My basic pieces of advice:
1)
DON’T WAIT TOO LONG BEFORE GOING IN TO GET HEARING AIDS! If you think you need them… you are likely way overdue. Lots of research shows the earlier you start with them, the more success you’re likely to have with them.
2)
Find an Audiologist that you like, and can work well with. They will be the key to getting the most appropriate hearing aids for you, and for getting them adjusted to work as well as possible for you!
3)
Once you get your hearing aids, chances are you will need to get them adjusted a few times. It’s a learning process, and you aren’t going to “learn” everything right away (i.e., your first visit). KEEP GOING BACK, until they’re working well for you. Minnesota state law has a mandatory return period… basically so you don’t get stuck with expensive hearing aids. Maybe your state has something similar?
4)
Wear them every day! Even when you’re home alone, or think you won’t need them that day, etc. That’s the only way to get used to them, and to allow your ears and brain to synch your new hearing ability. It takes time and “practice.”
My Audiologist has a sheet, something like a Top Ten list for success with your new hearing aids. Things like 1-4 above, plus things like “Have an open mind,” “Have a positive mental attitude,” and “Be willing to learn new things.”
As I read through the list, I mentally checked the boxes for my father in law…
“Nope, nope, nope, nope…”
Father in law spent a fortune on several sets of hearing aids. He didn’t follow through with adjustments, didn’t wear them consistently, etc. Audiologist called him out for lying… he said he was wearing them all day/every day, when he’d go a week or two at a time without wearing them! BUSTED!!!
I have ReSound hearing aids, from Denmark. Their world HQ is in Denmark, and they’re labeled “Product Of Denmark.” US HQ is in Minneapolis, about 90 miles from me. Easy
for my Audiologist to get manufacturer support, typically very quickly. So she says, anyway… we haven’t needed it for mine.
Mine are “behind the ear” models, with an unobtrusive wire going into the ear canal. They charge in their carrying case, which had an internal battery or capacitor, allowing 2-3 charges without access to a 110V outlet. They adjust for volume, speech clarity, and noise reduction via a smart phone “App.”
Got mine in my early 50s, have had them for maybe three years, or so.
“Woulda, coulda, shoulda” gotten them a few years earlier, but I was checking in w/Audiologist every year or two… to be sure I didn’t wait “too long” before getting them.
They’re not perfect, and they’re not the same as “real” hearing, but they’ve very much improved my life. Scary research out there re: untreated hearing loss and links to dementia, etc.
Noisy places (like a busy bar/restaurant) are still very difficult for me… and I generally don’t enjoy those types of settings anymore.
Sister has had hearing aids for 20-30 years, now goes to Costco. She’s very happy with their products, and the pricing… but she’s an experienced consumer. I don’t know if they’re a good choice for ones first hearing aids, or not.
Happy to answer questions and/or visit with anyone about my hearing aid experiences, via PM.
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Really beginning to think I threw away a lot of $$ on something that does not work for me . I asked two friends who wear hearing aides what they used and their opinions and both recommended Costco without hesitating....guess I should have taken they're advice ! 
