Hearing aids

[S70JPS]

A bit of advice please.
My dad has 2 NHS hearing aids which have gradually got worse and worse despite regular tune ups.
I suggested he go private.
I spoke to him last night and he told me he had seen a private hearing aid company and was going to pay £2,500 to get some new ones that worked properly.
Does this seem reasonable as I think it is a lot of money?

[HotJambalaya]

It's expensive but not out of the ballpark.

I bought for my father and spent a lot of time tracking down prices, best I found was here:

http://www.naturalhearing.co.uk/prices


What I would say though is look at what additional products the hearing aid supports. My dad had a phone that automatically integrated with the hearing aids and tv streaming

[smashy]

I once spoke to a private audiologist who said its down to the audiologist how good aids are and the NHS digitals are as good as it gets , I have lost my NHS before and got them replaced for £65 each ,maybe thats a plan and see what the new ones are like. Or just go back and get them checked and serviced good luck

[GuinnessMK]

Ask about getting a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid). About £5k of technology, and available on the NHS. My wife used to have two hearing aids, but found she got almost constant ear infections (has T tubes fitted to reduce pressure build up).

The BAHA involves riveting a press stud onto your head, then a tiny box fits the press stud. First time my wife got hers fitted, the specialist said "is everything OK?" She replied she could hear a buzzing noise. He said that's the air conditioning. Absolutely transformed her life.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

smashy said:

I once spoke to a private audiologist who said its down to the audiologist how good aids are and the NHS digitals are as good as it gets , I have lost my NHS before and got them replaced for £65 each ,maybe thats a plan and see what the new ones are like. Or just go back and get them checked and serviced good luck

Absolutely this. My wife is 53 with 49 yrs of hearing aid experience, starting with the big plastic box on her chest aged 4 to where we are now, NHS digitals. There are no better aids than the NHS supply, although some private ones are as good but smaller. It's all down to the audiologist and their ability to programme them correctly.

[MYOB]

It's my understanding that the digital hearing aids are just as good from the NHS, especially as they are produced from the likes of Siemens etc. Only benefits of going private are if you need the extras such as remote control, Bluetooth etc which are unlikely available on NHS.

[S70JPS]

Thanks for the replies. He is going ahead anyway. The chap did a talk to the rotary club and was very good apparently.