I used three private audiologists over a 20-year period but never felt my aids were optimally adjusted for my loss despite repeated revisits for corrected adjustments. The new adjustments would work for a few weeks or months and then I’d again be feeling like I wasn’t being heard by my audiologists, as my speech comprehension was still long-term unsatisfactory.
After my last pair of rechargeable ReSounds were shot and needed to be replaced at almost the 5-year point*, which was leaving the per-year price model more expensive than I wanted to keep going, I finally went to Costco. I had held out against going there mainly because the closest one to me is two hours away. The Costco aids were less than a third of the price of similar-feature replacement aids from any private audiologist, and for the first time, I feel like I have aids that were properly adjusted and with the initial settings. She nailed it. I haven’t had to go back (nine months later). And she’s a “hearing specialist,” not a PhD audiologist! She knew what she was doing and took the time to understand what issues I was having with my previous aids.
Of course there are good, very good, and weak Costco hearing specialists as well as private audiologists and no one does equally well with all patients. It’s really key to find someone you can work well with.
My recommendation: start with Costco until proven you need to spend more. Spending more on hearing aids can get you better hearing performance but often does not, and Costco is Exhibit A.
*If you get five years out of a pair of rechargeable hearing aids, you’re doing very well. It is possible to do even better but not common. Three to four years is more common, and that’s if you don’t lose them. So price your purchase considering. This is one thing audiologists don’t tell new patients. They sell it as a long-term investment, and these aids have a shorter lifespan than you might expect given the price.
Ohio
