Jake Taylor
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Tell us everything that you would care to share about your hearing loss, such as: How and when did you first realize you were experiencing hearing loss? What problems was that causing in your day-to-day life? Did you hesitate to seek care? Why or why not? *
Well, I have had a hearing loss since I was born. My family found out about my hearing lost when I was 3 years old. I was still babbling and pointing at things and getting really upset about the fact I had no way to communicate other then pointing. I had a new pair of hearing aids, the in-the-ear hearing aids, then I saw another kid wear behind-the-ear (BTE) models and told my parents I wanted a pair of those ones. My parents got me BTE hearing aids, and I have worn BTE hearing aids since I was in middle school.
I was at the school for the Deaf. Since we used sign language, I didn’t wear the hearing aids, I had them in my backpack. When I was shoved into a wall one day, the hearing aids fell out of my backpack. My parents were furious as hearing aids cost a fortune. I was grounded until I found them, but the problem is I never found them so I went without hearing aids. I kept getting in fights as the other students took sports way too serious and I was in it just to play sports so I got transferred to a regular school in my home time. I struggled to get any school work done there because I was not able to hear what was going on in my junior year of high school. There was a teacher that grew a heart to get me help, I got a new pair of hearing aids and had them throughout school. I graduated high school then kept the hearing aids until 2010 when they failed me.
Every audiologist I visited couldn’t fix them, every time I was quoted for a new pair which I couldn’t afford, so I gave up because of price. I had no hearing aids, but did use an alternative like ear amps and stuff, but those only failed me until one day I decided to take a drive and stopped by every hearing office. They were all closed then I found Affordable Hearing Solutions, walked in the office and I told the receptionist that I would like to see if I can qualify for hearing aids. I also told her I am sorry, but I am probably wasting your time. She said no, let’s get you scheduled for a hearing test and we will see what we can do, so I went to the appointment, got the hearing test done, then filled out credit apps and got denied for every bank I tried.
I just said I am sorry, I just knew this would of been a waste of time, so I tried everything to come up with a large amount of money, even tried the emergency funds at work that they provide. Turns out they don’t provide it for medical expenses, so I just gave up, then one day my phone rings and Terry’s receptionist says that Terry said if you can come up with this amount, we’ll finance the rest. I got a hold of my grandmother and talked about my experience with Affordable Hearing and my grandparents got that amount together and overnighted it to me via a check so I brought the money to the receptionist right away. She then laid it out and said we’re going take this and we’re going to cover the rest!
I cried for two whole weeks, I’ve never been treated so well from any audiologist. She got the first set of hearing aids, she tried so many different types of hearing aids with me, she wasn’t able to find a pair that I’d be comfortable with. Then in 2019, she said I’m going try something different so she got me a pair of ReSound ENZOs and we got them dialed in so well. I was loving them as all the hearing aids I had tried I couldn’t get along with due to the compression program that are in them. The ReSound hearing aids allowed her to change the delay to the point where it was short. I was able to hear things again that I have wanted to hear. Ever since then, I told her I would like to keep working with ReSound because these have to be the best digital hearing aids yet! Thank you so much because this changed everything in the quality of my life!
Based on your experience, do you have suggestions for others on how and where to start? Any other important things for them to consider?
1st: Don’t give up. You may run into a lot of headaches getting used to the hearing aids!
2nd: Take notes. It is super important to write down what you are not satisfied with for your hearing aids and what tones are working. This will help the audiologist dial your hearing aids to fit you and your comfort!
3rd: Don’t expect the hearing aids to be perfect right away. Be patient and work with your audiologist. He or she is trying to help you with your best interests in mind!
4th: Be honest with how you’re feeling about your hearing aids. The best information you give your audiologist, the better they can provide!
What was your biggest concern about hearing aids? Did that turn out to be true?
The biggest concern was always price, as hearing aids are so expensive and the more I lost my hearing, the more the price went up! Yes, it turned out to be true and it’s the main reason I gave up on getting hearing aids every time!
What would you tell someone who is considering hearing aids?
Don’t give up. Keep working with your specialist and be honest with your opinions. They will help you find what’s right for you!