Wednesday, July 20, 2016

What Did You Say?


With aging parents comes diminished hearing. We've been struggling with my mother-in-law's inability to hear for years now. While I do respect a person's right to choose what they want to do concerning their health, it's very sad to see her isolation from the family and the world in general, simply because she can't (or won't) hear. She did finally succumb to our nagging last summer, got hearing aids, wore them twice, and then returned them. My father bought two different sets of hearing aids but hardly ever wore them, so my patience with stubborn people who refuse to help themselves when help is available has worn thin over the years.

And now it is my turn. I've known for the past year or so that I no longer hear as well as I used to. Sometimes John and I sound like a Laurel and Hardy sketch at dinner. He'll say something; I'll answer "Huh?", and his reply is "What?" I did consult an audiologist who thought that hearing aids might help me, but with our high deductible health insurance and the incredibly high cost of hearing aids, I decided to look for a lower-cost alternative if possible.

So imagine my excitement when our long-delayed Costco finally began showing some progress recently. It was started over four years ago, with lots of digging and site preparation, followed by years of lawyers battling over NJ codes and regulations. Someone finally won (or made enough money) and our Costco is supposed to open this fall. While I'm excited about being able to buy reasonably priced pure vanilla, cheese, and giant bears, the thing I'm most looking forward to is Costco's hearing aid center. I know of at least six people who have been happy with their hearing aids (and the cost) from Costco, so that's where I'll be headed soon after their doors open, hopefully hearing better at a better price.


10 comments:

  1. Good for you! I think it's a crime that something as important to the quality of life as good hearing can be thwarted due to the cost.

    ReplyDelete
  2. my mil has hearing aids but sometimes they don't work right and it's like you repeat everything over and over again. I hope when I am old I wear them and don't put up a fuss...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not too far behind you in the "what???" category! I'm glad you have an alternative coming soon, and thank-you for that information! And the bears...how can you resist!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This post speaks directly to my heart - this is my life entirely! And, while I'd like to laugh - it is not humorous at all. Diminished hearing and those moments when I seem overly forgetful reminds me that growing old gracefully is not as easy as it sounds. I question myself daily - am I forgetful or did I just not hear clearly what someone said. Thank you for writing this post XO

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh I'm glad you'll be able to get some relief!

    My husband's grandmother had hearing aids, and was always fooling with them. One time his mother swore that she would never get them. My husband responded, "Oh that's great. So you'd rather just not hear anything or have everyone scream at you at the top of their lungs."

    So far, I think I'm doing OK. My husband puzzles me. I can't decide if he is losing his hearing, or just not paying attention. He's always been someone who did the latter, so ...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Add me to the list of Costco referrals. My husband and mother both have hearing aids from them. Great service, great product, half the cost (or less), and an excellent warranty. Whenever you feel like you need a little adjustment or even just want them cleaned, they'll take care of it. (And you can go to ANY Costco if you have a problem, since your information is on their central computer system.) My husband is thrilled with his. On a side note, the first time he went to have his hearing checked, the audiologist told him that the average amount of time from when a person first thinks they might need hearing aids to the time they actually get them is 7 years, and that number hasn't changed in decades. My mom's audiologist said that men usually get them when their wives threaten divorce. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Costco is one of my favorite companies and I love their eyeglasses. I have been haranguing Smith to get his hearing checked. It might take, as Cheryl said above, a threat, but we sound much like you and your husband do. (Maybe I need to be checked, too!) Aging sucks, but we need to remind ourselves to be kind to ourselves.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hurrah! I will remember Costco when I (inevitably) get to hearing loss.

    ReplyDelete
  9. thank you for the PSA; I didn't know Costco had a hearing aid center (great wine department, too)!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good for you!!!! I got hearing aids three years ago (not from Costco, as ours wasn't built yet) and they have changed my life. :-) (We just got a Costco last year. I love it. But have avoided the giant bears. . . )

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment! :-)