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Does anyone know anything about hearing aides?

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sfsuphysics

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Mom's in line to get one (two?) and had a hearing test and a referral to the Kaiser audiology place, where they straight up told her they cost between $2500 and $6500, with a $1000 deductable, but I don't want my mom to get into a situation that my father did with his eyeglasses where they tell/convince him of stuff he "needs" and ends up costing way too much. So not knowing anything about hearing aides what are some things/features that exist that I should look into? I know Costco sells their "Kirkland brand" which is manufactured by a well known hearing aide company, but other than the term "rechargable" that's on it I really don't know what other features in the "10.0" model that I should say "that is a good thing"... I'm just afraid that if she goes with the $2500 model at Kaiser it'll be a real bottom of the barrel POS thing that she ends up not using because it's horribly outdated out of the 50s technology :D
 
sfsuphysics said:
Mom's in line to get one (two?) and had a hearing test and a referral to the Kaiser audiology place, where they straight up told her they cost between $2500 and $6500, with a $1000 deductable, but I don't want my mom to get into a situation that my father did with his eyeglasses where they tell/convince him of stuff he "needs" and ends up costing way too much. So not knowing anything about hearing aides what are some things/features that exist that I should look into? I know Costco sells their "Kirkland brand" which is manufactured by a well known hearing aide company, but other than the term "rechargable" that's on it I really don't know what other features in the "10.0" model that I should say "that is a good thing"... I'm just afraid that if she goes with the $2500 model at Kaiser it'll be a real bottom of the barrel POS thing that she ends up not using because it's horribly outdated out of the 50s technology :D
Click to expand...
If you send me a couple models you are looking at, I can take a look through my "med device development" glasses and let you know what I see. I do know that Kirkland often has pretty good quality for the price, but I may be thinking about their vodka. You are correct to be suspect about what Kaiser will give as they may be bundling products or looking at cost over performance. It doesn't mean they don't have quality products and doctors there, they just run by a different business model.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Mom's in line to get one (two?) and had a hearing test and a referral to the Kaiser audiology place, where they straight up told her they cost between $2500 and $6500, with a $1000 deductable, but I don't want my mom to get into a situation that my father did with his eyeglasses where they tell/convince him of stuff he "needs" and ends up costing way too much. So not knowing anything about hearing aides what are some things/features that exist that I should look into? I know Costco sells their "Kirkland brand" which is manufactured by a well known hearing aide company, but other than the term "rechargable" that's on it I really don't know what other features in the "10.0" model that I should say "that is a good thing"... I'm just afraid that if she goes with the $2500 model at Kaiser it'll be a real bottom of the barrel POS thing that she ends up not using because it's horribly outdated out of the 50s technology :D
Click to expand...

I went with my Dad to Costco a couple years ago and I think we paid around $1600 and change out of pocket. They were pretty small and discreet, included a testing/tuning session, and can pair with your phone if you wanted. Kaiser sounds on the high side for sure without knowing much of the details. Unfortunately, it was a while ago and I don't remember all the details of the hearing aids. A Costco trip/appointment, is worth a trip, I think, at least so you have a comparison. Plus, most Costcos I've been to, I haven't gotten the high pressure sales tactics in their hearing/optometry dept.
 
H2OPlayar said:
If you send me a couple models you are looking at, I can take a look through my "med device development" glasses and let you know what I see. I do know that Kirkland often has pretty good quality for the price, but I may be thinking about their vodka. You are correct to be suspect about what Kaiser will give as they may be bundling products or looking at cost over performance. It doesn't mean they don't have quality products and doctors there, they just run by a different business model.
Click to expand...
Well unfortunately I don't really have any models I'm looking at, other than the Costco one which I only noticed because they had a huge banner.

My mom just had a hearing test yesterday, but then they told her if she'd like to look into hearing aids to go to another audiologist, and I just get the gut feeling that this other one is simply the place where you go buy them. Mind you I don't know anything about them, like whether it's like eye glasses and you need ones specifically tuned to your need. But yeah the price range at Kaiser caused my b-hole to clench up a bit, but not knowing what they have is something we have to make an appointment for to see, and this whole COVID thing they are using as an "excuse" to be 1 on 1 with people does worry me.

