#9

Have you tried Costco with 180 days return policy. Check it out.

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#10

Took a look at your audiogram. Are you using earmolds or domes?
If money is a concern I to recommended Costco. They have top of the line aids and use best fit procedures. That’s as good or better than many hearing clinics.
I also think going back to Costco and getting your existing aids properly fit just might be a big surprise for you. You need earmolds if you don’t have them.
Good luck and keep reading this forum. Lots of great information that can save you a bunch of headaches and money.

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#11

My opinion is - go with what you can afford. All of these aids pretty much give the same result. I had and still have Resound One, Phonak Marvel and Paradise 90 with Roger technology, Starkey Livio and Evolv. Also had Signia Stylleto Connect 7 and Widex 440 back few years ago. I don’t know about others, but for me, all these aids give pretty much the same result.

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#12

I’m guessing the “three letter name” is REM (Real Ear Measurement)
You have a pretty significant loss. Learning your Word Recognition Scores would give you an idea
of how much hearing aids can be expected to help.

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#13

Under Speach audiometry it says 72 right, 68 left, db Hl85. With WRS1 mask as the header.
I think that’s the word recognition score becasuse he said I was at 70 percent if I remember right. Said he was kind of surprised I did that well. The voice that said “say the word - xxxx” sounded like it had a pillow over the mic. LOL

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#14

Thanks. So remember that even with properly adjusted hearing aids you’re going to be missing about 30% of the words. You’re going to need to rely on multiple methods to understand people. Speaking face to face in fairly quiet situations will help a lot. Noisy situations are going to be tough. A good remote microphone can help. It is possible your Word Recognition might be better with a little more volume, but I’m no expert.

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#15

If his aids have not been set up right for his hearing loss for some time it can be detrimental to his word understanding. If he does get his aids properly set up he just might get some of that word understanding back. I know I did. With his audiogram it’s very possible.

#16

I have another appointment with the new audiologist tomorrow.
I need to make a list so i don’t forget my questions.
70% seemed low to me, but my hearing is really situation dependent. In a car i can turn the radio up and hear pretty much every word of a talk show. Music is different. Oldies i can mostly get. Any new stuff , forget about it . People that talk fast are really hard to understand. And of course more background noise/more conversations going on, is really hard. Also some voices are harder than others even if its quiet.

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#17

Sorry, typing on a phone is not all that great. Lots of spelling errors
Found the edit button, LOL

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#18

Going in with a list of the topics you want to discuss is a great idea. A good audiologist should also ask about your lifestyle, to help them understand your needs. Good luck!

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#19

The skill of the audiologist who is treating you is more important than the brand of aid your purchase. While your current aids are likely out of warranty I’d be curious to know what benefit new aids are going to give you over your currrent aids? Some/most providers are going to want to charge an “adoption fee” if they did not sell you the aids in order to treat you. Not a fan of this business model but I get it. Audiologist have to make enough to stay in business and cover the cost of treating someone who purchased aids elsewhere. My point is finding that provider who you trust to be the expert that your not is worth the effort. I’ve had too many friends over the years who were sold hearing aids but did not have success with them which in my opinion had a lot to do with the providers they may have chosen. I’m still rocking my original Phonak Marvel’s I purchased over 5 years ago. My hearing has changed over that time and I just got fitted with custom molds which allowed my audiologist to better fit my aids to my current hearing loss. Like any other product or service your purchase I’d advise spending the time to educate yourself on what you should be getting for service (someone committed to best practices ect) and then find the person who can best provide that for you at a price point that you can afford.

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#20

Thank you again for the replies.
I ended up getting/ordering the Genisis 1600 with this new audiologist. Ĥe gets 5 star reviews on yelp.
It’s alot more than i wanted to spend, but hopefully they will be much better than what I have. Been reading about the app and it can set programs for different situations. Edge mode is what I’m most hopeful about.
The costco here seems really busy compared to what it was when i first got aids. The want an appointment for everything now. I used to just walk in and get them cleaned/filter changed, minor stuff.
I mentioned my parents before and that takes most of my time. If this guy is good and i can get little maintenance things done more easily. And if he does a good setup and fitting. I guess the money is worth it.
I just need to do something with my hearing. My current aids are better than not using them, but its to the point I’m missing to much.
Hopefully the tec is much better now, cause my ears aren’t. Lol
I just have to build my savings account back up. And thats harder now with the economy.
I’ll post more when i get the new aids.
Thanks everyone. :slight_smile:

#21

I have been wearing aids for 20 years, a good audiologist that listens to you is the most important thing you can have.
You really need ear molds with your hear loss, and you need annual hearing test.

