Hearing aid information needed
 

Can anyone tell me where I should take my 94 year old mother in law to get hearing aids. There is so many places out there to chose from I really don't know where the best place would be. And I don't know any one that wears them. So any advise would be greatly appreciated.

I got mine through a local hospital. The audiologist there did a hearing test. She explained since they were nonprofit they had lower prices. Can't speak for any other situation but maybe you can call around for something similar.

I would take her to an ENT doctor. JMHO.

I have hearing aids, have worn them for over ten years. I have had the CIC (completely in the canal) ones that are hidden, and the ones I have now are the over the ear type with a small "plug" that goes into the ear itself. The ones I have now are not as good as the others were, but they didn't cost $4500.00, either. These are only about $300.00 and they work okay...but if I still worked I would have had to invest in another of the expensive sets (couldn't use a stethoscope with these). My advice is to find a good audiologist through your family doctor and get them through that office. Don't go into just a hearing aid dispensary and expect to get something that will really work for her. She will need to be fitted and tested and then monitored to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to. Good luck!

My husband has been wearing aids for several years now. We were surprised to find out the most insurances do NOT cover hearing aids. We found the best product for the best price was at Costco. He has been happy with them. They had replacement insurance on them for the first year. He lost one of the aids after 19 months. We had to replace it and 2 weeks later we found the original one. At least we have a back up now. Here in our area the aids cost about $1,000 for each one. That was the lowest price we could find for the quality. Most ran anywhere from $3,000-$7500. hope this helps

I went to Beltone in Tx. And yes they cost 7500$. Horrible price. But I like them. It's too much, but they take care of them from now on. they clean them every 3 months, check to make sure they are in perfect condition, I never have to pay a cent for all of the needs. Batteries only last 1 week, then 2 more new ones. Yes, I do have to purchase the batteries. No, insurance doesn't cover them. Whatever she buys, check to see if the Gov't. gives her a new telephone that she can hear from. I got one.

Talk to her Doctor about this. He will most likely refer her to an ENT Doctor. I would try that before ever trying all these companies out there. Seniors should be covered for hearing aids, Dental, glasses and what ever else comes up. Only in America..... good luck.

I have been wearing opticon for a little over 5 years and love them. They, too, take care of everything. The cost of the hearing aid is all you pay. Come back any time for cleaning, adjustments, etc. My ENT doctor sent me to these people. He had no monetary advantage to send me there.

I've had one in my one yr for over a yr and was told probably would need one in the other ear in a yr or two. I can not use the in the ear due to a whole in my ear; its been there for yrs and actually acted as a relief valve for when pressure would build up. So even though it helped in that area now it has made my hearing worse. When I go to get the one for the other ear I should be able to do the one inside. I went to an ENT that also has an audiologist who did the actual hearing test. They have to have this to determine what type of aid you need and to get the settings correct. My insurance didn't cover it and even though they have a plan thru this one group it was cheaper to stay with my current doc. I don't have the lowest grade and they told me that the highest grade was an over kill. It has 5 settings, one for all around hearing, one for when I'm talking to someone and I can filter the noise around me, one for when I'm on the phone, one to just filter out noise in general, I work in a computer room and could hear the motors etc so this allows me to adjust it and of course one to shut it off. Plus I have several different volumn settings; which can be adjusted by the doc if the settings won't go high enough. They came out with a new one right after mine was ordered and it was around 1200 which saved me 1000. I do know that some areas have special programs for elderly but your ENT should be able to tell you what options you have. Can you get a recommendation from your PCP if you have one; that's what I did and he's never steered me wrong with recommendations. Good luck.

Check to see if your mil has a hearing aid option with her medicare as I pay a litte extra and it covered most of my cost. I went to an audiologist for mine thru kaiser.