# Hearing Aids



## Pathfinder

Hi.
I wonder if anyone out there has been in need of a hearing aid while living in Spain.
In the UK pensioners are sent to the hospital where they undergo a hearing test, and are supplied with a hearing aid If required on the NHS. 
What is the system in Spain.
grateful for any advice

Thanks


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## Stravinsky

Pathfinder said:


> Hi.
> I wonder if anyone out there has been in need of a hearing aid while living in Spain.
> In the UK pensioners are sent to the hospital where they undergo a hearing test, and are supplied with a hearing aid If required on the NHS.
> What is the system in Spain.
> grateful for any advice
> 
> Thanks


We went to a hearing aid shop a few years ago for the wife and the cost was horrendous. We went to Specsavers in Javea and they said they only did glasses but would be doing hearing aids at some time in the future

So we went back to the UK and went to Specsavers there. They did a good hearing test and recommended the correct hearing aids. You have to be careful that you get the correct type for your hearing loss. I think it cost about £800, whereas in Spain at the time we were talking a few thousand euros


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## tarot650

Pathfinder said:


> Hi.
> I wonder if anyone out there has been in need of a hearing aid while living in Spain.
> In the UK pensioners are sent to the hospital where they undergo a hearing test, and are supplied with a hearing aid If required on the NHS.
> What is the system in Spain.
> grateful for any advice
> 
> Thanks


Can't advise you on Mazarron but down here on the Costa Del Sol the wife went for a hearing test 18months ago and she only waited two weeks for her appointment at the hospital in Antequera and they were absolutely brilliant with her.The gave here the results of the test but there was no free hearing aid and the prices in Antquera started at 1500€.We eventually found a shop in Malaga called Opticalia and even then it cost us 800€.Yes we could have sent the wife back to the UK but any time you need the hearing aid altering it's a trip back to the UK although we are led to believe that prices have come down recently.I actually watch them set up the wifes hearing aid.A very small conection goes in the hearing aid and the other end has a USB connection which plugs into the computer.


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## Pathfinder

May I express my thanks to both Soulboy and Stravinsky for their replies.
just arrived back from a hearing test and have been quoted €3,990 for the best model, then €2,980 for a cheaper model less 10% discount. Grand total of €2,682.
Thinking of taking out a mortgage.

Pathfinder


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## tarot650

Pathfinder said:


> May I express my thanks to both Soulboy and Stravinsky for their replies.
> just arrived back from a hearing test and have been quoted €3,990 for the best model, then €2,980 for a cheaper model less 10% discount. Grand total of €2,682.
> Thinking of taking out a mortgage.
> 
> Pathfinder


I presume this quote is in Mucia area.Have a look online for OIR VITAL and see if there is an outlet in your area.The phone number for what looks like the main office is 915715229 and they might be able to tell you if there is an outlet in your area.I don'r usually like recommending places but in all honesty they have been absolutely brilliant with the wife and when she has hers in her ear it's barely noticeable and was made in Scandanavia.I think it's like anything nowadays you have to shop around for realistic prices.Wish you the best of luck.Regards.SB.


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## thrax

My step father has hearing aids and has had them renewed here in Spain. I'll ask him what happened. And how much but I'm sure he would have said something if it was that much...


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## gus-lopez

Pathfinder said:


> May I express my thanks to both Soulboy and Stravinsky for their replies.
> just arrived back from a hearing test and have been quoted €3,990 for the best model, then €2,980 for a cheaper model less 10% discount. Grand total of €2,682.
> Thinking of taking out a mortgage.
> 
> Pathfinder


Chap on another forum searched the internet & found them in the U.S. for a tenth of the Spanish price.
Took a couple of months to come & had to sign a customs declaration to the effect that they were for personal use & not for re-sale but he said it was well worth it for the saving !


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## Pesky Wesky

gus-lopez said:


> Chap on another forum searched the internet & found them in the U.S. for a tenth of the Spanish price.
> Took a couple of months to come & had to sign a customs declaration to the effect that they were for personal use & not for re-sale but he said it was well worth it for the saving !


But how can they be fitted properly? I thought they took a mould of your ear?
And regulated to the correct frequency?
I don't understand how it can be a personalised service


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## tarot650

Pesky Wesky said:


> But how can they be fitted properly? I thought they took a mould of your ear?
> And regulated to the correct frequency?
> I don't understand how it can be a personalised service


You shouldn't be really you know what the Americans are like and you are quite correct about the frequencies and setting them up.The OH went back three times to get it set up exactly right.The lady plugged a conection in and the other end into a USB port on the computer plus nowadays we like to see what we are buying and then if there are any problems you are straight back to where it was bought from.Personally I am absolutely madeup that she went for one as I don't have to have the hi fi and TV blaring away so she can hear them.The only downside is that I have to watch my cursing now.


