I’m seeking advice on behalf of an older friend who is blind and now has significant hearing loss, making communication increasingly challenging. He currently uses Resound hearing aids (I’m unsure of the exact model), but they don’t seem to be working well for him.
He mentioned that he’s interested in Oticon or Phonak hearing aids, as he believes they might be better options. However, he just got the Resound aids this year, and his insurance won’t cover a replacement. I’m considering gifting him new hearing aids, but they’re a significant expense for me, so I want to make sure any purchase I make is both wise and impactful.
I’ve also read that Costco offers hearing aids that are comparable in quality but significantly less expensive.
Here are my main questions:
1. Is it worth visiting Costco to explore their options? I don’t have a membership—would I need to purchase one to help my friend? Happy to do that if (see next question) 2. If the Resound hearing aids haven’t worked well for him, is it realistic to think Costco’s offerings could provide a better fit? Or are Oticon and Phonak still the better route? 3. Considering the high cost of his existing hearing aids (his Resound aids were around $4K), is it possible that no hearing aid will work much better for him? Are the differences between brands or models generally minimal?
This would be a significant investment for me, but I’m more than happy to do it if it truly improves his quality of life—I just want to make sure we’re exploring the best options. Also, the most accessible options since he is blind as well as hard of hearing.
If anyone has experience or guidance on how to proceed, I’d greatly appreciate your advice.
I’m very new to all of this so thank you in advance for tolerating all my questions.
Welcome to the forum, ok so one thing to do right now is to take him the local Costco wholesale and get a audogram done to test his level of hearing loss, you don’t mention the actual model of ReSound he’s already brought but Costco sell ReSound rebranded as Jabra, they also have Phillips (rebranded from the same company that makes Oticon) and Rexton ( rebranded Signia models) some Costco outlets are offering Sennheiser (rebranded Phonak model)
Costco only sell the premium models, so it’s a good place to start, remember there’s no “best” HA, the best one will be the one that works best for him after a trial, the model he has now could simply need further adjustments to get them sounding best for him, there’s no one size fits all when it comes to HAs, a trial is important before buying, lots of variables involved to consider before gifting/buying a new setup that may not offer anything more then what he has already.
Depending in which state you live in, you may not have to buy a $65 membership in your friends name. The membership is only good for the person or one family member living at the same resident.
Note, I would call to see if your get your friend’s hearing tested without buying the membership. If Costco thinks they can help your friend, then explain the situation, and maybe they will bend the membership rules in your friend’s case.
Sounds like the hearing aids are pretty new… maybe get a new fitting with a different audiologist? Or perhaps there was a communication problem with the original audiologist regarding what the problems are? Seems it may be premature to jump to the expense of different HAs before exploring the above.
You are a good friend, and angel.
I agree with Tori. There are lots of settings that can affect overall hearing aid performance, and an audi may be able to make some adjustments. The original audi may still do adjustments for “free”. If not, I would at least call Costco and see what they can do.
Even though your friend is blind (or maybe mostly blind?), they may also have a cell phone with the Resound app on it. An easy check for you to make is to see if the app is connected to the hearing aids, and does not have the volume turned way down in the app.
As FYI only, the Costco hearing aids, even though they are premium models of different brands, they are in the $1500 range in the US.
Thank you for your response! He is fully blind, so accessibility with the aids is especially important. He’s fairly tech-savvy, but the next time I see him, I’ll check if the sound is turned down in the app. Thank you
And I’m considering Costco for this reason. I’ll always go generic vs brand if there’s no real difference in quality. That said, I’m curious—are Phonak and Oticon mainly about branding, or is that an oversimplification? Are their models truly comparable to what Costco offers? I do want him to have the best of the best considering how indispensable his hearing is for him to go about his life! At the same time, I wouldn’t want to pay $6k for something we could get for $1.5K + maybe more fitting appointments/adjustments/an appointment with a good audiologist
I’m not sure how new they are but getting a new fitting does seem like potentially the next best step here. I will look up good audiologists in my area. Thank you!
Thank you for the thorough response! I’m not sure which model it is, he just told me they are the ReSounds and he got them this past year so I’m assuming a newer model. The difference between the $1.5K Costco hearing aids and the $6K Phonak/Oticons is so stark I can’t help but wonder what the difference in quality is? Are Phonak and Oticon mainly about branding, or is that an oversimplification? Are Costco models truly comparable? Anyway, to your point, maybe he just needs more fittings. I’ll ask him if he’s tried to have his hearing aids refitted, maybe with another audiologist- this seems like a logical next step
Yep it’s all about the branding, the Costco are exactly the same, just different names, ok so there’s something with the Phillips that it’s hard to be 100% sure = Bernafon/Sonic most likely, Oticon maybe, but the others are definitely the same, so yeah first make sure his ReSound models are correctly fitted and that no amount of adjustments are gonna make the cut, you can then actually feel sure about the gift of new HAs will be of benifit to him.
Possibly the aids need routine servicing. For example, maybe the wax guard needs changing or the aids need cleaning. How well can your blind friend do that sort of task without assistance?