How About an Unrelated Topic?

Bird · Aug 25, 2004

My mother is hard of hearing, but lacks the manual dexterity to manage conventional hearing aids. She has hard wired "over the head" headphones for watching TV and that works fine for that (we tried a couple of different wireless ones first, but she was unable to manage them). But I've been unable to find anything satisfactory for the rest of the time. She told me today that she met a man yesterday, a visitor at the nursing home, who was wearing some over the head headphones with no wiring; built in receiver, amplifier, etc. that allowed him to hear converstions in the room, but he said he didn't know where they came from because his son got them for him.

I've been to Circuit City, Fry's Electronics, three different Radio Shacks, and I've tried searching on the Internet and no luck.

Can anyone help me find something like that?

1bush2hog · Aug 25, 2004

Have you tried Cabela's or other hunting/outdoor site? I beleive they have listening devices available similar to what you have described.

Will_C · Aug 25, 2004

Bird, It sounds like the Walker's Game Ear, or a generic equivalent. The original model was an in the ear design, but I have noticed headphone versions lately. As was suggested, try Cabelas or any of the outdoor stores.
Will

Bird · Aug 26, 2004

Thanks to both of you, 1bush2hog and Will. I knew someone among our members would come up with something good. I never thought about sporting goods stores, and I've never seen a Cabelas store and never heard of Walkers's Game Ear, but looked at Cabelas web site last night, then at the Bass Pro web site, and went to the Bass Pro store this morning where they have quite a selection, including some of the Walker's Game Ear models. And since they had so many different products, and some helpful sales people, I got something she likes and much cheaper than I expected. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

TBNers came through again, or should I say, as usual. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

fishman · Aug 26, 2004

Dang it Bird, I just saw this and am a bit too late. I have a 20% off coupon good at that Bass Pro store that you are welcome to. It's only good for one item, unfortunately, but I would be happy to mail it to you. It's from the center of the 2003-2004 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual if any other Texans are out there wondering where to get such a certificate. Yes, that's right, last years reg booklet.

Anyway Bird, feel free to PM me if you think you might use a coupon like that.

Bird · Aug 26, 2004

I appreciate it, John, but I actually got out so cheap this time I was surprised. I was looking for headphones, and Bass Pro had some, but I was also looking for the simplest to operate thing I could find. Mother regained a great deal of the use of her hands after a stroke a few years ago, but not complete use, so that was an important factor. Anyway, one of the guys at the Bass Pro shop showed me some "RedHead Hearing Enhancers" that look like the old fashioned over the ear hearing aids for $15 each. At that price, I bought two and took them for Mother to try out. She loved them. If they don't work out over time, I'll go back and try one of their other products, but I tried them out myself and wonder if I shouldn't have bought those instead of these high priced hearing aids I'm wearing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

fishman · Aug 26, 2004

Sounds like a deal Bird. If they don't work out, my coupon is good until December of this year. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Inspector507 · Aug 26, 2004

Bird,
I wish I could have gotten away with the $15 enhancers. My hearing loss was due to a tumor inside the ear which actually surrounded two of the bones in the inner ear and destroyed them, ate them away more or less. When the tumor was removed, viola........no hearing at all. Seems the tumor was transmitting the sound vibrations and not the bones.

So...the aid I needed was one of the strongest on the market. But it is neat, 3 programs, remotely controlled. I can "turn you off at any time" with the remote in my pocket /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. I can "turn you up or down" and you'd never know. It has audio zoom, to concentrate on a speaker at an event and at the same time drown out background noise. Some public arenas are equipped to transmit signals that this aid will pick up and eliminate the crowd noise.

I guess what I'm getting at, is advice to others that may be hesitant on getting their hearing checked. DO IT. Throw vanity out the window. It is so pleasant to actually join in a conversation or enjoy an event/speaker.

Yes it was expensive, but I had no choice on that. If Mom can get along with the $15 enhancers.........go for it......I couldn't

Bird · Aug 26, 2004

Ouch, that's tough, Jerry. I'll bet your hearing aid was really expensive. Actually the ones I have were only a thousand each, which is kind of low end I guess for hearing aids now-a-days. And the audiologist tells me I have "nerve damage" so I can get plenty of volume with almost any hearing aid, but even with hearing aids, I sometimes have trouble understanding some people. The difference in different individuals' voice frequency I guess is the problem. I have no idea how long the $15 hearing enhancers will last, but they have a volume adjustment from 1 to 5 and at one and a half they're plenty loud for me or Mother either one.

It was kind of comical, of course, because we were out in the main lobby and several other people were around, talking and visiting, and she could immediately hear them and join in the conversation. Then she started wondering about sounds she'd never heard there before (the water bubbling in the aquarium and a vacuum cleaner running in the foyer). So she immediately told the activities director that she was going to start coming to the weekly trivia games again. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif