# Hearing Aids



## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

I have just been to local shop re new hearing aids. I assumed prices would be better than UK as most things are but got a bit of a shock as talking mega thousands of euros for only mid range. Is this common in Spain? It's almost impossible to research prices on the internet as they just don't advertise prices, I wonder why lol. The only comparison I can make is with Specsavers as they openly advertise prices on UK website and Specsavers are around half the price. Unfortunately Specsavers in Spain have told me they do not do hearing aids in Spain. I would be interested and grateful to hear anybody else's experiences in Spain. Thank you.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

Simple, the U.K. Is close by!


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Elyles said:


> Simple, the U.K. Is close by!


Yes I had worked that solution out if my observation on prices was correct.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

Simple, the U.K. Is close by!


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Don't know if this will help the wife had her hearing tested 5years ago and after like you we searched for prices that were realistic and we were recommended a shop in Malaga. Punto De Vista Opticas,Camino San Rafael,11,Malaga. tel.952040950.She eventually settled on one from this shop.The hearing aids are made in Scandanavia.The thing with getting her one here is the after sales service which sadly you won't get if you get one from the UK.She has had minor adjustments done at the shop which are done on the computer.Can't remember exactly how much it was without finding the reciept.The assistants name wasBarbara.Hope you find what you are looking for.Regards.SB.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Thank you I will check that out.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Hearing loss isn't always down to your ears wearing out, as it were. A couple of years ago I experienced hearing loss in my left ear so went to a consultant who tested me, sent me for a scan and said I needed a hearing device, cost several thousand euros. By chance I was at the same time being given various medications to reduce my very high blood pressure. As my bp reduced so my hearing improved and is now back to normal.
Oddly, my optician had asked if I had hearing problems when doing a routine test, she said she could 'see something' behind my left eye but I ignored it.
I'm not saying every hearing problem is down to high blood pressure or other seemingly unrelated problems but mine certainly was and I'm fortunate that I didn't waste a lot more money than I spent on consultant's fees and the scan.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

My father who cannot hear anything without hearing aids bought some here and the total cost including consultation was €3000. Neuvo Optics in Nerja.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> Hearing loss isn't always down to your ears wearing out, as it were. A couple of years ago I experienced hearing loss in my left ear so went to a consultant who tested me, sent me for a scan and said I needed a hearing device, cost several thousand euros. By chance I was at the same time being given various medications to reduce my very high blood pressure. As my bp reduced so my hearing improved and is now back to normal.
> Oddly, my optician had asked if I had hearing problems when doing a routine test, she said she could 'see something' behind my left eye but I ignored it.
> I'm not saying every hearing problem is down to high blood pressure or other seemingly unrelated problems but mine certainly was and I'm fortunate that I didn't waste a lot more money than I spent on consultant's fees and the scan.


I agree many people get sold hearing aids unnecessarily and being the ridiculous prices you pay you should make sure you do need them before buying. In my case I had an operation on my ear many years ago which involved drilling away the bone and resulted in immediate hearing loss.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

chris&vicky said:


> I have just been to local shop re new hearing aids. I assumed prices would be better than UK as most things are but got a bit of a shock as talking mega thousands of euros for only mid range. Is this common in Spain? It's almost impossible to research prices on the internet as they just don't advertise prices, I wonder why lol. The only comparison I can make is with Specsavers as they openly advertise prices on UK website and Specsavers are around half the price. Unfortunately Specsavers in Spain have told me they do not do hearing aids in Spain. I would be interested and grateful to hear anybody else's experiences in Spain. Thank you.


If you are still registered with the NHS in UK, get them through the NHS - they are free as are the batteries.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> If you are still registered with the NHS in UK, get them through the NHS - they are free as are the batteries.


Thank you but I am not UK resident so I have no claim on the NHS. I do have a free hearing aid that I got from the NHS when I was but it has broken and I don't really want it repaired as the free NHS aids are very basic and very uncomfortable.


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Just to say the shop I gave you in Malaga has a branch in Alhaurin E G.When our lasses hearing was deteriorating we booked an appointment with the doctor at the medical centre who duly got her an appointment with the hospital with ENT who duly gave her a thorough exam. and they gave her a paper with the results of the test.One thing though that she did do was to check with our insurance policy to make sure she was covered for any loss or damage.We paid a bit extra on the policy but it gives peace of mind.Do hope you get sorted.Kind regards.SB.

Just to say all consultations were free and done on the Spanish national health which we found excellent.


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## Tio (Mar 28, 2013)

chris&vicky said:


> I have just been to local shop re new hearing aids. I assumed prices would be better than UK as most things are but got a bit of a shock as talking mega thousands of euros for only mid range. Is this common in Spain? It's almost impossible to research prices on the internet as they just don't advertise prices, I wonder why lol. The only comparison I can make is with Specsavers as they openly advertise prices on UK website and Specsavers are around half the price. Unfortunately Specsavers in Spain have told me they do not do hearing aids in Spain. I would be interested and grateful to hear anybody else's experiences in Spain. Thank you.


