Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need hearing aid advice

I got mine at Sams in OKC, there was no Costco at the time, 3 yrs ago, it is total change in life with the wifey,she is happy now ,amazing what you can hear. I worked as a steelworker for 30 + yrs.and have shot all my life, blind in both ears, Lol, I think the warranty was four yrs. I have taken one back and got brand new one, no charge, from what info I can get it's the little speakers that go out on them, any brand, they do cost . I don't put them on when working cattle or in really dusty stuff, you have to keep them really clean,all of them. Robert

Does Costco or Sams sell Oticon hearing aids?

Craigslist comes to mind. There probably isn't one of us seniors who don't know of a more senior friend or relative who forked over 6k for a set of state of the art hearing aids and then died and there is a like new pair of hearing aids sitting home in a drawer somewhere. I personally know of three pair. At age 86, they are already ahead of the curve on any actuarial table. I do wonder if morticians bury many hearing aids? Costco refurbished possibly???

You need to ask Costco who makes their Kirkland brand. They put them out on bid every few years. Mine were made by Rexton. They sell the best quality available for the price they want to sell them for. Because of the huge volume they sell, manufacturers sell them the best stuff they have and still make money.

If your mom needs 'em, maybe she should have them. But, as somebody who has been looking into getting a pair myself...when I ask my friends of similar age of their thoughts on the subject, about 4 out of 5 say, "I got a pair at home in the drawer, you can try them, and if they work for you...you can have them." It seems there is a lesson there somewhere.

This year I went to the hearing aid doctor because I can't hear my wife.
The doctor said my left ear is dead above 2k Hz because I am a right handed rifle shooter.
I paid $6k.

It turns out I can't hear the wife with the hearing aid either. She is low talker that speaks while clanging thing together right on the key words.

I have not worn the hearing aid again since the first month. Waste of money.

The lesson I see, is , when you have them on you become accountable to Questions, when you don't you can play dumb to the ones you don't want to answer, just what I do anyway...Lol

Most hearing loss is "high frequency roll off". loss between 19000 down to around 12000. which means that word sound alikes will be confused, the ability to "pull out a specific conversation from background noise", and the loudness of any sound rules what yu hear.

At the top of list, the person getting the aids must be very "loud" about informing others, especially spouses, they have a handicap. Others must speak clearly, use tongue on hard consonants, and talk above 40 db. or go fught themselves.

any talking while walking down a hall way with head down, will be dealt with by a plate to the back of the head. I love to whisper I cant hear you.

Do not talk louder because you cant hear, this only makes "them" talker quieter, talk lower and they will talk louder, its an amazing trick.

Have all the latest trick stuff in mine, but the feature I like the most is the off switch. People would be surprised how much noise pollution they put up with. It really is a problem,

Lots of difference between analog hearing amplifiers, and digital with AI chips that adjust the phase relationship for direction. Make sure you ask who ever about that stuff.

Prefer Miracle Ear, every year they say, I see your aids are slowing down, lets send them in under warranty for a new pair. I don't wait in any lines, never need to make an appointment, and they don't care what state Im in at the time.

Grandma just smiled and nodded a lot and that seemed to work fine for her. Sweetness always tries to carry on a conversation from at least one room away and it is amazing what I tend to hear or not hear sometimes. Like most of you right hand shooters, our left side high frequency hearing got left at the rifle range. She knows that I have a good ear and a bad ear and I always have a built in excuse for saying that I didn't hear her say something.

Yup stupid questions.

Anyone who shoots should consider having built in protection for gun shots.

I have had hearing aids for 15 years and have experienced all of the above mentioned problems, cost vs quality and service. I get mine from the VA but the brands are similar to those mentioned..In my experience background noise is the major factor leading to frustration with the hearing aids.
Everything including wind noise will interrupt the quality of reception. Please work with her to explain some of the issues you have read here.
Also, if possible get the ones that are rechargeable and have a self contained battery

high frequency roll off is age dependent an not necessarily, deterioration of the hair cell, and not db dependent.


sometimes female communications is more histrionics than fact transfer.


If someone gets upset because I didn't hear them, I jump in their [bleep] with both feet, Yelling COMMUNICATION IS A TWO WAY EVENT. UU HAVE AS MUCH RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE UNDERSTOOD AS I DO TO HEAR YOU.

Hearing aids can't fix hearing problems. What the test does is identify what frequencies you've lost. Then they amplifies the frequencies you can hear on both sides of the lost area. It's not a cure, just a partial go-around. My problem is background noise. If there's noise in the room, I can't make out speech at all. Any sound coming through a PA system is just noise.

sheet

We talked my Mother in law into going to cosco to get her hearing tested.

She always said that there was nothing that they could do for her.

Her problem is she did not want to spend the money to get a good set of aids.

After her visit she no longer had to turn up the tv to 55+ just to hear the shows.

It is nice.
It did not cost as much as she thought and has gone back to get adjustments from time to time and get them cleaned.

It's worth it.

She is 87 years old.

yes thats called the "cocktail syndrome" picking out a conversation in a group the highest decibel count level will be the one yu hear. some aids have directional pickup, and you can use an app on your cell phone to "trick" the ear mics , not a total fix but workable.

Yes especially if they use muzzle brakes.

I have tinnitus in both ears with it being worse in the left ear, and hearing loss in general more in the left ear.
My aids are only of marginal help for me with volume adjustment and directional adjustment.
It is amazing how pissed people get when you have to ask them to speak in a way that will help you hear them.