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Looking into hearing aids for my mom - severe hearing loss

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Hello,

I have been researching hearing aids for my mom. She currently has Beltone and has had this brand for years. I want her to try another brand. What I am finding is that Phonak seems to be rated the highest for severe hearing loss.

Her left ear hearing has practically no hearing. Her right ear has some hearing (30%). The test attached is from 2022. I am not sure how to read it! The Beltone person wants her to buy 2 aids, the left aid transmits sound to the right one. But she did have these many years ago and it did not seem to be helpful. I would love any thoughts!

Screen Shot 2025-01-16 at 9.06.49 AM
Screen Shot 2025-01-16 at 9.06.38 AM

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Is a cochlear implant evaluation a possibility? Those word recognition scores are pretty low. I’d focus on finding a good audiologist, not shopping for hearing aids.

Edited

The audiologist at her didn’t think she’s a good candidate for cochlear implants because of her age. She’s 92 and surgery may not be a good idea. Plus the recovery time. I have not personally researched those. She does come from a family of super agers so maybe? I am not really shopping but wanted to suss out what the best hearing aids might be for her hearing loss then find an audiologist that has knowledge of and offers those brands.

@Ssrowe said:

best hearing aids might be for her hearing loss

I use Phonak’s P70 and programmed properly they do wonders, the newer ones would probably be even better, but I say again programing is a large part of making it work for you. See my chart for comparison.

In reply to @Ssrowe

Tough call. Mainly depends on her. If she’s still full of life and socially active, implants might be the way to go. If she mainly stays home in quiet situations any aid that has enough gain should do.

OK, wow. I’m no audiologist - just a long LONG time wearer of aids. You can see that my own is low as a snake’s belly, but since I started wearing aids in my 30s, I’ve had 3+ decades to grow with them as technology changes.

Your mom’s biggest challenge is (as stated already) her word recognition. It may have decreased with aids that have not been serving her needs for many years. In even 6 mos, my word recognition dropped to upper 50% with a faulty right aid. Is your mom a SOCIAL person? Cuz if she is, having better aids AND accessories (portable mics, streamed TV and phone calls) can train her brain to start processing speech better. Yes, AGE is a factor here tho…

I think you’re on the right track looking into the Phonak Audeo Sphere i90 aids or the Phonak Naida Lumity i90 aids to see if they can boost her word recognition. Maybe take that as an overall GOAL here - over quality of sound, programs or features.

If you think she’s mentally agile enough, pursue the accessories like Roger On iN mics, and perhaps a smart phone (I have a Samsung Android flip-phone) that would let her stream phone calls via Bluetooth. I realize this may be TOO MUCH at once, so take it in baby steps.

If your mom has physical dexterity, she can skip streaming phone calls and put her Phonak aids into “Acoustic Phone” mode to get stereophonic calls - it’s the next best thing to streaming right into the aids.

Keep the faith, keep us posted on what works for her. GOOD LUCK!

In reply to @Ssrowe

@Ssrowe Just a few bookkeeping issues first. Beltone is a product manufactured by GN Group which is the company that also makes ReSound hearing aids and the Jabra GN model that is sold at Costco. Beltone (the retail store) is the retail outlet for Beltone so I would expect that they would emphasize that brand. I would also expect that they would be among the highest prices you find because that seems to be the case with retail outlets of the major brands.

That said, your mother needs an audiologist which can deal with her special needs. She is 92 (I guess I am a youngster at only 85 :grinning:) and she has poor asymmetrical hearing. I have found that audiologists in EMT offices are sometimes not the best. They may be part time or moonlight in those offices which they do because EMTs usually know little about hearing aids (they are experts in the physical aspects of the ear and associated medical problems). Getting a good audiologist you can trust is the most important part of the process. And while I have the Phonak Sphere 90’s and would certainly recommend them, the better route is to find an audiologist who will let you try (for a couple of weeks) other brands also, such as Opticon Intent 1 and/or Starkey. A good independent audiologist should guide you in the proper direction.

In reply to @1Bluejay

Thank you! This is very helpful.

She does have an android smartphone although it’s probably in need of an upgrade as well : ) She has pretty good dexterity although the electronic world vexes her a bit. She uses her phone fairly well and has started using an I-Pad.

As far as being social, yes she is. She goes to church, she has neighbors she talks to on occasion, she sees a family member or 2 most weeks, she goes to the grocery store, gets her nails done. I know she hates missing out on some parts of conversations when we are all together. We can be loud which I am sure is not helpful! She’s really only around larger groups on holidays.

I will definitely research accessories!

In reply to @raylock1

Thank you. She starting going to Beltone because a friend of my brother had a Beltone business (I guess that it was a retail business?) and has always gone there since the first hearing aids she purchased. The business has now changed hands. They actually seem a little more involved then the last owners. Regardless, they actually recommended recently 2 hearing aids, the left aid would transmit sound to the right aid (her better ear). The cost is somewhere over $5000. She has had this configuration in the past but as of the last 5 or 6 years she’s only had one aid in the the right ear so I am curious as to why they want her to try those again?

As far as an independent audiologist, I believe I have found one? The practice has good reviews. I will look into the audiologist she has an appointment with.

In reply to @Ssrowe

@Ssrowe said:

The cost is somewhere over $5000

You might check ZipHearing.com11. They sell the latest Phonak Infinio Spheres for about $3800 for a pair of aids including fitting and one year of service. They have a network of audiologists which they deal with. A phone call to them will get the names of audiologists in your local area (US). I have dealt with them and they recommended a couple of very good audiologists in my local area. They are low key, no pressure folks so it would not be a bad thing to call them to get names of their audiologists even if you don’t do business with them.

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