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Elderly parents
Original poster

Advice on Cost of Hearing AIDS

54 replies

Icequeen01 · 02/02/2024 17:43

Following a recent appointment at the memory clinic one of the things they advised was to get DM's hearing checked. We had thought she possibly struggled to hear conversations and this could be one of the reasons she can't always follow a conversation.

Today we took her for a very thorough hearing test and we were not surprised to find out she has moderate hearing loss and would benefit from a hearing aid. The only thing is the cost - £5,300 for their Diamonds package and going down to £4000 for the premium package. Is this off the wall expensive or is this how much a good hearing aid costs these days? This is obviously not through the NHS.

Any advice please. I have zero experience of hearing aids!

OP posts:
LIZS · 02/02/2024 18:14

Go to nhs audiology. Ours prioritises appointments for those who are elderly and/or have dementia,

mumonthehill · 02/02/2024 18:13

Dh had his hearing checked by boots. They told him he needed hearing aids, he went to gpwas quickly referred and has free nhs ones. He was never going to pay Boots prices. He has been well looked after by the nhs, he is only in his 50's.

ColouringPencils · 02/02/2024 18:12

Do you not want NHS ones or is she not eligible for an NHS prescription?

DahliaMacNamara · 02/02/2024 18:03

FIL has just paid a good couple of grand for his hearing aids. Eye-watering. They're pretty good, though.
MIL's (mixed dementia) weren't nearly as high spec, and I'm sorry to say it was probably for the best that she didn't want to fork out for expensive ones. They spent more time lost/hidden than they did in her ears. Which obviously didn't help matters. You'll want to keep a careful watch on where they are, whichever kind you go for. Depending on your budget, it might be an idea to try out something cheaper first, just to see how she manages them.
FIL in his mid-80s has belatedly come to the conclusion that it's time to spend some of the money he saved for his old age on things that make his life easier. He probably still winced when it was time to pay for them.