NHS hearing aids have improved by leaps and bounds now but if you can't get one forget it. If you go onto Google UK and enter hearing aids you will find a lot of suppliers and prices and the prices generally speaking will be about 50% what you would pay if you went to a hearing aid specialists shop. Having said that you still need testing to get the correct type etc so check Google out and you will see that most of them have specialists who visit your home. So, if you could manage a trip to UK get one or two booked in to where you are staying and get them tested and recommendations. Just a thought, is Gibraltar any good for it?


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Tio said:


> NHS hearing aids have improved by leaps and bounds now but if you can't get one forget it. If you go onto Google UK and enter hearing aids you will find a lot of suppliers and prices and the prices generally speaking will be about 50% what you would pay if you went to a hearing aid specialists shop. Having said that you still need testing to get the correct type etc so check Google out and you will see that most of them have specialists who visit your home. So, if you could manage a trip to UK get one or two booked in to where you are staying and get them tested and recommendations. Just a thought, is Gibraltar any good for it?


But what happens when you want minor adjustments done to them.I can just see someone sending somebody out to Spain to do it and if you have a problem,who sorts it?


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

soulboy said:


> Just to say the shop I gave you in Malaga has a branch in Alhaurin E G.When our lasses hearing was deteriorating we booked an appointment with the doctor at the medical centre who duly got her an appointment with the hospital with ENT who duly gave her a thorough exam. and they gave her a paper with the results of the test.One thing though that she did do was to check with our insurance policy to make sure she was covered for any loss or damage.We paid a bit extra on the policy but it gives peace of mind.Do hope you get sorted.Kind regards.SB.
> 
> Just to say all consultations were free and done on the Spanish national health which we found excellent.


I noticed from their website that there was a branch in AEG and also one in Churriana which is even closer to me but both those branches appear on the website without the hearing icon so assumed they were for glasses only. Do you know for sure if the shop in AEG do hearing aids? I really want one with English speaking as I am ashamed to say my Spanish is not very good. Where is your nearest Opticalia | Opticalia


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

chris&vicky said:


> I noticed from their website that there was a branch in AEG and also one in Churriana which is even closer to me but both those branches appear on the website without the hearing icon so assumed they were for glasses only. Do you know for sure if the shop in AEG do hearing aids? I really want one with English speaking as I am ashamed to say my Spanish is not very good. Where is your nearest Opticalia | Opticalia


If you ring the Malaga shop and ask for Barbara you should get the information from her and she does speak some English.The nice thing we found there were 5 or 6 different models and she only recommended the ones what would be beneficial to her and when she actually had it fitted she plugged the lead in and then into the computer and made sure it was 100% right with no feedback.In all the years we have lived here don't usually recommend people but the service we got here was excellent.The only down side with our lass is she can now hear me cursing when I am in the garage.Only joking.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Tio said:


> NHS hearing aids have improved by leaps and bounds now but if you can't get one forget it. If you go onto Google UK and enter hearing aids you will find a lot of suppliers and prices and the prices generally speaking will be about 50% what you would pay if you went to a hearing aid specialists shop. Having said that you still need testing to get the correct type etc so check Google out and you will see that most of them have specialists who visit your home. So, if you could manage a trip to UK get one or two booked in to where you are staying and get them tested and recommendations. Just a thought, is Gibraltar any good for it?


Maybe NHS hearing aids have improved but not convinced they will be as good as you can buy. The one I have from the NHS uses a mould that creates the bit that fits in your ear and I don't particularly like it. The one I tried , before he hit me with the price, had a tiny speaker on the bit that goes in your ear ( the NHS ones have the speaker behind the ear). There was no great big lump that went in your ear it just what's like normal in ear headphones really. It also had 17 channel sounds and others have many more. The more channels the more quality I wonder how many channels on the NHS ones? I may still get from Specsavers in UK as their prices are good. Going back to the UK now and then is no problem for me as flights are cheap and I live near the airport and have family in UK to visit. Just looking at all the possibilities really.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> If you are still registered with the NHS in UK, get them through the NHS - they are free as are the batteries.


Maybe I am missing something but I thought if you lived in Spain more than six months in the year then you become tax resident in Spain whether you like it or not. As for the difference between being resident and tax resident I am not sure but if you live in Spain then you are resident in Spain even if you still have a house in the UK as I do (rented out). I got temporary health care in Spain under an S1 form (now not available). My temporary cover run out so I ended up in the situation where I had no cover in Spain and no cover in UK so I have to pay a monthly fee now to use the Spanish health care system which I prefer to private. I do not understand how other expats operate I can only assume they only stay 6 months in Spain and stay resident in UK or fail to declare in Spain as the law says and stay resident UK with private health care to cover them in Spain.


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