I seldom stop by here as my eyes tend to droop after I have been through the boating stuff but tonight I wanted to share what has turned of to be a success for me. I am 67 yrs old and have had an increasing loss of hearing over the past 10 years or so. I fluffed it off for a long time as I could puck up the sound of most of what I needed. My family started giving me hell a couple of years ago and their pressure only got worse. About a year ago it got to the point that I knew for me that I needed to get some aids. I hit the internet to learn and find out what others had experienced. The result was depressing. The consensus I came away with was that the industry does want to help people but they are rife with price gouging and price fixing. And a decent pair of aids ain't cheap and if you do lay out the bucks a lot of guys will not adapt to them no matter how well they work.
Anyway I do get a small disability check from the VA. The disability also gives me free access to the VA health benefits which I had never used since I always had employer provided health insurance. To make a long story a tad shorter I went through the VA process and got my aids two weeks ago. WOW!! I can now hear birds in the trees, wind rushing through the branches, the TV without a headset, conversations and the readings/sermon at church.
I am still learing how to use them and get adjusted to all that is new. Mine are a new version of the behind the ear type (much smaller and lighter) and are made in Switzerland. They have a small tube which fits down into the ear that pipes in the sound without one of those fake looking ear molds. Each has a volume control and a control to change one of the five digital programs that are pre set. I have fiddled with this a bit but think that I will end up leaving them pretty much alone. The pair also came with a clicker much like the one you have on your key ring for your car. You can use that tho change volume or program but it changes both ears at the same time. You have to use the controls on the unit if you only want to change one ear.
I have been wearing them now pretty much all day. As each day goes by I notice them less and less so far as comfort goes and there are increasing periods where I don't think of them at all. Each unit takes a small battery that is supposed to last for 7 16 hr days and I got 7 out of my first pair though I am not up 16 hrs at a crack - - naps you know.
PM me if you would like to know what units I got as I know the above has a scent of spam. My message of all this is there is hope for the hard of hearing at least there was for me.
Anyway I do get a small disability check from the VA. The disability also gives me free access to the VA health benefits which I had never used since I always had employer provided health insurance. To make a long story a tad shorter I went through the VA process and got my aids two weeks ago. WOW!! I can now hear birds in the trees, wind rushing through the branches, the TV without a headset, conversations and the readings/sermon at church.
I am still learing how to use them and get adjusted to all that is new. Mine are a new version of the behind the ear type (much smaller and lighter) and are made in Switzerland. They have a small tube which fits down into the ear that pipes in the sound without one of those fake looking ear molds. Each has a volume control and a control to change one of the five digital programs that are pre set. I have fiddled with this a bit but think that I will end up leaving them pretty much alone. The pair also came with a clicker much like the one you have on your key ring for your car. You can use that tho change volume or program but it changes both ears at the same time. You have to use the controls on the unit if you only want to change one ear.
I have been wearing them now pretty much all day. As each day goes by I notice them less and less so far as comfort goes and there are increasing periods where I don't think of them at all. Each unit takes a small battery that is supposed to last for 7 16 hr days and I got 7 out of my first pair though I am not up 16 hrs at a crack - - naps you know.
PM me if you would like to know what units I got as I know the above has a scent of spam. My message of all this is there is hope for the hard of hearing at least there was for me.
