Hearing Aid

peter_the_piper

My late mother in law had a set supplied by the NHS, behind the ear sort. If you lose/break one we'll replace them but it'll cost you £88.00 each. Now either they do them at a discount or the likes of Boots are ripping them off.

giraffe69

TELLIT01 said:

The quote for my wife was for 2 but the option recommended (it was Boots) was the top of the range - no surprise there.  The person my wife dealt with said re-testing should be done every 2 years, and that the hearing aids only had a 2 year warranty.  If they had confidence in the devices they should be providing a longer warranty.  As they don't, I make the working assumption that they could fail at any point after that.  If we could be certain they would last a minimum of 5 years we might consider them.

According to the Boot's website the warranty is 4 years(and they reduced it from 5 last year).

giraffe69

TELLIT01 said:

I had an appointment with the hospital audiologist a few years ago.  I have a problem with conversations in busy environments, or where there are a number of conversations going on at one time.  He said that a hearing aid will not fix that type of issue and he actually finds they make those situations worse.

I have similar problems and found that the aids did assist. The ones I now have come with an app which allows settings to cope with such things as a noisy environment and whilst not perfect do represent a significant improvement.

sheramber

peter_the_piper said:

My late mother in law had a set supplied by the NHS, behind the ear sort. If you lose/break one we'll replace them but it'll cost you £88.00 each. Now either they do them at a discount or the likes of Boots are ripping them off.

When buying from a private seller such as Boots, you have to pay for audiologist’s time, the equipment for the test, and the cost of the aids which are probably higher quality and use up to date technology . Using NHS you are only paying for basic aids, not the ancillary services. Just the same as you pay for private hospital treatment but don’t get billed for  NHS hospital treatment. 

Torry_Quine

I got mine from the NHS. I was speaking to someone who was most annoyed, she had paid for the same one privately.

Skiddaw1

Can't add anything to the hearing aid discussion @Catbells but just wanted to say fab forum name. One of my favourite fells...

TELLIT01

giraffe69 said:

TELLIT01 said:

The quote for my wife was for 2 but the option recommended (it was Boots) was the top of the range - no surprise there.  The person my wife dealt with said re-testing should be done every 2 years, and that the hearing aids only had a 2 year warranty.  If they had confidence in the devices they should be providing a longer warranty.  As they don't, I make the working assumption that they could fail at any point after that.  If we could be certain they would last a minimum of 5 years we might consider them.

According to the Boot's website the warranty is 4 years(and they reduced it from 5 last year).

This was way before Covid, so probably 4 or 5 years ago.  The info provided at that time was definitely 2 year warranty.

goled

Sorry for bumping, but I'm looking for hearing aids for my Mom. Is there a way to buy them cheaper for her? I mean are there any programs for retired people?

Alderbank

Cheaper than what?

What are 'programs for retired people'? In general retired people pay the same prices, and certainly have the same consumer rights, as working people.

With improvements in technology hearing aids are better than ever and are transforming the lives of people with hearing loss. An important first stage is for your Mom to have a proper assessment by an audiologist.

The NHS says
'You can get a free hearing test on the NHS. A GP may refer you to a hearing specialist (audiologist) who can do the test.

It could take a few weeks to see a specialist so it might be quicker to get tested somewhere else, like at a large pharmacy or opticians. This is often free.'

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hearing-tests/

littleboo

I got NHS hearing aids recently. I used my GP's online form to tell them my symptoms, they gave me an appointment with the practice nurse to check that my ears were clear. They were, so I was referred for a hearing test, which confirmed I would benefit from hearing aids, I returned about 10 days later to have my new hearing aids fitted. Took no more than 4 - 6 weeks end to end and zero cost to me, even the batteries are provided FoC.