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Watching my elderly father take care of my mom, it’s clear he barely hears her when she calls for him.

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I have two hearing aids that I can give away. One is a small in the ear and the other behind the ear. That one is brand newand was obtained for my husband who recently passed away. He did not h ave a chance to use it as he was in a nursing home with dementia.

While there,he used a product called super ear which costs about$50 and is an amplifier which worked quite well. Super ear was purchased online.
I would be happy to give you the two hearing aids I have as I would like to donate them
If you know how thiscan be done please post the info.
The behind the ear device was expensive and is new so I am happy to put it to good use.

All the best,Rebecca.
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Ceebee3 Feb 2020
Oh my, Rebecca. Really?!! You took my breath away with your generosity. message me so we can communicate further if you’d like. Thanks so much.
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There are ways to get help with the cost. Start with:

https://www.hearingloss.org/hearing-help/financial-assistance/

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-05-2011/paying-for-hearing-aids.html

https://www.asha.org/public/coverage/p4AudFundingResources/
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My mom has Medicare/Medicaid. Her Medicaid covers 100% of the cost for hearing aids We live in Michigan and unfortunately we cannot find a hearing aid place that will accept straight Medicaid. My mom has dementia so in the meantime it gets worse because she can’t hear so cannot be social which contributes to her decline.
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beware the cochlear implants...that is a surgical procedure...with risks and not the clear hearing everyone anticipates. It's typically not a first choice...
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Depending on what plan "letter" he has for Medicare Supplemental, that will be the determining factor.
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Your father's Medicare Supplemental Insurance should pay all but about $400 (total for both ears, not each ear.) The technology to program the hearing aids at hearing provider practices is VERY sophisticated. Hearing providers accept payments so it doesn't all have to be paid at the time he receives the hearing aids. Free adjustment appointments are included. Medicare Supplemental insurance pays the same amount to receive new hearing aids every 3 years.
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Will do. Thank you.
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Over the counter hearing aids are supposed to come out this year! Maybe you can wait?
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Thanks you. I did not know that. I will research.
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Medicare does not pay for hearing aids.
If your father is a veteran, the VA generally supplies hearing aids and the batteries.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Thank you. He is not a veteran. I’ll keep researching.
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I have " industrial" hearing loss and I'm 78. My first hearing aids were through an audiologist and they were "disposable". About $30.00 a month back in the 1980's, when I had excellent private health insurance through my employer for free.
My brother sent me a pair of 8 year old reconditioned hearing aids that worked well until the cat got a hold of them. I bought two reconditioned ones (HC206 - TMD-2018 from Advanced Affordable Hearing for about $300.00. I can buy batteries from them that last 18 days plus HC thin Tubes for $15.00 that last a long time plus Linx Domes, also very reasonable.
They have been excellent inn every way. I can hear my wife now, as she also is disabled. There is something seriously wrong with what Washington calls "affordable" as no government insurance pays 100% for health care. They try and sell the health insurance with pretty words, but they are 100% misleading and false.
If you have a job that provides health insurance, and you work for a Company with over 150 employees that has excellent benefit packages for their employees, be very thankful. Just don't ever retire or become disabled.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
I agree! I’m glad you found something that worked for you.
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Please get him an appointment with his doctor who can get a hearing referral. Hearing aides are great since they will help him hear better. He needs to use them religiously to keep his auditory nerves stimulated. If he doesn't use the hearing aides, he will go entirely deaf from lack of nerve stimulation.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
I did not know about that. Thanks for the information.
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Research the kinds of signaling adaptations used in the home by the deaf and hard of hearing. These signaling systems use lights to indicate a knock on the door, baby crying, telephone ringing, etc. It seems a light signal could be used to indicate when your mother calls out if your father.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Interesting! I will look into that. Thank you.
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Look into a "Pocket Talker" available on Amazon.  We got one for a friend for when he goes the theater because his hearing aides don't help in that atmosphere. He loves it and says it works better that some of the one the theaters have that you can borrow.
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jacobsonbob Jan 2020
...and they cost a LOT (i.e., sometimes a couple orders of magnitude) less than the prescribed hearing aids!
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Can your dad "learn" new things? Can he physically handle the hearing aids (they are tiny)? This should be considered before going down that road if you do find funding for them.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
I think he can. He likes to learn new things. Hopefully, it’s not too technical!
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First have him evaluated with an audiologist; it looks like Medicare might pay for the exam at least if his doctor orders it (https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hearing-balance-exams).

