If her hearing loss is so profound and relatively sudden, I'd take her to an ENT first to find out if there is a medical reason for the loss.

As far as hearing aids themselves, we got DH's at Costco after many people recommended it as the place to go. They have people there who do the testing and adjust the aids for the proper amplification in the right frequencies. We've been very happy with them...they've given us free filters and such and have done quick repairs for free as well. The Kirkland signature rechargeable digital aids are $1,400...a far cry from $6,000. But I don't know if you have any in your area...

My DH is happy with his hearing aides that came from Costco, under $1500.00. They recharge every night, are adjusted through an app on his phone. (But they can also be adjusted with the teeny tiny dial on the aides.)

Bose, the speaker people, has an OTC hearing aide that is getting wonderful reviews.

Good luck, I hope your mother can adjust to whatever aides she gets.

Here is an article from Wirecutter about over the counter hearing aids. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/signs-of-hearing-loss-otc-hearing-aids-could-help/ Mine look like the Lively 2 Pro. Mine are from ReSound and cost $6k a year ago. They were fitted by an audiologist with a Masters degree at my ENT’s office. She is able to make adjustments and send them to my hearing aids over the internet. Mine are controlled through my iPhone. There is a button on mine where I can control volume, but I’ve never learned to use it, because it is so easily done from my phone.

Mine are pretty much invisible. The thing behind my ear was ordered to match my hair color. the wire that goes from it to the part in my ear is very fine. The audiologist taught me where to put it so that it blends in with my ear. I can wear my hair behind my ears without the hearing aid showing.

I agree with AD, your mother needs to be seen by an ENT. I blame my hearing loss on jet engines from my days as a flight attendant and from playing music too loudly. The audiologist said my hearing loss is barely at the level for hearing aids. I bought them mainly to appease DD. I say she talks too fast and does not enunciate clearly. She said I needed hearing aids. HA!

@daisychain Zn3b, If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them, if I can.

I think that Medicare will pay for cochlear implants, so that may be something to explore for profound hering loss. I have read that it does take a while to see (hear/ LOL) improvement with hearing aids because it takes the brain time toadjust to the aids and what is being heard once you have them.

The OP is in Canada @cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA).

Bbstx, this is what 100% of people experiencing hearing loss say : ”I say she talks too fast and does not enunciate clearly. ”

Daisy, by all means get your mother seen by an ENT and audiologist both. However However, it is also very possible that her hearing has dropped off more gradually than anyone noticed. I can tell you from experience that no hearing aid, regardless of how new, fancy or expensive, can really address profound hearing loss of 90% or more. My mother tries new hearing aids every year and is so disappointed when they don’t help her hear better. She goes back for adjustments and tweaks and nothing really helps. She cannot listen to music, can’t be in a group setting and hear anything, can’t hear in a restaurant, etc. Her best hearing ability is in a quiet car next to one other person. Other than that she hears about a third of what is said, and gets a lot of that wrong. My mom will be 90 in May. She has tried every brand on the market— with the bluetooth to her tv, with a separate speaker that channels one person’s words, with noise reduction gear, etc.

Agree, start with ENT who is qualified to examine ears and diagnose pathology.
Examination determines appropriate testing, to get an accurate diagnosis, which directs prescribing appropriate treatment.👂

I just came from lunch with a dear friend whose voice is very mellow and very bass. We were in a restaurant that was very noisy. Even though I was wearing my hearing aids, and even though I had them on the restaurant setting and focused, which means they are supposed to pick-up the voice of whomever I’m looking at, I still had a hard time hearing him. I have two male friends who have deep voices that are also soft (one might be tempted to call their voices ”sexy” 😉) and I have difficulty understanding both of them in restaurant settings. Restaurants cause me the most hearing problems.

Movies? I absolutely cannot wear my hearing aids in a movie theater. They are already so loud. Amplification makes it unbearable!

Thank you so much everyone. It looks like trying to get her into an ENT is the next step. I'm also going to get the audio tech that did her assessment to send me the results via email so I can hopefully use that info as I look into alternatives in the meantime. It could take awhile to get her into an ENT. Wait times for specialists are horrible here post pandemic.

I'm going to look into the Bose now. Knowing the name is helpful. I'd been searching using general terms and having no luck.

She has always been a super smart lady (academically speaking) and the loss of hearing and general isolation with the pandemic did a real number on her mental faculties. When the one set of hearing aids didn't do much, I sort of wrote it off, but it is good to know that there may be other solutions. I think it is worth the effort to get her looked at anyways. Oddly, her mental state has been improving. She still has horrible short term memory, but she's reading again and able to take part in conversation when the sound situation is perfect. As someone said above, she can hear best, when it is just her and I in the car. Maybe I need to make her a "cone of silence" that can fit two people in order to hold some sort of convo in the house, lol.

Thanks again!