Document text
Can you hear me now? By Sharon Johnson Aug 28, 2022 12:30 AM A A I’ve worn hearing aids for well over a decade. I am actually on my second pair. Without them, conversations with my soft-voiced, 9-year-old grandson would be impossible. Without them, I cannot hear wait staff in noisy restaurants or the tellers in banks standing behind plastic shields. That reality caused me to (almost) order a pricey $45 “catch of the day” salmon dinner at a restaurant and mistakenly purchase a new set of checks that used my previous address. I totally recognize hearing aids are important to keeping my life journey on track. But there is another reality. Hearing aids are a pain. They are yet another item to remember to “put on” at the beginning of the day (assuming you have also remembered to charge them overnight and/or have the correct batteries readily available). Putting them on can be its own challenge. You have to do it right. You must tuck them deeply into your ears if they are going to work optimally. But not too deeply. Add to that, many hearing devices can be awkward to keep in place if you (as I do) wear glasses. And they (mine, at least) often flip out into open-air space when I don a face mask. Putting them on, for some of us, makes a statement about “old” we may be reluctant to make. That was me in the beginning of wearing mine, but I got over that when I realized I could hear songbirds in the early morning. Oh, there is this about hearing aids. They can be really itchy. And really expensive. Expense is a big issue. Even if you purchase them at Costco, as I did — and my husband did. He was on his third pair when he died, and their satisfaction guarantee/return policy was still in play. Fortunately. Our son took them back for a refund and was aghast at the amount of money credited to his father’s credit card. Me — I was grateful. All that said, if you are the one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 years with hearing loss, you probably paid keen attention to the recent Food and Drug Administration announcement indicating they will soon (60 days hence) allow over-the-counter sales of hearing aids. It’s about time. There is solid research to support that untended hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline and later-in-life depression. Quality of life for an older adult may hinge on accurately hearing the name of a new neighbor or the loving words of a spouse. We have not paid enough attention to the importance of hearing well as we age. The hearing aids that people need (sometimes, desperately) have not been affordably available. They are not covered by Medicare. You probably already know that. But let’s wait and hope the new regulations make these (imperfectly) necessary hearing devices more affordable and more effective, a well as easier to access. Let’s see if this new governmental policy stimulates innovation. It’s a first step. As one elder who requires hearing aids put it: “I’m counting on the kind of electronic advances that revolutionized iPhones and watches.” Me, too, with a heavy accent on affordable. Sharon Johnson is a retired educator. Reach her at [email protected]