Knowing how my mom suffered, and how she lost them all the time, do you really have anything to lose? I would buy over the counter hearing aids all day long at this point. This is actually one of the scenarios that I would do it.

My mom has had a good experience with them. Easy to go in to get them cleaned or adjusted when needed.

Yeah, that's why I said what I said. Something is better than nothing. and at this age, it's not uncommon for them to lose things. It's not worth the money to lose an audiologist tuned billion dollar hearing aid.

How much do costco hearing aids cost?

I don't think she meant OTC "miracle ear" things. I thought Annie meant the hearing aids they sell in their hearing center which are quality hearing aids, not merely amplifiers.

I believe Costco has real hearing aids and audiologosts, no? If so, how is this any different for your father than going to any audiologist? If it's just amplifiers as wildchild called them, then I wouldn't expect much for "profound" hearing loss.

hear.com is another option where he doesn't even need to leave the house as long as there’s no ear wax buildup.

No risk. My mom tried them but they didn't work any better than what she already had so she returned them. He'd likely need help with the technology for the fitting. Her cost, after Medicare (correction - Supplemental, thanks Lindsey!) was $3500 so not cheap.

DH and my sister have hearing aides from Costco, have had them for about 5 years or so. They do have audiologists. For the most part it's been fine, but be aware that Costco does not have a large selection. I think there might be 3 models or so .

The first pair Dh had was really good. After a few years, the techology available on the newer ones was superior so he got the newer ones ( rechargeable over night, no need for bateries, blue tooh compatible etc). . It was great at first but after several months he kept having issues. The "nice" thing is hat you can go back for countless adjustments (with appointment). The not nice thing was that it kept being needed. The last time, which was a few months ago he was able to return them even though the year was up because they clearly were defective.

They also stopped selling that model which I guess says something.

He just got a newer pair within the last month and it seems ok.

In my opinion, Costco is fine but they will not have a lot of options, and be aware that with any hearing aides to work properly adjustments will need to be made

So I know nothing about hearing aids, however, just today I was researching the new Apple Airpod Pro. I was very surprised to see people reviewing them as an affordable hearing aid alternative. They are on sale at Costco for $199. I was just looking for headphones when I tripped over this information. I will link an article that talks about it.

airpod pro as hearing aid

My brother-in-law first got hearing aids from Costco several years ago, and recently got a new pair from them. Yes, they do have certified audiologists there. And, my sister just got hearing aids from Costco, too. My brother-in-law had to go in two weeks after getting his new hearing aids, for them to be "tweaked" (if necessary). My sister had made an appointment for her hearing to be tested while her hubby was there for his "tweaking." They gave her a pair of hearing aids to wear around in Costco while they were shopping, and Sis said she could really tell a difference in how well she was hearing. So, she ordered a pair.

Costco has their hearing aids patients come in every few months for a complementary cleaning and adjusting, and if you lose one (or both) within a specified period of time (two or three years depending on the model you buy) they will replace it free of charge.

Also, Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids, but some (not all) Medicare Advantage plans do. I know that our Medicare Supplement insurance covers hearing aids, so if/when Hubs and/or I need them, we'll be covered.

The term "good audiologist" is curious. The real work is the hearing test and that's all computerized.

Otherwise, I see them as not unlike optometrists. Their focus is selling hardware because that's what pays the rent and travel costs for nice vacations. Many have the sketchy ethics. Like optometrists, the so-called "hearing centers" enjoy outrageous margins on the overpriced goods they sell. Enter Costco, not surprisingly, for recognizing that just as with eyeglasses- there's plenty of profit to earn and a big opportunity for revenue volume by offering below market hardware prices. Its competitors are scoundrels more often than not in these two areas, so the sales volume they can earn is huge and margins are more than reasonable.

My husband's uncle just had some hearing aids from Costco bought for him and if I remember correctly, I was told they were around $1,100.

