Hearing Aid Confusion

Dear Kusina, As an otolaryngologist, the answer to your question depends on the results of your audiogram. This test if done by an audiologist gives you enough information to give you a good estimate if hearing aids could help you. The frequency pattern of your loss is the first determinate. Secondly, your "discrimination" score( the percentage score of brain functioning) is the second determinator.
Putting those two factors together will give you a good ballpark as to possible hearing aid usefulness. With most programmable hearing aids and an applicable hearing loss and decent discrimination score you could try an aid and see how it works for you.
Almost all 50 states have laws that let you have a 30 day trial period to see if the aid is suitable for you. Money back guarantee if you turn it back before the 30 day trial period.
Hearing aid are like cars, the more whistles and bells you add the higher the cost. If your discrimination score is below 60 percent for speech at least the benefits of a hearing aid in that ear could be marginal. This has to be taken in context of your total audiogram.
My advise is to see a hearing aid audiologist or an honest hearing aid dealer AFTER your audiogram is reviewed by an ENT specialist to address the above issue as to suitability . Ronald Wong. M.D. Hope this helps. Happy Listening.

Dr. Wong, Thank you for the information and good advice. I have already taken steps that accord with your suggestions. I have seen both an ENT specialist and audiologist, had an audiogram charted, and am now awaiting the arrival of a "Musician's" hearing aid to try. My hearing deterioration is considered to be "moderate," and I look forward to what may well be "a major system upgrade."

Dear Kusina, I think it was Richard Nixon who said. "Knowledge is power". Happy. Listening.

Update, for those who may be interested. My local audiologist, at my request, ordered a General Hearing hearing aid model known as the "Musicians." It came in, and was presumably programed at the factory to my audiogram. But because of some sort of a computer software problem, my audiologist cannot make fine tuning corrections if I need them. I've waited several weeks hoping that the problem might be resolved, but so far the problem remains a problem. On this coming Tuesday I'll go to the audiologist and try out the programed but otherwise uncorrectable "Musicians" hearing aid as well as a hearing aid from a Danish company called Widex. Apparently, Widex has a new model called "The Dream," which has increased headroom compared to earlier Widex products and is something that my audiologist can fine tune as desired.(It has significantly less bandwidth than the "Musicians" aid, however, and it is significantly more expensive.) I myself haven't seen any of these devices as yet, let alone put them in my ears. I have learned, however, that patience is required if the consumer wants to stay on top of things.

Good luck and hang in there. Getting the right prescription doesn't always happen on the first try. Those Danes are in the forefront of hearing aid design. I remember reading an interview with an audio industry insider (name escapes me this morning) who said there was some degree of digital engineering "cross pollination" between high end audio and hearing aid businesses in Denmark.