Hearing Aids
If you're interested in general hearing aid information,
please visit the Hearing
Aids Portion of our Technology Section.
Our Hearing Aid Maintenance
category includes products to help you care for your aids.
Our Hearing Aid Accessories
category includes products to protect and dress up your hearing aids.
Where Can I Get my Hearing Aid
Repaired?
Where Can I
Buy A Hearing Aid?
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!
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.
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 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
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
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Hours of operation are 9-4 (central time), Monday through Friday.
Call for applications. Area Served: United States and Territories.
The line that should be used by potential applicants is
1-800-648-4327. Publishing the direct line makes it more difficult to
respond to those who really need to talk to someone on the HEAR Now
staff.
The Mailing Address is:
HEAR Now Program
6700 Washington Ave S
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Contact: Joanita Stelter, HEAR NOW Program Coordinator
e-mail address: nonprofit@starkey.com
