by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady wrote:
I am hard of hearing and have been so for years. I will be 69 in July. I have been told I have nerve deafness in both ears. Is there any help for people when hearing aids are between $5,000 and $6,000. Is there anything good that would help me to hear without getting hearing aids?
First, not all hearing aids are $5000 or $6000 each. For example, I wear America Hears hearing aids—and the nice thing is that ALL of their hearing aids are the same price—whether you get the entry level model, or the ones with all the bells and whistles—and that price is only $995.00 each. That’s a far cry from $5000 or $6000 each. In addition, America Hears is a very reputable (though yet not well-known) company that makes their own hearing aids right here in the USA.
Second, in addition to hearing aids, there are a whole assortment of assistive listening devices (ALDs) that can help you hear, with, or without, hearing aids. The nice thing is that the price of these devices isn’t much—typically between $100 and $200, although some are much more. In any case, they are much cheaper than hearing aids and work very well. Sometimes I use them instead of my hearing aids because in certain situations, ALDs work better than hearing aids.
Third, another nice thing about ALDs is that they typically last “forever” (at least the ones that I carry) and not just a few years like hearing aids typically do.
You have some choices that do not break the bank. If you want to learn more about these wonderful assistive devices, read my new primer on the subject.
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