you can exchange it for a different model within the first month and get full credit for what you have paid toward the replacement devices.

The Consumer Reports article on hearing aids is very good. Another useful resource is The Better Hearing Institute which is an independent industry site.

I will gladly discuss your mother’s case with you privately. Hearkat@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.

I also found this: http://www.needymeds.org/copay_aos.taf?_function=detail&program_id=660

http://www.audientalliance.org/

My sister’s husband relies on his hearing aids to do his job. His hearing aids are Savia Art made by Phonak, and they served him well for 2 years in Equatorial Africa.

His advice is to go through an audiologist and to select a brand that can be readily serviced in your area.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a specific brand or style of hearing aid. The most important include the degree and type of your hearing loss, the physical shape and size of your ears and your lifestyle. Each brand has strengths and weakness, so it is important to choose a brand whose strengths compliment your needs. Your audiologist can provide guidance as to which hearing aid will meet your needs best.