4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 30, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Six things to know when buying hearing aids
Being an informed health care
consumer is hard work. Th ere
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 signifi cant 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
Amplifi cation 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 specifi c 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 specifi cally to compensate
for hearing loss - must
be cleared by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) to
ensure safety and effi cacy.
3) Hearing aids need to be
custom-fi tted and programmed
specifi cally for the individual
so they correctly address those
specifi c frequencies the individual
has trouble hearing. Th e
beauty of authentic hearing aids
is that they're tailored - through
personalized fi tting, programming
and follow-up adjustments
- to correctly address
those specifi c frequencies the
individual has trouble hearing.
Th is gives the wearer the greatest
benefi t and ensures that the
level of amplifi cation is appropriate
across the entire frequency
spectrum. Follow-up
hearing aid adjustments, along
with training to help consumers
adjust to amplifi cation and
re-learn how to hear and process
sounds they had been
missing, further increase user
satisfaction.
4) Personal sound amplifi ers
(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 specifi c 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 identifi
ed and addressed. It also helps
ensure that the person's hearing
loss is safely and eff ectively
treated. Hearing care professionals
- audiologists, hearing
aid specialists and ENTs
(Ear, Nose and Th roat 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 amplifi cation, and they
are state-licensed. Many work
in practices with ENT doctors.
Th ey 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 benefi t 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 benefi t from custom-fi tted
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.
— Courtesy BPT
top doctors 2020
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