Show #380 Airing Sunday, 3/25/07
Is the volume level on your TV slowly inching up? Are your friends mumbling all the time? These are some of the small signs of hearing loss that are often missed, and that can cause seniors to miss out. Here to explain why hearing testing and hearing aids are so important to keeping tuned into life is Iona Dettelbach. Iona has personally benefited from the use of hearing aids and now shares her motivational message with others.
Question: Why do many older folks who need hearing aids not wear them?
Answer: They deny the slips that point to hearing loss. And, if you think about it, it's easy to understand how this is possible. If you can't hear something, you are unaware that it's happening. Simply turning the TV louder doesn't always register. People often think that others are mumbling rather than think that they can't hear.
What these people fail to realize is that they are often missing out on a lot, and they often fail to truly grasp the inconvenience that their denial has on those around them. It can be difficult to communicate.
Young grandchildren can actually be a wonderful prompt for an older person to get their hearing checked. I myself had the bad habit of being very leisurely in the morning before putting on my hearing aid. Then my grandchildren stayed over. The oldest wanted breakfast and I couldn't hear what she was saying. I had to get on the floor next to her. So she said to "put the radio in my ears." Now, I put them on first thing every morning.
Question: Now your story is a bit different. You started to lose your hearing in your mid-20s, right?
Answer: Yes, I have nerve deafness due to a medication. Back when I became deaf, the hearing aids simply amplified the volume of noises. It didn't help my problem. So I went to the Hearing and Speech Center and learned to read lips, which I did for many years.
Years later, I ran a needlepoint shop and a customer noticed that I was reading lips. He too had hearing loss and told me that I should try hearing aids again. Current, high-quality hearing aids, like digital ones, are just phenomenal.
Question: Do hearing aids work right away?
Answer: No. They are very delicate instruments that must be tuned to your individual hearing. This is another reason some people are not wearing their hearing aids-they think they don't work well and put them in their pocket. But you have to work with them first.
Your audiologist will often make you use a notebook or journal to write down what you are experiencing. Does your ice maker make you jump out of your skin when it turns on? Mine did. Can you hear music? Does the hum of the air conditioner bother you? This information allows a skilled audiologist to adjust your hearing aids to make them work for you. My current aids are digital and have 24 internal programs that are each adjusted to help my hearing. Newer models have twice as many programs, giving you a depth of sound that was unavailable before.
Question: Another reason some seniors don't have hearing aids is cost. Can you explain?
Answer: Hearing aids are not covered by Medicaid-they are considered a luxury. And a good aid can cost $5-6000. If you can afford it, I really do recommend getting a quality aid.
There are programs for assistance, and reconditioned aids are available from manufacturers.
Question: What if a viewer thinks that they or a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? What should they do?
Answer:Get your hearing tested. You can go to the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center to see an audiologist. And one audiology exam per lifetime is covered by Medicare, so get tested.
They may tell you that you could benefit from a hearing aid, but that you don't need to have one. There may be gadgets, like headphones that plug into your television, that can help you short of getting a hearing aid.
Don't tune-out hearing loss. If you think you may have a problem, don't let your ego stand in the way of fully enjoying the sounds of life. Call the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center. The number's next. My thanks to Iona Dettelbach.