It could be that hearing aids won't help, however. My poor, sweet FIL waged the battle of hearing aids for the last few years of his life... they were constantly being repaired and regularly replaced (he had excellent hearing aid coverage) but nothing really worked because he was nearly deaf and there was no fixing that.

Do an Internet search for 'hearing aids for people who can't afford them' and you will get lots of results, some of which might apply to you.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Wow. Gosh, I did not know that at some point hearing aids won’t help. I’m wondering - an audiologist should tell me that, right? Not try to sell me something that won’t work?
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My step father had Medicare Advantage and they paid for his Cochlear implant as hearing aides were no longer helping him.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Ok. So that’s an option too I guess. I’ll look into that too but that probably more expensive than hearing aids.
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We got a bell for my aunt, when she was bedridden. Maybe a baby monitor would help...
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Never thought of that one. Creative and interesting. Thanks’
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If your Dad is a veteran, they will cover the cost but he must be evaluated by a VA audiologist. They also supplied him with a small microphone type instrument that we use to talk to him which is a great help. Batteries are supplied every 6 months free of charge. Good luck.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Thanks. Not a veteran though. I’ll keep at it.
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To the best of my knowledge traditional Medicare does not pay for hearing aids for either the recipient of care or the caregiver. Some of the Medicare Advantage plans do offer benefits in the area of hearing aids but first I would get Dad tested (a hearing aid may not help). If the recommendation is for a hearing aid you can see if he would qualify for assistance from Medicaid (which is administered,, by each state so qualifications differ), check with your state's Office on Aging to see if they know of any sources that may assist in payment for a hearing aid, check to see if it would be in your parent's best interest to switch from traditional Medicare to an Advantage Plan.
I have not recommended Advantage plans to a number of people because when you are very ill and require skilled nursing or rehab, traditional Medicare has seemed to provide better and more service; however it all depends on where you are in your health journey and your stage of life. I would definitely review all of their options on an annual basis. Your Office on Aging can help with this. Hugs and good luck!!
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
You’re right. Medicare does not and he does not have an Advantage plan. I will call his local Office on Aging.
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If all he has is plain old vanilla Medicare, no.

SOME Medicare Advantage plans have coverage for hearing aids. Some other co-insurance plans also have some coverage. Generally those that do might not cover the entire cost, but anything is better than nothing! Mom's federal plan (the BEST for gov't employees only!!!) covers $2500 every 3 years. My Advantage plan also has some coverage, no clue what as I don't need them (eh, what'd ya say???) yet. You need to find out if he has any supplemental plan(s), or is eligible for VA and/or Medicaid benefits.

Sadly the Medicare supplemental plan also does not cover this cost:

"Medicare Supplement (also known as Medigap) plans don't cover hearing aids."

Could he possibly qualify for any Medicaid assistance? see this for more detail:

https://eligibility.com/medicare/hearing-aid-coverage

I would start with getting his hearing tested. SOME conditions work really well with hearing aids. Some don't. Mom has used them for many years, but her condition is degenerative and at this point one ear has no hearing, the other isn't far behind, so the hearing aid isn't helping much. There are also some low cost alternatives found searching online, but it would be better to have him tested first, by someone qualified, to see if anything might work. Some people have good results with the amplifier box/head set. Doc tried to use that with mom (she has dementia) and she refused to wear it! These would be much less expensive too, if it works for him - if the doctor doing the testing has one, they could try it!

Before even considering hearing aids of any kind, get him tested. No point in spending any money, much less the cost of expensive hearing aids, unless they know what loss he has and why, and can determine what might work best for him.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Thanks. We will get him tested next week.
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Check with his supplimental. My husbands does.
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No they don’t. Medicare covers what they cover. They don’t make special exceptions for primary caregivers. Medicare advantage plans do pay for hearing aids though. If the person is a veteran and qualifies, the VA may help pay for hearing aids, that’s how my dad got his however he is a wartime veteran who was injured in the war so he has VA benefits not all veterans are entitled to.
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Ceebee3 Jan 2020
Thank you.
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No Medicare does not pay for hearing aids. Contact your area Agency on Aging. They may know of a way to get help with the cost of hearing aids.
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