When buying hearing aids:
6 essential things to know
Being an informed health care consumer
is hard work. There is information everywhere.
But how do you sift through it and
make sense of it all? And how do you know
what is reliable and what isn’t?
Sorting through the noise when buying
hearing aids is no exception.
In the past several months, there has been
significant media coverage and social media
discussion about the Over-the-Counter
Hearing Aid Act of 2017, which will make
certain types of hearing aids available over
the counter in the next several years. At the
same time, there are many advertisements
about devices called Personal Sound Amplification
Products (PSAPs) - which are not
hearing aids and are not designed to treat
hearing loss - adding to the confusion.
To help consumers cut through the clutter,
the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) has
pulled together six essential facts for people
with hearing loss who are considering the
purchase of hearing aids.
BHI recommends that anyone who is
ready to address their hearing loss keep
these six points in mind:
1) Addressing hearing loss promptly and
appropriately is important for health and
quality of life. Research shows that hearing
loss is linked to cognitive decline and dementia,
depression, an increased risk of falls
and hospitalization, and greater health care
costs. Hearing loss also is linked to cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, moderate chronic
kidney disease, obesity, sleep apnea and
rheumatoid arthritis, studies show.
2) Hearing loss is not a simple mechanical
issue and cannot be remedied as easily
as buying a pair of reader glasses at the grocery
store. Hearing loss is a complex sensory
loss. It involves brain function and frequency
losses specific to the individual. Human
hearing involves a multifaceted interplay
between specific parts of the ears and brain.
For this reason, hearing aids - which are designed
specifically to compensate for hearing
loss - must be cleared by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure
safety and efficacy.
3) Hearing aids need to be custom-fitted
and programmed specifically for the individual
so they correctly address those specific
frequencies the individual has trouble hearing.
The beauty of authentic hearing aids is
that they’re tailored - through personalized
fitting, programming and follow-up adjustments
- to correctly address those specific
frequencies the individual has trouble hearing.
This gives the wearer the greatest benefit
and ensures that the level of amplification
is appropriate across the entire frequency
spectrum. Follow-up hearing aid adjustments,
along with training to help consumers
adjust to amplification and re-learn how
to hear and process sounds they had been
missing, further increase user satisfaction.
4) Personal sound amplifiers (PSAPs) are
not hearing aids and are not cleared by the
FDA to treat hearing loss. Consumers need
to be careful not to confuse hearing aids
with PSAPs, which simply turn up the volume
- sometimes to dangerously high decibel
levels - regardless of the individual’s specific
hearing needs. Over-amplifying in this
way may put the consumer at risk of greater
hearing damage.
5) Seeing a hearing care professional is
the best safety net for proper diagnosis and
treatment. Going to a hearing care professional
helps ensure that any underlying
medical issue behind a hearing loss is identified
and addressed. It also helps ensure
that the person’s hearing loss is safely and
effectively treated. Hearing care professionals
- audiologists, hearing aid specialists
and ENTs (Ear, Nose and Throat doctors or
doctors of otology and otolaryngology) - are
best suited to help consumers with hearing
loss. Audiologists and hearing aid specialists
are expressly trained in all aspects of hearing
aids and amplification, and they are state-licensed.
Many work in practices with ENT
doctors. They have the most appropriate
and accurate equipment to give a precise
read of an individual’s current hearing level.
Involving a hearing health care professional
also means the consumer gets maximum
benefit from their hearing aids.
6) Currently, hearing aids are only sold by
licensed hearing care professionals. Today,
real hearing aids cannot be purchased in the
U.S. without the involvement of a licensed
hearing care professional. The way hearing
aids are sold, however, will change in a few
years due to the Over-the-Counter Hearing
Aid Act of 2017, which was signed into law
in August 2017. Nevertheless, the complex
nature of hearing loss will not change. The
safest thing consumers can do for their hearing
is to seek professional hearing health
care advice from the start.
BHI urges consumers with hearing loss to
remain encouraged. Most people with hearing
loss can benefit from custom-fitted and
programmed hearing aids. In fact, 91 percent
of people who purchased hearing aids
in the last year say they are happy with their
purchase, and 90 percent say they would
recommend getting hearing aids to family
members and friends, BHI research shows.
For information on types of hearing loss,
visit www.betterhearing.org/news/hereswhat
you-need-know-about-different-typeshearing
loss. (BPT)
30 BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM BROOKLYN’S TOP DOCTORS