Now that you’ve been to the doctor and gotten in touch with other people with hearing loss, chances are you’ll want to think about getting hearing aids. We’ve got lots of information about how to select hearing aids, how to care for them, etc., and you’ll want to read all of that. But there’s nothing like the personal experience of your new hearing loss friends to help you select the right hearing aids and the right place to buy them.
If you’re interested in general hearing aid information, please visit theHearing Aids Portion of our Technology Section.
Our Hearing Aid Maintenance category includes products to help you care for your aids.
Where Can I Get my Hearing Aid Repaired?
Which Hearing Aid is Right for Me
What if I Can’t Afford a Hearing Aid?
If you can’t afford a hearing aid, there are organizations that may assist you. Please check out the following:
Hear NOW
Listen Up
You should also check with your local service organizations (Lions, Sertoma, etc.) Many of these organizations provide hearing aid purchase assistance.
Finally, if you need a hearing aid to get work or to continue working, your state’s vocational rehabilitation office will help!
Our sponsors would be delighted to help you select appropriate hearing aids for your needs. Please visit them:
Digital Hearing Aid Reviews
Which Hearing Aid is Right for Me
Hearing Aids are becoming increasingly complex and diverse, so it’s difficult to consider all the various aids at the same time. To simplify the task a bit, we’ve divided the aids into the following categories:
Conventional Aids – These are the aids that almost everyone has. They include digital and analog, behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), etc. – pretty much all the hearing aids most people have ever heard of.
Implantable Aids – Implantable aids are a fairly recent addition to the hearing aid world; they provide superior hearing for people with certain hearing loss characteristics.
Inexpensive Aids – There are currently several attempts to provide hearing aids at a greatly reduced cost. These aids can’t generally replace conventional hearing aids, but they may be appropriate for some people.
Unusual Aids – Interested in something a little different? Then check out these hearing devices.
Conventional Aids
These are the hearing aids the most people are familiar with. They may be in-the-ear (ITE) aids or behind-the-ear (BTE). They come in a mind-numbing assortment of analog and digital aids. For a general discussion of conventional aids, please visit the Conventional Hearing Aid information in our Technology section.
The following companies produce conventional hearing aids:
- Micro-Tech
- Oticon
- Rion
- Sonic Innovations
Implantable Aids
Implantable Hearing Aids are different from conventional aids in that either a portion of the aid or the entire aid are implanted within the body. There are advantages and disadvantages to doing so. For a general discussion of implantable aids, the pros and cons, some of the strategies, etc. please visit the implantable hearing aid information in our Technology section.
For information on a specific implantable hearing aid, please select the appropriate link below.
- Envoy
- INSONUS
- Soundbridge
- SOUNDTEC
- TICA
Inexpensive Aids
In the past several years we’ve seen the arrival of several inexpensive hearing aids that may offer an alternative to the more traditional hearing product. These tend to have restricted features and are not suitable for everyone. But they may be just the thing for those who can use them.
Doctor creates affordable hearing aids costing less than $200
Conforma
Songbird
Unusual Aids
February 2001 – How about hearing aids with no electronics, no mold, no microphone, no speaker, no batteries, and no moving parts. Oh yeah, and it never wears out! You must be thinking of EarGlasses. (Check this out – it’s VERY unusual!)
September 2002 – Orovox Rondo Earring Hearing Aid
Hearing aids that look like earrings? Yep, from a company called Orovox. The company claims the following advantages for their Rondo hearing aid (in addition to their cosmetic appeal)
– Rechargeable battery standard
– Solar powered standard
– No maintenance
– Excellent comfort
– No earmold required
– Superior acoustic performance
HEAR Now Offers Free Hearing Aids to Low Income Folks
Editor: Here’s a wonderful program for low-income people who need hearing aids. It’s also a great place to donate your old aids, because the proceeds from the sale of the refurbished aids support this program!
Thanks to NVRC News!
This information was kindly provided by Todd Wood, of Region II Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
HEAR Now is a private, non-profit organization that provides hearing aids for adults and children who are legal residents of the United States, who are deaf or hard of hearing and who have limited income.
HEAR Now is a provider of last resort. All other options for service must be used before benefit can be approved. Services are distributed through a nationwide network of hearing professionals. Providers are asked to waive fitting and follow-up fees for the first year of warranty coverage. Clients pay for their hearing evaluations plus a non-refundable HEAR Now processing fee of $39 per aid. The organization provided more than 7,800 hearing aids to people in need last year.
Eligibility requirements: Applicants must be legal residents of the United States and must meet financial criteria. They must be low-income people who are considered to be at [or below] 125% of poverty level. HEAR Now also requires an asset assessment.
HEAR Now also collects old hearing aids for recycling. Donated aids should be packaged and mailed. Donations are tax deductible and will be acknowledged. Used hearing aids are returned to manufacturers for refurbishing and are then sold by the manufacturers as refurbished aids. The proceeds from these sales are donated back to the HEAR Now program. People that qualify to receive hearing aids receive NEW aides and NOT the refurbished ones.
