Q&A

Subject: Hearing Aids in drawer

From: JT

I have been retired for 5 years and a have a hearing problem in addition to mild Tinnitus. I was evaluated by an audiologist and told I was a likely candidate for hearing aids. Problem is that neither Medicare nor my secondary insurance (Aetna) will cover. Being on that "fixed income" we hear so much about I do not have the luxury to put out that kind of money and possibly end up with two computerized hearing aids in the bureau drawer.

Hi J,

Many states have agencies that will pay for hearing aids if they will help getting a better job or improve your independence. In Maryland, the agency is the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and it has offices at Wheaton Plaza.

By law, all hearing aids come with a 30 day "trial period", which allows you to return the aid and get most of your money back if they don't work for you. We like to think of it as an "adjustment period", to be used to adjust the case and circuits so that they work for you. If we find that the hearing aid isn't the best one for you, you can exchange it for one more suited to your needs. At many centers there is no penalty for returning one aid in exchange for another. We simply adjust the invoice for the price of the new aid. At that point, a new thirty-day trial and adjustment period begins.

In instances where financial limitations are severe, we frequently recommend the purchase of reconditioned hearing aids (only available in the "behind-the-ear" style). In this way you can get more sophistication per dollar. The cost is generally about 1/3 the cost of a new aid.

Yet another alternative is to check your phone book for a not-for-profit agency from whom to purchase your aids. Professional services and products are supported by donations from the community so that these agencies can offer a sliding scale. University training programs in audiology also are a source of services and products at reduced cost in order to provide a training environment for graduate students.

Your audiologist should be able to offer you alternative choices at various price levels. Personally, I would recommend strongly that you purchase two hearing aids if at all possible even if it means that they employ more basic (cheaper) technology. Listening is a mental activity and your brain can best process sound and focus on the desired sounds most effectively if it receives balanced information from both ears. Again, that adjustment period is the time to try one, then the other and then both in order for you to see for yourself which is best. Your audiologist should be your resource during this time...visiting whenever there is the slightest question about physical comfort or sound quality. While the results cannot be perfect since you are working with a damaged auditory system, you should still derive significant benefit from properly selected hearing aids.

Good luck and enjoy your improved hearing!
Solveig