My recent series on dealing with age-related hearing loss, presbycusis, has generated a spate of emails. Many of these emails have recounted stories like mine, about experimenting with hearing aids, and finding good experts to deal with.
I have at least one more column to come in the series. At this point I am on my fourth trial set – a pair of Rexton-branded units from Costco. This marks my second Costco trial, as I was not at all impressed with the first pair, a set of Jabra Enhance Pro made by GN Audio of Denmark.
I’m only a week in on the Rexton trial so it is too early to draw a conclusion, but I’m impressed with the artificial intelligence aspects of the software being used with these units. They are the most comfortable and practical ones yet, for my purposes.
Reader Marianne W thanked me for the columns so far, while noting that even though she was not yet in need of hearing assistance she felt better prepared for a potential future intervention.
Reader Andrea L. had a bit of a fan letter:
“I’ve been meaning to send you a note of appreciation for many years. Reading your column in The B.C. Catholic is invariably informative, despite, or maybe due to, my status as a Luddite. You do a great job of explaining in a popular style the complexities of our tech society.”
Reader Maria V. had a comment on using AirPods as hearing assistance devices:
“Just an FYI in case you’ve never heard of the option. My father-in-law recently got his ears tested and balked at the price tag of hearing aids. He input the audiogram that he got from one of these hearing tests into his iPhone, and bought himself a simple pair of AirPods. They will accept the audiogram and help him hear conversations again. They aren’t anywhere near as good as hearing aids, and are NOT sold as such. But they can be programmed to block out background noise and amplify conversation.”
Reader Adam R. related his experience:
“I just read your article about your experience with hearing aids. I use hearing aids purchased from Costco at half the cost of the other brands and am very happy with them. Hopefully, you can incorporate the Costco hearing aids into your research. I went to three different hearing aid stores and found the service levels and sales pressures different from store to store.”
Adam sent along several photos of the Philips hearing aid software he is using. Philips-branded aids are part of the Demant group which also produces aids under the Oticon, Bernafon, and Sonic labels. “I have had the hearing aids since May of 2023 and am very happy with the service I received at Costco. The total cost was $2,100 for two hearing aids. They are the Philips, HearLink 9040 MNR TR model. I am an Apple phone user and have no issues connecting with the hearing aids.”
Reader Juliette R. from Mission was in the middle of a hearing aids trial herself when she wrote:
“I was anxiously waiting for this week’s B.C. Catholic so that I could read the continuing story of your second hearing test. Did you decide to purchase hearing aids after all? I’ve been going through a similar experience, and I did buy a pair from Costco for $2000. I’m not sure that I hear better with them in normal situations or when watching TV. It’s in group situations that I find I have problems hearing or when young kids speak. I have 90 days (Note: since raised to 6 months) to decide whether I want to keep them or not. I’m curious as to what you’ve done about it.”
Maureen B. wrote to describe experiences she had with a chain clinic and how she ended up at an independent outlet where she and her husband bought hearing aids and how the person there reprogrammed her old hearing aids at no cost for her daughter. Maureen had been using Phonak hearing aids since 2018, and now uses Bernafon aids. “My previous aids used disposable batteries; the rechargeable model I now have is a dream. The cost of the aids was 20 per cent cheaper than the Phonaks I had originally bought.”
Reader Penny O., a retired nurse, was, I think, partly taking me to task for exploring too many options as I seek the right hearing aids for me.
“For sure you are aware of the benefits of maintaining your hearing as you age. So, I’m not sure if my work experience in the operating rooms has made me head to the most direct solution of any challenge - to get what I need by the shortest route - or whether I would rather not fiddle around looking for the cheapest solution. So, after becoming disappointed with the first older pair I purchased from a hearing centre in New Westminster because they distorted music, especially pianos, to the point of not wearing them for several years, I decided to get busy after my daughter, a nurse in Prince George, pointed out to me that I was missing words in conversation. So, I returned to the centre, purchased a new rechargeable battery, and resumed. To my surprise and benefit, the centre informed me of a sale, and I tried it out and bought a new pair. What a difference!
“In conclusion, I can’t recommend enough going to a hearing professional and getting the best advice and care, as well as proper follow up,” she notes.
In another part of her message to me Penny said, after reading my articles, she said, “You get what you pay for.”
I replied that I don’t think this actually applies in the hearing aid business. Here’s what I wrote to her. “I’m not so sure about the conclusion about getting what you pay for in this field. It seems to me that the handful of major companies running 80 per cent of the business are as dominating as the family that controls much of the eyeglass frames business.
“What I see is that nearly all the storefront clinics are controlled by several majors. They also control what gets sold at Costco. I’m pretty sure that what gets sold at Costco is almost the same as the high-priced stuff but with certain features turned off. That’s my judgment after trying Jabra from Costco and Serene from Beltone, both ultimately from GN Audio. Completely identical, and, in my opinion, bad software to control the aids.”
Hearing aids are complex pieces of technology that are benefiting from rapid changes in microelectronics and software. There is no one-choice-fits-all solution. It’s been an interesting journey for me, and I’ve been impressed with the caring and professional experts I’ve met in all the clinics I’ve visited so far.
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