No money for hearing aids

[left-of-center2012]

The audiologists say I've lost 50% hearing in each ear, and they recommend hearing aids.
They mentioned $1,200 per ear.
I told them I don't have any money for hearing aids, and Medicare doesn't pay for them.
They said I can buy some as cheap as $500 per ear.

Living on SS, $1,00 isn't cheap to me.

[uppityperson]

1. talk to a local audiologist about refurbished ones. I got them for $400.

People donate their old ones, or they die and the aids are donated, or for some reason they are donated. Sometimes they are old, sometimes newer. They can refurbish them, get them refitted for you. I got my first digitals this way for $400 each. I talked to a chain place and they told me $1200/ear. Then I was recommended to go to a local private place and they were wonderful. It took a bit of time to find the second one, but hey, they worked for many years.

[uppityperson]

3. Hey Frank, hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Keep making up those stories about me. snort. You are too funny.

[BillE]

2. Check with your local VR office

Your local Vocational Rehab office may pay for your hearing aids if you qualify. I was able to get my hearing aids from them when I couldn't afford any. good luck!

[deafskeptic]

5. DRS in VA didn't help me but Lions helped me and got a refurnished HA many years ago.

IF VR won't help, maybe you can get in touch with a social worker who's familiar with the deaf community to help contact you with other agencies who can help you.

[tblue37]

4. Before I ever was able to afford hearing aids, I used a cheap little amplifier from

Radio Shack. No doubt it costs somewhat more now, but back then (1980s) I got it for $20.

I wasn't worried about my assistive device being invisible--or even unobtrusive. I just wanted to hear when teachign class, attending a meeting, watching TV, or going to a movie.

It didn't make following conversation or dialogue "easy," but it made it much easier.

The size of the amplifier was about a bit smaller than a Walkman, and I used a pair of earbuds with it.

[tblue37]

6. I know that the Lion's Club helps people with reconditioned glasses. Perhaps they

also do hearing aids? Or perhaps some other group does.

At one time, when my income was below a specified level, the state (KS) provided me with an amplified phone, which helped a lot for that issue. Maybe the state or Social Services in your locale also has a program to help subsidize hearing aids. I bet at least some places do have such assistance for people who meet certain criteria.

When I was too poor to afford hearing aids, I went to Radio Shack and bought a little amplifier, about the size and shape of a Walkman (which were still in use back in the 1980s). My hearing is so bad in one ear that instead of buying an ear phone for both ears, I just used a single ear-bud piece. I used that little amplifier to watch movies and TV and to follow conversations or meetings. I even used it while teaching my classes. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it helped immensely!

Back then the amplifier cost me just $20. I am sure it would cost more now, but I bet it would still be fairly reasonable.

A friend who watches much more TV than I do also uses a product called TV Ears. I tried them at her house once and was amazed at how well they worked. That was about 10 years ago. I don't know what they cost now, but back then they were about $50. If you watch much TV they would help a lot, even if, like me, you use closed captioning. It helps to have at least some ability to hear dialogue as well as read it, so you can also keep track of the action on the screen.

I have to say, though, that I lack self-consciousness, so I never felt awkward about my very noticeable amplifier. Some people would, I know, but if you think you would, just remember, there is no "shame" in being hearing impaired. I never found anyone to be bothered by seeing me use my amplifier. A few did ask about it, but they were always impressed that I had found such a clever solution, and some were excited, because they had deaf relatives who couldn't afford hearing aids, and my idea seemed to them a wonderful solution for their relatives.

[deafskeptic]

8. I don't think amplifier would have helped me or other deaf with profound hearing losses.

I think it would help with mild to moderate nerve deafness but not for those people like me who have profound nerve deafness.

The problem is that amplified sounds can get distorted for those people who have severe to profound nerve deafness.

About the only thing I can hear without either HA or CI is an airplane or lightning striking a tower (it sounded like a car crash to me).

[tblue37]

9. My hearing loss is progressive, so it is worse now than it was then, but even

then it was bad enough to make it virtually impossible to understand most speech. I also have a low threshold for both pain and distortion caused by loud noises and loud speech. Still, the amplifiers *did* help me manage until I was finally able to get hearing aids. I used the amplifier for 4 years.

[tblue37]

7. Oh, BTW, when I did finally manage to buy my high end digital aids

that I have now, my audiologist allowed me to make payments over a year. That was still expensive, since they cost $1800 each, or $300/month, but if you can get such a payment plan for the $500 ones, and perhaps can find some government or charitable group to help with the cost, that might be doable.

Perhaps, if necessary, buy one aid one year, and one aid the next, to keep monthly costs lower. On a very limited income, even $42/month would be hard, of course, but if you have a government agency or charitable group that would help out--or even relatives who might chip in a few bucks each month--it could work. I have done that for a friend who needed aids. I just chipped in $20/month to help her make her payments during the year she paid them off. She had friends and relatives helping, too--some if whom could afford to give only $5/month, but it all added up to cover most of the cost.

Also consider setting up a Go Fund Me page and putting the link and explanation here on DU. I bet people would help. I would make a donation, though I can't afford to make large ones. But if a lot of DUers chipped in $10, $20, or even $5 each, you could probably get the aids. If you do that, ask for the $2400 for the two better aids. The cheap ones will help a lot, of course, but the costlier ones will work WAY better. Also, your hearing loss is probably progressive, so the cheap ones might not help after a couple of years. My first aids (analog ones) were $750 each, but by 2010, they didn't help at all any more, so I had to buy the expensive digital ones. I couldn't afford them, so I saved for 3 years before I finally got them.

The ones I have now can be boosted, whereas my first ones had reached their limit of possible amplification.

Do consider setting up a Go Fund Me page. I want to make a donation, and I bet many other DUers would, too!

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. Me, too. Need 2 hearing aids. They told me $5,000.

But there was a silver lining because I was dismissed from jury duty. Would not be good to have a juror who can only hear about %50 of what was going on.

I have not been able to hear well for a long time but I have noticed that I no longer can hear the sound of the trains late at night. I miss that.

[left-of-center2012]

11. Cost of hearing aids can be deucted ...

I live in an apartment owned and operated by the city housing authority. My rent is 1/3 of my annual income, broken into 12 monthly rent payments. Before figuring it out they deduct all my medical payments, co-pays, prescription co-pays, etc. After 7 years here, I just realized that they would also deduct the cost of hearing aids.

I was told in the past that the hearing aids I need would be about $1,200 each ear. So I'm thinking if I buy them, and the cost is deducted from what I'd need pay for rent, it'd be like getting the hearing aids free.

Does that make sense?

[blackcrowflies]

12. veteran?

I think I read somewhere that the VA supplies hearing aids perhaps even for free. I may be wrong.