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#22

Do you have a timeframe that you can return those hearing aids if they don’t prove out? Or the fitter doesn’t help you as needed?
Read the contract well for your own good.
Yelp reviews??? I don’t know. I hate getting thrown under the bus!
Good luck, keep us posted when you can.

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#23

He said I had 45 days to decide if they are what i need/expect/return.
Yea, the whole yelp thing im not sure means much. Supposed to be a lot of fake reviews. I don’t know anyone who has hearing loss that already has an audiologist for a recommendation. So no personal experiences to go by. Just my own.

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#24

Do you have any friends who are teachers? The other secret pathway to good audiology recommendations is via the educational audiologist or itinerant teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing. They often cover a wide region and have exposure to a lot of people with hearing aids, work closely with clinical audiologists and so may have good suggestion.

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#25

Are you using the same hearing aids that are 6-7 years old? They are probably not working very well at all. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for the last 24 years. Mine have lasted me only 3-5 years and I put them in the dryer every night. I have been using in the ear the entire time and my audiologist said I won’t be able to get my full hearing back this is as good as it gets. My loss has gotten even worse over the last 10 years and I was showed on a screen that they can only adjust it so much. I have had the same audiologist the entire time but it was only this year did I finally start binge watching a bunch of youtube videos did I learn that the over the ear model is more powerful and what is needed for my severe to profound hearing loss. My “professional audiologist” didn’t even mention over the ear to me. I did tell him 24 years ago that I wanted in the ear type to be more discreet but to me he should have mentioned years ago that I will be able to hear much better with the over the ear type. I went to Costco and recently ordered the Jabra 20 for $1600. The hearing fitters that work there are okay, I felt like I knew more than them after watching so much Youtube but the nice thing about the Jabras is that you can use the app and adjust a lot of settings on top of what the Costco people do to get your baseline. So for me, the audiologist definitely didn’t help me out. I’m sure there are better ones out there but not so in my case

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#26

I also have Phanak from Costco. Tried some really expensive ones a couple months ago. Little better but not much. Then I asked the Hospital Audiology Doctor is she could tune up mine. Sometimes they are locked for costco and sometimes not. She did a much more thorough exam and was able to replrogram my hearing aids to be just as good as the expensive ones. Seek out a Dr. of Audiology before you spend to much $ and see if they can tune yours up like I had mine tuned up. They are capable of so much more than Costco can set up.

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#27

I was in a similar situation as you with 6 yr old HAs which I had out grew. I have a teaching AuD who tests me every year but, they don’t accept ins and with my new coverage it was time to move on. I am keeping the AuD for yearly evals because I trust her experience and knowledge.
I have two options, TruHearing through my health plan( $3K out of pocket for Nexia 9s- I’m a Resound guy and have been for 25 yrs) or Costco( $1.5K for the Nexia equilivents-Jabra Enhance Pro 20s). I met with the TruHearing AuD and didn’t feel comfortable with his feedback or recommendations. Decided to try Costco. Although the rep was not a liscensed AuD, her knowledge base and understanding seemed a cut above the TruHearing AuD so I took the plunge.
First week with the new aids and they are a considerably improvement over what I was using. I feel I can manage my hearing adjustments and work with the Costco rep I have. I have considerable experience with HAs though, where you are just beginning your journey. It may be beneficial staying with the AuD in your case. It’s a tough call.
I just wanted to say the hardware being sold at Costco is quality. The savings are an added bonus. Gone are the days of paying $5-6K out of pocket which I was back in the beginning.
Just put the time in getting the adjustments to your needs. If your AuD is a good one, that should be the expectation. Good luck!

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#28

I agree that the multiple adjustments are key to a good experience. I just got new hearing aids, and was surprised how CRANKY I was to have to go through all those adjustments again. Even after wearing hearing aids for many years, re-jigging the new ones is work. Take the time for yourself. Take notes between visits, give feedback as you get tweaked. Smile, go, enjoy. And hats off for all you do for your parents.

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