Hearing assessment

crewahl

Sorry, what did you say? 😉

it was a far more comprehensive assessment than I had six years ago. Since Brian seemed interested, I’ll describe it. (That’s your cue to scroll in if not interested.) 😉

It started with a lot of good questions about what I do and don’t experience with hearing. Some were “I hadn’t thought about that” questions.

Next, a quick exam of the ears - no wax, but I apparently have narrow and slightly crooked ear canals.

The first step of the audiogram was Jeopardy, where you press a clicker when you hear a tone. Next was hearing a sentence and repeating it back. They tested at what point I felt something was too loud They tested my ability to mentally process speech by repeating sentences. They tested what I could hear with difference levels of background noise. They tested my speech recognition by having my wife read a series of words, and having me repeat the word. Interesting observation - even when I’m paying particular attention, I’m more likely to miss the first portion if a word. For example, I found it hard to distinguish whether the word was “earn” or “burn”, but I could tell it ended with an “rn” sound.

So my hearing in the “normal” speech range has NOT, surprisingly, deteriorated over the past six years. However, my high frequency hearing has deteriorated. We decided to see if hearing aids improved it.

So they put in a set of sample hearing aids AND put a little microphone just past then do they could verify what the devices were producing for sound. We did some additional tests, and they were able to improve my ability to distinguish speech in a noisy environment.

Side note- it’s easier to buy with confidence when they tell you “I don’t think you’ll get enough value from our top end devices; the midrange ones should do perfectly fine”.

A side benefit? Newer devices like these are also Bluetooth-enabled, so they will double as headphones for my iPhone and iPad. It also means I can increase volume with an app rather than fiddling with tiny buttons. And since I’m using a behind-the-ear device, I’m using my normal hearing for most speech, but getting assistance with clarity at higher frequencies.

So I ordered them, and next Wednesday I get trained on how to use and maintain them - and pay for them. I’m oddly looking forward to it.

steve0mania

Interesting. I would guess getting hearing aides would be similar to getting glasses for the first time. It took some getting used to, but boy was it nice to be able to see clearly! Good luck with them. The only downside is you won't be able to claim to your wife, "Sorry, I didn't hear you dear."

misterhub

I have had periodic hearing assessments, and I have not needed hearing aids thus far; although, I do have some high frequency loss from my NAVY days.

My hearing problem is that I sometimes have a hard time discerning a specific voice when it is competing with a lot of surrounding sounds. It all comes to me as a cacophony of sounds with no individuality. I often have to cup my ear to focus on the specific voice I want to hear.

Flintwinch

I did the hearing assessment, much like Charlie’s, this Spring. The upshot is that I have mild hearing loss and could benefit from using hearing aids. So far, so good. The adjustment to this change was much easier than adjusting to a CPAP device. I bought a device with some bells and whistles that were important to me. The technology has improved a lot since the days of the ear trumpet.

crewahl

misterhub Posts: 6,995 Member10:07AM

I have had periodic hearing assessments, and I have not needed hearing aids thus far; although, I do have some high frequency loss from my NAVY days.

Greg - if your hearing loss is from your time in the Navy, the VA is one of the highest rated places to get hearing aids. And although I have nearly normal hearing in the range of normal speech, they were able to clarify sound in noisy environments that mimic a restaurant. In other words, the technology today can do quite a bit. I told my wife it seems like I’m not getting help with my hearing as much as I am with my environment.

We'll see what it’s like after I’ve lived with them for a few weeks.

Al_Howard

I had a VA hearing test, which showed "a tiny bit" more than my last one (3-4 yrs. ago at a non-VA doctor)

The VA gal said If I was on the "outside" she'd be "selling" me a hearing aid. As we were at the VA, she said it was my call. She could put me in for one, but I really don't "need" one, yet.

Brian_19

This is great information, Charlie. Thank you!

I started the process yesterday to schedule an evaluation with the VA. My understanding is that whether or not the hearing loss is service-related, most active duty veterans will qualify for audiology services, including hearing aids, without regard to the qualifying criteria one would need to meet to receive other health services.

Jerdtrmndone

Thanks for sharing @crewahl I've been dealing with the same hearing issues as you but the expense is not affordable and I don't. think Medicare covers them.

crewahl

@Brian_19 Brian - if you have access to Consumer Reports, this month's issue has a good article about hearing aids. Their website has a more expansive set of information, including a buying guide. It was helpful in assessing whether I wanted to explore OTC devices or deal with a hearing professional. I concluded based on the articles that the OTC I would likely want would be in the $1K range, and also that I wouldn’t get full value from something more generic like that. So, I went to a HearingLife facility.

@Al_Howard Al - like you, my hearing is on the borderline. Although I don’t need them necessarily, I concluded that I would benefit from them. It’s more a quality of life issue for me. I’m tired of being the one who says “sorry, I didn’t quite get that”, and my wife is a bit tired of it as well.

@jerdtrmndone Medicare doesn’t cover age-related hearing loss or hearing aids, you’re right - although if you have a Medicare Advantage supplement (not me) they may offer that coverage. The firm I went through did do some price-matching on what competitors do, and there were some savings from that. I’ll end up spending $5100 for these (which are good one), and considering my mother spent $3800 over twelve years ago for a product that was less sophisticated, I was okay with that. We'll see if it was a good value in a year or so.

Flintwinch

I got Jabari Enhanced Pro hearing aids from Costco for $1600

cakeman21k

My favorite T shirt is

Also it tickled me when we went for a hearing evaluation together and my DW needed them and I did not! And just for an added bonus the audiologist told her she needed to face me when talking to me if she expected me to hear her!

crewahl

I feel less guilty now about telling my wife she mumbles . . . 😉