The Importance of Encouraging People to Use Hearing Aids – Audiology Associates

Regular use of hearing aids is associated with decreased death rates in U.S. adults with hearing loss, a new study out of USC found.
The findings highlight the importance of encouraging people to use hearing aids and of ensuring everyone who needs hearing aids can get them, according to the study’s authors. “Hearing is so important for just maintaining health across our life course,” said Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins and an author on the study.
The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, 7 million people – 1 out of every 14 people – will have hearing loss severe enough to require treatment. The most common causes of hearing loss are exposure to loud noises and natural aging-related degeneration, both of which affect the inner hair cells of the ear, according to the CDC. Everyone will develop some degree of hearing loss during their life, said Lin. «It›s inevitable.»
Previous studies have linked hearing loss and social isolation, which can increase risk for heart disease, dementia, and depression. The study was not able to examine these specific medical conditions, but is the first large study to investigate whether hearing aid use, as an intervention for hearing loss, could prevent death.
Regular hearing aid users tended to belong to a higher socioeconomic class, self-identify as white, and have fewer medical conditions, the study found. Cost can be prohibitive, as one pair can cost as much as 4500 dollars and needs to be replaced every few years, said Lin. While some private insurers cover hearing aids, Medicaid coverage varies by state and most Medicare plans do not cover hearing aids at all. “This type of hearing care is essentially all out of pocket. For an average American, it could be your third-largest material purchase after a house and a car,” he said.
Other barriers to hearing aids might include lack of access to care. Getting a well-fitting pair of hearing aids includes multiple visits to the otolaryngologist, audiologist, and the hearing aid center, all of which come with their own transportation and language barriers. In some cases, primary care physicians may not be recommending enough patients to go see a hearing specialist, according to Dr. Doug Backous, president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “It’s probably the most under-screened symptom in a primary care office,” he said. On top of that, there remains a lot of stigma around using hearing aids. “A lot of people come to me with hearing loss and communication difficulties but they’re not willing to try hearing aids, they’ll say, ‘I don’t think I’m there yet’ or ‘I don’t want to look old!
To schedule a hearing aid consultation today, please call Audiology Associates at 661-284-1900. Kevin Bolder, Au.D and John Davis, Au.D. are two of the best in Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley. Visit our website at www.AudiologyAssociates.net or stop by our office located at 25425 Orchard Village Road, Suite 220, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
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