Best over-the-counter hearing aids

Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good over-the-counter hearing aids for seniors on a budget?

I’m not sure what to get or where to buy them.

Hard of Hearing

Dear Hard,

The new FDA approved overthe-counter (OTC) hearing aids that hit the market last October have become a very attractive alternative for millions of older Americans with hearing impairment.

These new hearing aids can be purchased at pharmacies, consumer electronics stores or online without a hearing exam, prescription or appointment with an audiologist. And the savings are significant. The average cost of an OTC hearing aid is about $1,600 per pair, which is about $3,000 less than the average price of a prescription hearing aid. But sorting through all the different options and styles can be confusing. Here are some tips along with a reliable resource that can help you choose the right aid for you.

CHECK YOUR HEARING

Your first step to getting a hearing aid is to get your hearing tested. Be aware that OTC hearing aids are designed only for people with mild to moderate hearing loss (signs include trouble hearing speech in noisy places, in groups and during phone calls).

The best place to get your hearing tested is through a hearing care provider like an audiologist. These in-person tests are usually covered by private medical insurance, and as of this year, Medicare will pay for general hearing evaluations without a doctor’s referral.

You can also assess your hearing at home with a good app-based hearing test like Mimi (www.mimi.health) or SonicCloud (www.soniccloud.com).

If you find through your test that you have severe hearing loss (signs include being unable to hear spoken words even in a quiet room or trouble hearing loud music or power tools) then OTC aids aren’t the right solution for you. You’ll probably need a prescription hearing aid, which you must get through an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist.

CHOOSING AN OTC AID

If you decide that an OTC hearing aid may work for you, here are a couple pointers to help you choose.

First, you need to know that OTC hearing aids come in two types: self-fitting and preset. Self-fitting aids typically use a smartphone app to set up and adjust the device to suit your specific hearing needs, which makes them better suited for seniors who are technologically inclined. Preset hearing aids are much simpler devices that come with a number of set programs for different levels of hearing loss, and the controls are directly on the hearing aid.

Also, because OTC hearing aids have a learning curve, it’s very important to know the level of customer support you’ll have access to. So, before you buy, find out how long the company provides support after your purchase, and what sorts of experts will be providing the support.

You also need to find out about the company’s return policy. It can take weeks to get accustomed to wearing hearing aids and figure out whether they’re really working for you or not. So, make sure to choose a brand that offers a minimum 30-day free trial period, or a money back return policy.

To help you cut through all the different options, the National Council on Aging (NCOA), which is a national nonprofit organization that advocates for older Americans, recently assembled a review team who collectively spent more than 5,000 hours researching, testing and interviewing customers about OTC hearing aids.

They came up with a list of nine winners based on such criteria as affordability, style and fit. Their best OTC hearing aids for 2023 in their nine categories see SAVVY SENIOR page 20

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SOLUTION ON PAGE 22

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SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 22

June 2 at 8:56 p.m. — Report of a disturbance on Zephyr Road. A male, age 33, was issued a citation to appear in court for simple assault, disorderly conduct and violating conditions of release.

June 3 at 12:04 p.m. — Report of a disturbance at Hannaford. A male, age 43, was issued a citation to appear in court for driving with a criminally suspended license.

June 3 at 2:18 p.m. — Report of an intoxicated male at Falcon Manor. A male, age 36, was issued a citation to appear in court for violating conditions of release.

June 3 at 7:34 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Walmart. Case is still under investigation.

June 3 at 9:39 p.m. — Suspicious female reported on Harvest Lane. Female was located and moved along.

June 4 at 3:27 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Officer has a suspect; case is still under investigation.

June 4 at 5:18 p.m. — Following a traffic stop, a male, age 39, was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

June 5 at 12:36 p.m. — Report of a retail theft at Walmart. Officer has a suspect. Case is still under investigation.

June 5 at 2:37 p.m. — Disturbance report on Walnut Steet. Both parties were moved along.

June 5 at 7:02 p.m. — Report of a suspicious male on Williston Road. A male, age 33, was issued a citation to appear in court for violating conditions of release.

June 5 at 11:51 p.m. — Report of a vehicle playing loud music at Sucker Brook Trail. A male, age 23, was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

June 5 at 11:33 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Case is still under investigation.

June 5 at 12:27 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Case is still under investigation.

June 6 at 11:33 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Best Buy. Case is still under investigation.

June 8 at 9:33 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Home Depot. Investigation showed that a male, age 33, had outstanding arrest warrants. He was transported to Chittenden County Criminal Court and was issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

June 8 at 11:20 a.m. — Retail theft at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Investigation showed that a female, age 30, had active arrest warrants. She was transported to Chittenden County Criminal Court.

June 8 at 5:03 p.m. — Suspicious female reported at Walmart. Investigation showed that a female, age 32, had active arrest warrants. She was transported to Chittenden County Correctional Facility.

June 8 at 11:29 p.m. — Suspicious vehicle reported on Hurricane Lane. Vehicle was moved along.

Williston Police officers also responded to eight alarms, 10 motor vehicle crashes and conducted 27 traffic stops during this time frame.

continued from page 1 to make sure we explore further. We are going to definitely keep our focus on this.”

The school district currently has signed agreements with about 130 online digital tools. Administrators are continually assessing whether some should be phased out and whether new ones should be added.

Teachers who are interested in using a new digital learning tool must first complete a “request for tech” form. This spring, the district is updating the form to take a broader view of the impact of

continued from page 18 include:

• Best for Seniors: Jabra Enhance (www.jabraenhance.com)

• Best Invisible Fit: Eargo (www.eargo. com)

• Most User-Friendly: Lexie (www.lexiehearing.com)

• Most Affordable: Audien (www.audienhearing.com)

• Most Financing Options: Audicus (www.audicus.com)

• Best Remote Customer Service: MDHearing (www.mdhearingaid.com)

• Best Rechargeable for the Money: Go Hearing (www.gohearing.com)

• Best Variety: Lucid (www.lucidhearing.com)

• Best Earbud-Style: Sony (www.electronics.sony.com) adding a new tool, some of which require a paid subscription. The district requires representatives from each tool, app or website to sign the district’s student data privacy agreement before it will be approved for use.

To learn more, see www.NCOA.org/ adviser/hearing-aids/best-otc-hearingaids.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Other considerations are the initial and ongoing costs, whether something similar is already available for use, how the new technology will be used in a classroom and how many students will use it.

“There is a lot to consider,” Birdsall said, “so we’re trying to be more transparent with educators. It’s not just, ‘I heard about this, let’s use it.’ There’s more to it than that.” place before the pandemic have not been re-established. responding to calls for crisis. We don’t have the capacity to be as proactive as we want without overloading staff,” Sivo said.

Greg Marino explained that the resources to handle student behavior that were in continued from page 1 www.WillistonObserver.com

“That has a direct connection to what we are experiencing,” he said. “People just don’t have the bandwith.”

The situation is bound to lead to educators leaving the profession, Superintendent Rene Sanchez warned.

“Unless things change, we will lose high-quality educators to another career,” he said.