Getting Real About Hearing Loss

I've been dealing with hearing loss for over ten years, but the price of hearing aids and the thoughts of wearing them kept me from doing anything significant about it. About eight years ago, I bought an OTC pair for $600 and wore them about a month before I quit. They were one-size-fits-all and did not work for me. What a waste. 

Last year, I went to an audiologist who told me I have mild hearing loss and recommended I not waste my money on hearing aids, which were in the area of $8-10K. So I continued on with life. . . 

. . . pretending I hear when I don't. Here are some scenarios that give me trouble: I'm in the car riding with my friends chatting against the sounds of the engine humming, the tires on the road bouncing and rolling, and the wind beating against the car from all directions. Even worse, I'm at a restaurant dining among clanking dishes, the bustle of servers taking orders, and the high and low pitched voices of people conversing. Or, I'm at the opera or theatre, trying to understand not only what's happening on the stage, but also the friends that I go with. Lucky for me, they now have closed captioning on TV and at the Opera. I do have good eyes, but that's another story for another day! Unfortunately, my friends don't have closed captioning! In all these scenarios, I miss about 50% of the conversation; and, gradually, lose interest in being there.

Lately, I've noticed more comments from my friends and family about my hearing, so even they have noticed. Yesterday, I finally did something about it. First, I did research online to find out the prices of hearing aids and the different between OTC and Rx hearing aids. I knew that, in 2022, our government passed a law establishing new guidelines for selling hearing aids to those with mild to moderate hearing loss. And, since I knew my loss was considered mild to moderate, I settled on purchasing one of the new OTC hearing aids now available. 

First, I looked into Costco, which was highly recommended. I decided I did not want to drive an hour away every time I needed to deal with issues. The recommended hearing aids at Costco were the Jabra brand, so I did research on Jabra online by looking at reviews from audiologists and on BBB to learn about after-purchase service. Apparently, this is one of the best brands available at the price point, and it's equivalent to some of the better Rx brands, especially for those, like me, who have mild to moderate hearing loss. I finally settled on the Jabra Enchanced 300 with a three-year warranty and online support for $1995. 

They tested my ears online. I wore my Apple air pods with noise cancellation to take the test for an optimal in-home testing environment. 

Jabra offers a no-interest payment plan for 12 months, but I opted to pay outright as I didn't want to add to my monthly bills. However, this is a good option for those who don't want to pay in full.

The hearing aides, programmed to my hearing loss, will arrive on Friday. I have a ZOOM appointment the following week with their audiologist to help me learn how to use the Jabra 300 and to do any final programming. Then, I have 100 days from the time they arrive to decide if they are working for me. 

I'll update you on my progress and let you know how it goes. If it goes well, I hope others will take advantage of this new, lower-cost resource for hearing aids. From my own experience, I can see how hearing affects your mental health. I found myself feeling left out of the conversation and wanting to just stay home. That's not healthy for anyone.