What to do when you can't afford expensive hearing aids

Hearing Aids
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#38

Look you little Schwuchtel , I never said my wife mumbled I said, “Lots of times I have to ask my wife to repeat what she says 2-3-4 times cause I can not make all the words out even when shes only a few feet away. I can hear her talk but the words don’t register.”

Maybe you need glasses to straighten your crossed eyes out, that way you can actually understand what people write. Its sad a few blowhards like you turn a legit site into a site its ok to bully others…

I’m not looking for a handout you snowflake, just something reasonable. My house is paid for, I don’t owe a dime and never taken a dime from anyone. I worked for everthing I have and for a caring forum I can’t believe they let Schwuchtel’s like you post here.

Come see me someday we’ll have a big old fashion talk, I imagine you’ll mumble the rest of your life after I’m done.

2 Likes
#39

Doc_Jake was banned before the move here, @charly1954. He was able to get the bile flowing. :slight_smile:

#40

Yeah, But most times his judgement is correct. So Chill out @charly1954
Your comments aren’t exactly endearing,

#41

Hi there! Great question here.

I also spent a lot of time at the start researching inexpensive options to hear better. It seems any hearing aid that’s worth while will cost you over $1000 for the pair.

There are PSAP’s for less money though… basically they are quiet sound amplifiers so they will increase the volume of soft sounds for you. Problem with these is if you get a really cheap one, then it makes everything louder and it’s hard to understand what the heck is happening around you. There is a newer one out that has background noise reduction… so it will boost soft sounds, but not background noise like when you are in a busy coffee shop. It’s called the Otofonix Personal Sound Amplifier. If you Google it, there website should show up for you. I think they cost roughly $500 (not sure about that), but from all the reviews I’ve read - seems well worth the money. People seem actually really happy with them. Oh and they have some sort of full return policy for 30 days. So that’s nice.

I also came across another lower priced hearing product called the Etymotic Bean. The reviews I’ve read people reallllly like this one too. May be worth Googling.

Best of luck to you. I hope you find something that you can afford that works for you.

#42

There is no substitute for quality ha and a proper fitting. I just googled “free hearing aids” . There is an abundance of good advice for free and low cost
Providers as well as ha banks which offer donated aids. Good luck with your search your hearing is worth it.

#43

Ole Doc Jake was a real dick wasn’t he Kenny? The guy never confused facts with hugs and bs.

#44

Welcome back, Kotter.

#45

Another choice for a low cost hearing aid that is more than a simple ‘PSAP’ device is a SIEMENS LOTUS 12SP type of hearing aid from eBay. There are a few models and are priced starting at around $100 each. I bought two of the earlier 12SP’s (that had three small adjustments for overall gain, frequency related boosting and maximum sound limits) a few years ago. My hearing loss is the typical higher end frequencies. I tried the prior Costco Kirkland 6’s for three months and ended up returning them in that I thought the two Lotus 12SP’s were giving me very similar results.

I see there are newer Lotus 12SP’s out that feature “6 Channels 4 programs” … they omit the small adjustments mentioned above and probably replace them with the 4 user selectable programs. I don’t have any experience with these new models.

Some of these also look to be on Amazon these days.

So an approach could be to buy one of these 12SP’s and give it a try to see if it helps you. I it helps … good, buy another and use them. If it doesn’t help, you’ve only invested $100-$150. If you buy from Amazon, You can probably just return it if you’re not satisfied.

Good Luck!

#46

Actually, purchasing a pair on eBay might be a pretty good gamble. If you’re like most people and have hearing loss in the higher ranges. You could question the seller in this regard. Perfect solution? No, but you said any help would be welcome. JMO.

#47

The problem with them (Lotus12) is reliability. I went thru 6 of them over the course of about a year. They could be found for around $50 at the time.

So, green as grass, I bought some used Siemens for $500. Those lasted about a year. The repair was $300 (2) that was fortunately refunded when the heat related (guess) problem didn’t go away. Of course there isn’t a factory warranty and aids from all brands fail with regularity. Used and Chinese seem more prone. I was lucky in one respect. My ENT had an audiologist who provided adjustments for a 1-time $75.

Of course it was about 2+ years and compared to the alternatives ($3-6K) it was cheap. Looking back, I’d have to say too cheap and problematic. For me, Costco works out to be just as about as cheap and supported.

#48

Order them from Hearing Revolutions. Top of the line brand name hearing aids and you will save thousands off the cost per hearing aid than if you go to an audiologist and buy the same hearing aid from the the audiologist. Hearing Revolutions pays for a local audiologist to help you and you get a free hearing test, fitting, and 1 year of service and adjustments, plus 2 years free batteries. Can’t beat it. http://www.hearingrevolution.com/

#49

I think that payment plans are the way to go! That way you can still get a really high end hearing aid but not break the bank entirely! I know that Care Credit has some good options!

#50

I’m concerned that we’re starting to get more posts that sound like marketing and endorsements.

4 Likes
#51

If you mean my post, you’re 100% wrong. After being financially raped by 2 different private audiologist who pushed me around, didn’t listen to what I wanted, and taking a whopping total of $700 in trial fees when I walked away unsatisified and still without a hearing aid, I found Hearing Revolutions and couldn’t be happier. I got top of the line hearing aids - The Widex Dream 440 back in 2015 which one audiologist tried to gauge me for $3800 each, for $2000 from Hearing Revolutions. That’s no small savings. I only needed one because one of my ears needed a cochlear implant and can’t use any hearing aid, but for someone that needed two, that’s basically saving them $1800 per aid. And recently, I use upgraded to the Widex Beyond 440 and got that for $1750. I’m done with doing it the old way and getting ripped off. The same local audiologist sells these same hearing aids to his regular customers for alot more. It’s pretty stupid not to save thousands per hearing aid when you’re getitng thr same exact warranties and service.

#52

I’m glad you were happy with them. Perhaps it’s just a personal preference, but I always prefer hearing about somebody’s experience rather than being told I should do something.

#53

Sorry it was not phrased in a poem or a personal story. I was cutting to the chase and trying to help someone that asked what to do if they couldn’t afford expsnsive hearing aids. I believe that was what the original poster asked for. Advice. Not a story. Again, sorry that my recommendation didn’t fit your preference in the way it was presented. I linked the web site so that the original poster could research for themselves. I know when I told my private audiologist I was canceling the Widex Dream 440 because it was too much money ($3800 for ONE), she instantly began talking to me about how she could save me money by selecitng a different “price point” (aka giving me a lesser quality hearing aid). I had the ultimate satisfaction of shutting her down and laughing in her face by telling her I could buy the SAME hearing aid she was trying to sell me for $1800 LESS from Hearing Revolutions, so why on earth would I ever settle for a lesser quality one from her? She grew red faced and huffy. I walked out. It was almost wirth the $250 she gouged me for to cancel the order for a hearing aid I never even laid hands on, let alone trialed with her.

#54

Here is a tip for you and for everyone…do you have a university or college with an audiology dept anywhere near you. After having a bad experience with a local audiologist I went to our university years ago and have been very happy. The audiologists there have no vested interest in selling you anything you don’t truly need and have access to the latest and best equipment, etc.

1 Like
#59

@sabrin514 These posts have no relevance on a hearing aid forum. There are numerous political forums where you can make your viewpoints known, but this is not the place.

1 Like
#61

Use to be amazed now simply amused!

#62

For once I’m speechless.