DH's hearing aids are Costco's. He's enjoyed them but they've been life changing for me 😊 I was so finished with repeating myself all day every day and still being misunderstood some of the time. I think the best example of that was when our older former neighbor called me and said she'd lost her sister. I repeated that call to DH knowing he'd want to see her, comfort her, and his response was 'I'll get that for you the first time I go out to the garage'. What!?

They are the same or better technology than what my mother had paid more than $30,000 for over about 15 years time.(3 pair, two brands) Approx $1,300 if I remember right, he's had them about 4 years now. He has them cleaned and checked faithfully every couple of months, no appointment. He drops them at the audiology desk as we begin to shop and picks them up as we finish. He did need a different charger cord for his charger after about one year, his pooped out for some reason. No questions asked or expense involved. DH is a busy outdoors type and does not baby them.

I remember researching brands as he was getting ready to buy and Costco's were the same as are carried in several private clinics.

It took him about 1 1/2 days to get used to them. When he went back into Costco to make that first check in with their audiologist, they knew how many hours a day he'd been wearing them (all day, every day) and had high praise.

I've since been seeing many articles written concerning how uncorrected hearing loss can be tied to dementia, some thought processes are lost with uncorrected hearing and someone can begin to retreat into their own corner of the world, missing out on normal stimulation and understanding. Certainly something to think about....

He did not want to fool with the tiny batteries and bought the charging type. It seems to take less than two hours for a full charge. A friend of ours has opted for the batteries even though tiny and a little hard to handle. That friend often sleeps in his - his wife has Parkinson's and he needs to be able to hear her if she gets up during the night and goes into another room. But we've had no reason to regret Costco's brand or service.

My mom and dad love theirs. As an audiology student back in the day, I will repeat a quote from my Audiology Professor "Hearing Aid Salesmen are on par with used car salesmen". Without an audiometry test the hearing aid sales people are shooting in the dark. I would imagine they do something--sort of like the screenings we do as school--but that is only an INDICATOR of need not a thorough exam. Like with glasses this exam should happen regularly!!!

A friend bought hearing aids from Costco and had nothing but praise for the whole experience!

This is timely for me. I need to go back to Costco and try again. My hearing has deteriorated, plus I need to switch from the teeny batteries to rechargeable aids. I was so smug several years ago when I first got the aids, saying *I* had no difficulty handling small objects. Oh yeah? That was then. At 83 I've developed a tremor. I had to stop using mascara before I blinded myself with the applicator.

The Costco team has also been willing to peek into DH's ears to convince him that he needs to go in to Minuite-Clinic for ear cleaning. I guess should just buy an otoscope.

My only ever pair of jhearing aids are from Costcol . They cost $1400 which is quite reasonable. They are rechaergeable. They hellp my hearing but don't perform miracles. In other words, people are ususally very happy with their glasses but not so much with hearing aids. I think you might be able to buy hearing aids over the counter now. Don't bother with in ear aids. They whistle.

Fran The whistling is feedback and your hearing aids should not be doing this. Hearing aids do not work like eyeglasses. Eyeglasses correct vision, hearing aids assist you in hearing better but cannot make you hear as well a person who has natural normal hearing. There are a number of reasons your aids may whistle. It could be a poor fit, it could be your earmolds don't fit or you don't have earmolds at all and need them for your type of hearing loss. In the ear hearing aids don't work for someone who would do better with behind the ear hearing aids. Some only need the microphone with tiny covers, others need earmolds which have to be custom made to fit properly. It could be that the feedback simply wasn't adjusted properly. The microphone may be placed wrong. There could be minor damage to aids. That's why I stated a good audiologist is so important. Go have your hearing tested and have your aids properly accessed. One type or model of aid might be great for some but not for others. Different aids work for different types of hearing loss and lifestyles. A good audiologist will not only suggest the right ones for your type of hearing loss but also those that will perform well in the world you live in.

I just went to the hearing aid center UHC assigned me to. They said they pay 80% after deductible. $3K was the quote after a brief hearing test. Tomorrow I will make an appt with Costco. I just read they give you a 6 month trial period!

Chisue, i love your posts. 😊