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## Pesky Wesky

soulboy said:


> You shouldn't be really you know what the Americans are like and you are quite correct about the frequencies and setting them up.The OH went back three times to get it set up exactly right.The lady plugged a conection in and the other end into a USB port on the computer plus nowadays we like to see what we are buying and then if there are any problems you are straight back to where it was bought from.Personally I am absolutely madeup that she went for one as I don't have to have the hi fi and TV blaring away so she can hear them.The only downside is that I have to watch my cursing now.


Yes, setting them up is what I meant to say instead of talking about frequencies...
Anyway I totally understand about how your life has changed because of your wife's hearing aids.
My mother has state of the art hearing aids and can't get on with them at all. Can't even put them in herself without dad helping her and doesn't seem to hear much at all. She's not a very outgoing person anyway, but now she's quite isolated, under confident and more bad tempered because of it.
MIL however has the same kind here in Spain and gets on great with them, knows exactly when and how to change the battery (big price difference according to where you buy them). She hears really well and has an enviable and active life!
So congratulations to you and your wife!

PS Might be an in idea to look up the batteries on internet as that's probably where you could make some savings.


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## Brangus

Pesky Wesky said:


> But how can they be fitted properly? I thought they took a mould of your ear?
> And regulated to the correct frequency?
> I don't understand how it can be a personalised service


It's the same concept as off-the-rack reading glasses. Five-euro specs work fine for me, but my OH needs expensive custom-made lenses.



soulboy said:


> you are quite correct about the frequencies and setting them up. The OH went back three times to get it set up exactly right.


Yes, but the adjustments are made based on pure tones, so it's not a good simulation of real-life use. People get hearing aids in order to understand speech, not beeps.



Pesky Wesky said:


> My mother has state of the art hearing aids and can't get on with them at all. Can't even put them in herself without dad helping her and doesn't seem to hear much at all.


There are lots of reasons for hearing loss. Sometimes the brain can no longer process speech correctly, and amplifying the sound -- which is what the hearing aid does -- won't help. It's a cognitive issue. A large percentage of people with custom hearing aids end up dissatisfied and not using them, often because simple amplification of sound doesn't address their problem. 



soulboy said:


> you know what the Americans are like


An Englishwoman said those exact words to my face once because she thought I was Canadian.  By the way, I have a friend who is a hearing expert.


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## Pesky Wesky

Brangus said:


> It's the same concept as off-the-rack reading glasses. Five-euro specs work fine for me, but my OH needs expensive custom-made lenses.
> 
> ***
> 
> There are lots of reasons for hearing loss. Sometimes the brain can no longer process speech correctly, and amplifying the sound -- which is what the hearing aid does -- won't help. It's a cognitive issue. A large percentage of people with custom hearing aids end up dissatisfied and not using them, often because simple amplification of sound doesn't address their problem.


Very interesting, especially the last comment that I have quoted here.
Is there anything that can be done to help someone with this type of hearing loss or to prevent it?

Sorry to OP. Please reply by PM if you have time.
Thanks


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## phillippa

hi I'm an audiologist in the uk, private hearing aids can cost about £1000-£2000 from places like specsavers or boots, (but up to £10,000 from some of the more expensive outlets) they need to be programmed to your hearing loss and fitted in person so that they are comfortable and you dont get too much feedback. The main problem is going back for repairs and adjustments as you cant always do much through the post. if you return to the uk regularly its not too bad. hearing aids at £500 -£1000 tend to be worse than the free NHS ones. You onlu need and impression taken of your ear for a serious loss, mostly you can get away with more discreet fitting nowadays.


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## dmret

Pathfinder,
Could you give me the details of 'their best model' please. I was in Canterbury Boots a few weeks ago, and their best 'phonak venture' with a 'discount' was £3,600. As we are now in Spain, any info. Is appreciated.
Thanks.


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## baldilocks

I have hearing aids that I got through the NHS and they were great in UK but, here things are just toooooooo noisy. Even with the hearing aids set on "noisy environment" they are still way too loud. Then SWMBO got a dog! If I have my aids in and working , he barks, i hit the ceiling!

Modern aids don't just amplify the sound, they are tuned so that different frequencies are treated differently according to the pattern of your hearing loss, e.g. I can't hear anything above 7kHz or below 200Hz and my best hearing frequency is at about 1kHz.


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