But mostly I just don't know anything about hearing aides, with glasses I can tell you if transitions are good, progressive lenses, etc, but hearing aides? Is having them rechargeable good? Will you just eat through batteries like crazy otherwise? Tcoil is a thing? Hooking up to a phone would be something *I* would want, but not necessarily something she needs... since she doesn't have a cell phone :D
 
If they use a smartphone quite a bit, you might want to consider "Made for iPhone hearing devices"
(Or other smartphone, not deliberately plugging apple)

Helps when using phone apps.
Makes controlling and adjusting hearing aids easy.
And I think some even leverage the compute on the phone.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Well unfortunately I don't really have any models I'm looking at, other than the Costco one which I only noticed because they had a huge banner.

My mom just had a hearing test yesterday, but then they told her if she'd like to look into hearing aids to go to another audiologist, and I just get the gut feeling that this other one is simply the place where you go buy them. Mind you I don't know anything about them, like whether it's like eye glasses and you need ones specifically tuned to your need. But yeah the price range at Kaiser caused my b-hole to clench up a bit, but not knowing what they have is something we have to make an appointment for to see, and this whole COVID thing they are using as an "excuse" to be 1 on 1 with people does worry me.

But mostly I just don't know anything about hearing aides, with glasses I can tell you if transitions are good, progressive lenses, etc, but hearing aides? Is having them rechargeable good? Will you just eat through batteries like crazy otherwise? Tcoil is a thing? Hooking up to a phone would be something *I* would want, but not necessarily something she needs... since she doesn't have a cell phone :D
Click to expand...

www.healthyhearing.com

What is a hearing aid telecoil and why would I want one?

When used with a hearing loop, hearing aid telecoils (t-coil) boost your listening experience in public places by piping audio-system sounds directly to your hearing aids.
www.healthyhearing.com www.healthyhearing.com

Here is a good explanation of what T-coil or telecoil is. It sounds like its a copper loop to make old style telephones work better. Some modern phones have this capability built in, but not all.

As for the batteries, lithium polymer (li-po) batteries are really good these days, so I would opt for the rechargeable ones, so long as the person using them understands the workings of recharging and may need to carry a charging cable instead of extra batteries.

heartlandhearingiowa.com

6 Things to Look for When Buying Hearing Aids

What should you look for when buying hearing aids? Here are the 6 most important factors, along with the questions you should ask.
heartlandhearingiowa.com heartlandhearingiowa.com

This article seems to cover some of the basics in what to look for.

Any other specific questions? I am trying to help as best as I can with my google-fu


Edit: This article has some good pros and cons of the Kirkland one or Costco in general vs others. My "secret" is start looking for reviews and comparisons between the specific products and try to build a mental image of how people feel. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

appliedhearingaz.com

Pros & Cons Of Costco Hearing Aids | Applied Hearing Solutions

Pros & Cons Of Costco Hearing Aids by Dr Cliff AuD of Applied Hearing Solutions
appliedhearingaz.com appliedhearingaz.com


Edit #2: Mayo clinic is a very reputable source for information. This article looks like it has the best information about the styles and the process of getting fitted. I would start here.

www.mayoclinic.org

Hearing aids: How to choose the right one

Find out how to choose the right device to help you hear better.
www.mayoclinic.org www.mayoclinic.org
 
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I’ve been using hearing aid since I was 14, and got high end ones and low ends ones, I’m the guy you want to talk to about hearing aids.

And yes I got my hearing aids through Kaiser.
 
ashburn2k said:
I’ve been using hearing aid since I was 14, and got high end ones and low ends ones, I’m the guy you want to talk to about hearing aids.

And yes I got my hearing aids through Kaiser.
Click to expand...

okay people are telling me I am shouting constantly. I think all the woodworking , music, metal machinery and auto racing are catching up with me.

what should I be looking for when I am choosing a hearing aid? Why do some fit inside the ear and others go over the ear with tubes? I never understood the use case for each.

also I have Kaiser.

randy
 
ashburn2k said:
I’ve been using hearing aid since I was 14, and got high end ones and low ends ones, I’m the guy you want to talk to about hearing aids.

And yes I got my hearing aids through Kaiser.
Click to expand...
So are there any "avoid like the plague" types?

What sort of features would suggest for an elderly woman with what I would consider "pretty bad" hearing issues (but I'm not sure what kind of scale that is), who outside of going to the store doesn't go much anywhere, and isn't big on tech (aka cellphones)
 
What’s her db level? I mean just get between 200-400 after 1k each ear rebate, you ended up with a pretty decent one, digital and Bluetooth enabled too. Do not get remote doe the hearing aid. It’s useless. Do get the one with Bluetooth because mine has find my hearing aid from my iPhone and save my ass many time.
 
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