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I’d bet that many here have experienced some degree of hearing impairment.
Between zilions of rounds fired, hunting / military, and sitting b/t unmuffled airplane engines, at age 80 my hearing is “in decline”.
Most will face the question of “What, if anything, should I do?”. This brings up the related question of “hearing aids”.
Our “Ear Doctors”, both real ENT Surgeons and their Quack imitators/pretenders, really push “hearing aids”. They are as bad as used car salesmen, and twice as persistent. There is great profit in hearing aid selling. Politicians have even got our V.A. on-board, with all sorts of supplemental payments for us “Veterans”.
I thought some on here may benefit from my recent experiences in this area. Yes, I’ve been having periodic detailed “hearing tests”, with their squiggly line reports. Because of my field of work, I actually understand the “techno-gibberish”; but what exactly does it mean in terms of helping us during our “decining years” ?
First, pushers of the aids often liken them to eyeglasses, which is deceptive. One can easily remove, don, or change eyeglasses for the situation at hand. Not so with the aids, which ride within the outer ear canal, requiring experience & effort to remove. Plus, glasses don’t make those embarrassing squealing sounds in Church.
They are not uncomfortable or terribly noticeable. As if I were concerned about the outward appearance. I have been repeatedly offered “fittings” of aids, most recenty by my really great young Ear Doc, once a student where I taught.
Recalling that I have several Physician Friends, and other Friends, with recent experience as the patient, wearing new hearing aids, they were “polled”..
Three of those Docs said that the aids are “more trouble than worth”; while a fourth Doc was still undecided. Another Non-MD Buddy told of paying north of $7K for his pair, only to soon learn that his Nephew’s $299 WalMart devices actually worked better for him, a lot better.
Considering life situations: If your probem is compaints re LOUD radio or TV, consider place a bluetooth speaker at your chair. If your problem is hearing the sermons @ Church, the aids will help, as there is no background noise there.
If it is understanding conversation in a loud area or crowd, good luck. If you have difficulty with private conversation, try asking the person to speak slowly, more loudly, and to be “clear”. If a super hot chick, just stand closer, you now have a real reason & excuse.
One gigantic problem with today;s technology seems to be cancellation or diminution of “background noise”. My $!K+ pilot headsets work great, but they are quite large, unlike the aids. The “Walkers Game Ear” & other hunting headsets work relatively well, as they both physically obstruct outside noise, plus cancel noises electronically.
But, it seems that the micro circuitry needed fo fit into one’s ear still has great difficulty in this area.
MY bottom line: If hearing is causing you significant problems, get a pair of the $99 to $299 devices, just to see how you tolerate the concept of wearing hearing aids. That may help you avoid a $7,000 mistake.
Good Luck; remember that “Old Age is NOT for Sissies !”
leVieux
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I’d bet that many here have experienced some degree of hearing impairment.
Between zilions of rounds fired, hunting / military, and sitting b/t unmuffled airplane engines, at age 80 my hearing is “in decline”.
Most will face the question of “What, if anything, should I do?”. This brings up the related question of “hearing aids”.
Our “Ear Doctors”, both real ENT Surgeons and their Quack imitators/pretenders, really push “hearing aids”. They are as bad as used car salesmen, and twice as persistent. There is great profit in hearing aid selling. Politicians have even got our V.A. on-board, with all sorts of supplemental payments for us “Veterans”.
I thought some on here may benefit from my recent experiences in this area. Yes, I’ve been having periodic detailed “hearing tests”, with their squiggly line reports. Because of my field of work, I actually understand the “techno-gibberish”; but what exactly does it mean in terms of helping us during our “decining years” ?
First, pushers of the aids often liken them to eyeglasses, which is deceptive. One can easily remove, don, or change eyeglasses for the situation at hand. Not so with the aids, which ride within the outer ear canal, requiring experience & effort to remove. Plus, glasses don’t make those embarrassing squealing sounds in Church.
They are not uncomfortable or terribly noticeable. As if I were concerned about the outward appearance. I have been repeatedly offered “fittings” of aids, most recenty by my really great young Ear Doc, once a student where I taught.
Recalling that I have several Physician Friends, and other Friends, with recent experience as the patient, wearing new hearing aids, they were “polled”..
Three of those Docs said that the aids are “more trouble than worth”; while a fourth Doc was still undecided. Another Non-MD Buddy told of paying north of $7K for his pair, only to soon learn that his Nephew’s $299 WalMart devices actually worked better for him, a lot better.
Considering life situations: If your probem is compaints re LOUD radio or TV, consider place a bluetooth speaker at your chair. If your problem is hearing the sermons @ Church, the aids will help, as there is no background noise there.
If it is understanding conversation in a loud area or crowd, good luck. If you have difficulty with private conversation, try asking the person to speak slowly, more loudly, and to be “clear”. If a super hot chick, just stand closer, you now have a real reason & excuse.
One gigantic problem with today;s technology seems to be cancellation or diminution of “background noise”. My $!K+ pilot headsets work great, but they are quite large, unlike the aids. The “Walkers Game Ear” & other hunting headsets work relatively well, as they both physically obstruct outside noise, plus cancel noises electronically.
But, it seems that the micro circuitry needed fo fit into one’s ear still has great difficulty in this area.
MY bottom line: If hearing is causing you significant problems, get a pair of the $99 to $299 devices, just to see how you tolerate the concept of wearing hearing aids. That may help you avoid a $7,000 mistake.
Good Luck; remember that “Old Age is NOT for Sissies !”
leVieux
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