OP ED OPENING DOORS Hearing Impairment…Navigating the World of Hearing Aids

The Baby Boomers are expected to change many of the attitudes and perceptions of aging as they sweep in large numbers into the category of “seniors.”
Like those before them, though, the aging process may bring for some their first exposure to the challenges of living with a disability, specifically vision and/or hearing loss. While the Boomers seem to have transformed the need for reading glasses into a casually mentioned accommodation, their approach to hearing loss seems less evolved. On average, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), it takes most individuals seven years to decide to seek treatment for a suspected hearing problem.
At the request of a local organization last year, I arranged for a presentation on the topic of Choosing a Hearing Aid, by an audiologist from a respected nearby Hearing Center. She combined some technical information with a large dose of common sense advice in response to the many comments and questions she fielded. One member of the audience proudly shared the fact that she had a hearing aid that had not required a change of batteries in 12 years. Her admission that she had hardly ever worn the device over those years led to a discussion of how best to determine the appropriate type and cost of a hearing aid suited to an individual’s specific needs.
I took away from this presentation two insights that served me well when I decided to have my own hearing evaluated. The first is the importance of an interview within the evaluation process to determine in which activities of daily living the person’s hearing loss causes the greatest problem. The woman with the 12-year old hearing aid batteries provided a perfect example of the need for such an interview. She had been fitted with a device that protruded slightly from her ear, causing her to remove the aid any time she had to answer the phone. An interview during the selection process would have elicited that this person’s main need for better hearing was to improve her phone use on the job.
Information gathered from a well-administered interview should also help determine the sophistication of the hearing aid needed, which in turn may affect cost. The conductor of a symphony orchestra, for example, may require a more intricate, costly hearing aid than someone whose main concern is decoding conversation in a noisy restaurant. This insight may explain some of the variance in pricing for a hearing aid recommended for one individual compared with another.
It also highlights the limitations of the “one size fits all” devices, which frequently are advertised at apparently bargain prices. These aids often merely amplify sound across all frequencies, with no accommodation for specific hearing deficits. Simpler, less expensive devices may achieve similar amplification.
The HLAA estimates that 36 million or 17 percent of Americans are affected by hearing loss. If you suspect that you may be among that number, it is advisable to first visit a primary care or ENT physician to rule out any underlying medical condition. Then obtain a comprehensive audiological evaluation conducted by a qualified audiologist in a sound proof booth with calibrated testing equipment.
The audiogram which results should include at least a pure tone test by air and bone conduction, speech reception and discrimination tests. If a hearing aid is determined to be the most appropriate form of help, make sure your lifestyle and communication demands, as well as the nature of your hearing impairment, are considered in choosing the most appropriate device.
Most importantly, give yourself some time to adapt to a new hearing aid, as adjustment to amplification is usually not immediate or perfect. But should you decide that the recommended device is really not satisfactory, make sure you are aware of the hearing aid dispenser’s policy on trial periods and returns. For these and other items you should consider when purchasing a hearing aid, consult the Consumer Checklist on the website of the HLAA.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) provides resources and help for people with hearing loss and their families to adjust to living with hearing loss. The HLAA also works toward overcoming the stigma sometimes connected with hearing loss and raising awareness of the need for prevention. The website of this Association (www.shhh.org) has a wealth of information on the subject of hearing aids
• Medicare Part B DOES NOT pay for routine hearing exams or hearing aids
• The Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (HAAAD) program is a NJ State program that offers a reimbursement of $100 to offset the cost of a hearing aid. Applicants must already be enrolled in the PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled) program or must complete a PAAD application to verify disability status, age, state residency and annual income
• The HEAR NOW Program of the Starkey Hearing Foundation provides hearing aids to permanent U.S. residents who have no other resource available for hearing aid assistance. All applicants are encouraged to call 1-800-648-4327 to discuss eligibility. Applications and more information are available at www.sotheworldmayhear.org
• New Jersey has in place a program of universal newborn hearing screening which potentially could identify all babies with hearing loss and direct them to appropriate early intervention services. For more information about this Sound Start Program visit www.lakedrivefoundation.org
Pierson is the Coordinator of the Cape May County Office of Disability Services
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