I need to tell my Costco audiology department they have been doing the impossible for the past 5 years 
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Thanks Dieter and BBG. It would be interesting if Choice could respond please. There are a lot of seniors who face this issue as they age.
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Hi @john.blakey, have you seen our hearing aid buying guide? Weāve found that different brands will focus on different aspects of hearing, so sometimes one brand may suit your needs better than another. Itās also about how the device is programmed.
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Some issues cannot be helped much by a hearing aid, once a frequency has been lost all an aid can do is boost other sounds to improve some level of hearing but never those at the lost frequencies. Some people also have hearing difficulties due to issues in sound discrimination, auditory nerve damage, sound interpretation that no matter how much you boost levels the problem cannot be fixed. In some the brain can be somewhat retrained to discriminate between desired communication/sounds and the extraneous sounds that āconfuseā the brain in a form of auditory overload.
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One function that helps - some aids have programs to translate the ālost frequenciesā to frequencies that can be heard. Mine have such a program. It is not a perfect solution because it is much better in relatively quiet and 1 to 1 conversations, but becomes overwhelming in eg noisy restaurants, when I use a program that does not do that.
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I agree that there is some level of workaround to address some loss and why I say ācannot be helped muchā, even switching to directional pickup on the microphone can be of some assistance in the right places/circumstances. The problem for some though is that the workarounds may āpushā some sounds and still leave the person somewhat lost hearing wise, particularly when there is a lot of frequency loss over a wider range or they have sound interpretation/discrimination issues.
The advances that have been made in the technologies and pushed into such small devices is wonderful for many and hopefully progress will continue to rapidly improve the outcomes for the many sufferers of hearing loss.
I guess my post was more about the comment by @john.blakey of " I have been wearing BTE (behind-the-ear) hearing aids for some 10 years now and despite several models and makes all have proved unsatisfactory. The latest (Siemens) were expensive but again, just did not give basic clarity". Not all Audiologists successful detect the other issues that may hinder good outcomes when using hearing aids. Then it becomes a matter of trying Specialist intervention to get detection, help and support so that any of the underlying problems can be found and hopefully managed. .
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I had no idea such a thing exists - even though I did quite some work in the industry, admitedly many moons ago (long before you could have something small enough to be āprogrammedā in your ear - donāt say that too quick 
)
I have trouble in noisy (multi conversation) environments as it is - while my hearing is still functional, I feel some loss in these environments helps me maintain something else I have also lost a noticeable quantity of in recent years ā¦ my sanity ā¦
edit: does it have a āmy partner is about to nag meā function? - no actually, best not answer that !!
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A good news story regarding the development of very cheap hearing aids to assist persons who cannot afford the commercially available models.
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What a great solution to those stupid little button batteries too.
Looks like it uses a pair of AA cells, or equivalent.
AA and AAA are also commonly available in rechargable long life such as Eneloop types.
We encouraged our dad and mum to use wireless head phones to assist with the problems of hearing loss and the TV turned up to 50/50. Some of us are very resistant to wearing hearing aids. Hopefully they can also offer a version that can connect to a BT or other form of wire free TV audio?
The small wearable player style box is likely able to accommodate a wider range of functionality.
For the more financial, is there a simple mobile phone device App that might provide a similar solution - for free?
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I have always wondered by hearing aids havenāt been installed with long life rechargeable lithiums. As existing button batteries only last a few days (possibly life getting less the more technically advanced the aids are becoming - bluetooth, frequency amplification etc)), the amount of waste which is generated is significant over the whole population. The cost is also considerable.
A cradle could easily be developed that allows one to charge the aids beside oneās bed when sleepingā¦so that it is fully charged at the start of the day. It would also be good if the batteries could easily be replaced when they lose their holding capacity.
Charging should not be a real issue in todayās day and age as most are used to charging oneās phone or other digital devices.
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Some hearing aids can use rechargeable, p312 size is the only choice. The hearing aids go into a charging cradle so the batteries do not even have to be taken out. The hearing aids have small external pins. The batteries last 1-2 years in my experience at full capacity, and then deteriorate. The charging cradle also acts as a warmer to dry them.
Many smaller as well as in the ear hearing aids use smaller batteries that are not available as rechargeables.
That is exactly how they work. They have been on the market for decades.
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Did your parents do so?
There is a Government program for pensioners to get such aids free of charge.
They provided a Sennheiser SR500 free of charge to a person who qualified, which connects to modern TVās via the Infrared port on the back of the TV.
The product also uses rechargeable batteries.
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We were not aware of the program. Thanks.
Obviously useful to know for others reading here.
Our dad has been out of the room for a number of years.
Our mum was in NSW until recently when she moved into aged care in Qld.
She was given an IR set by a friend so that base for now is covered.
Our mumās current hearing aids were supplied by Hearing Australia. They cost her zero while they supply free replacement batteries. She is on a full single pension, although the system takes most of that back (85%) towards her aged care costs!
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I wasnāt aware of these as have only seen the non-rechargeable ones. I wonder why they donāt make them all rechargeable as changing p312 batteries can be challenging to most, and near impossible to some (poor eyesight, arthritis, shaking hands etc).
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Using Costco pricing as my guide, the rechargers plus the costs of the rechargeable batteries over 3 years is about the same as buying single use batteries. Beyond 3 years the economics favour rechargeabes but many people replace their hearing aids at 3 to 5 year intervals.
Another issue is that other batteries are noticeably smaller and thus the hearing aids can be smaller and less obtrusive. The smallest batteries last about half the time of a 312, everything else being as equal as possible. In ear aids are too small to accommodate the 312 size.
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Connect your hearing aid to your TV and headphones.
(nb: This article is for members only as it contains information based on our testing of TVs and headphones.)
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I have had Starkey hearing aids for 10 years or so, provided by the government scheme. They have been very good, even after being set up to match my hearing loss on the machine. They are easily adjusted up or down as needed. In noisy streets with buses, I turn them off. (Looking forward to electric buses)
Our Council collects the used batteries at their offices.
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For many people with certain types of hearing loss, hearing aids eventually reach the limit of their ability to be of help. I wonder if there is a tendency for providers to keep offering more and more ācapableā aids at increasing expense, while being reluctant to honestly advise that there is nothing more they can offer. Countless advertisers on Facebook and general media promote miracle solutions with claimed new technology, but I have never seen mention in any of their presentations of the wonderful avenue that the option of Cochlear Implants offers to many who have developed profound hearing loss. Why is this? Is there a need for audiologists to be trained in ethics on this issue?
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This automatically raises suspicions with me. There is no oversight of advertising on Facebook, Google, Apple etc and in effect anything goes until there are sufficient complaints for these platforms to take action.
Do qualified audiologists make these claims or is it advertising of unqualified shammers.
Many audiologists may encourage one to have ears tested to see if there are solutions, such as aids, which may assist with hearing difficulties. I also expect they wouldnāt advise of or sell a product which provides no benefit.
The industry association, for its members has a code of conduct which includes ethicsā¦
I believe if one is looking at using the services of an audiologist, that they are a member of Audiology Australia before handing over cold hard cash (or that on plastic).
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Welcome to the forum. I have moved your post into this thread, as there is some synergy between your questions and the earlier posts.
I have a recollection that many of the larger audiologist firms are tied to a parent company who makesā¦ hearing aids. Cochlear Implants are not made by these hearing aid companies, so they do not profit from the advertising or sale of Cochlear Implants, therefore they are not recommended except by the most honest of audiologists.
