{"id":7709,"date":"2024-06-27T08:10:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T12:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=7709"},"modified":"2024-06-28T07:25:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T11:25:38","slug":"poor-hearing-can-be-frustrating-but-so-can-some-hearing-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2024\/06\/poor-hearing-can-be-frustrating-but-so-can-some-hearing-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Poor Hearing Can Be Frustrating, but So Can Some Hearing Aids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only 29 percent of those who hear poorly use hearing aids. In this article, journalist Judith Graham explains why that\u2019s true and why some older adults who <\/span><\/i>do <\/span>wear aids find them frustrating. She also rounds up advice from experts on how to avoid those frustrations. <\/span><\/i>KFF Health News<\/span><\/a> posted her story on February 28, 2024<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>It also ran on <\/span><\/i>CBS News<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Funding from the Silver Century Foundation helps <\/span><\/i>KFF Health News<\/span> develop articles (like this one) on longevity and related health and social issues.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he\u2019d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even then, my father-in-law could barely hear what my husband was saying. \u201cWhat?\u201d he\u2019d ask over and over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, there were the problems my father-in-law had replacing the devices\u2019 batteries. And the times he\u2019d end up in the hospital, unable to understand what people were saying because his hearing aids didn\u2019t seem to be functioning. And the times he\u2019d drop one of the devices and be unable to find it.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many older adults have problems of this kind?<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no good data about this topic, according to Nicholas Reed, PhD, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies hearing loss. He did a literature search when I posed the question and came up empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reed co-authored the <\/span>most definitive study<\/span><\/a> to date of hearing issues in older Americans, published in <\/span>JAMA Network Open <\/span><\/i>last year. Previous studies excluded people 80 and older. But data became available when a 2021 survey by the National Health and Aging Trends Study included hearing assessments conducted at people\u2019s homes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The trend in hearing aids has been to make them smaller, more technologically sophisticated\u2014and harder for many older people to use. <\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The results, based on a nationally representative sample of 2,803 people 71 and older, are eye-opening. Hearing problems become pervasive with advancing age, exceeding 90 percent in people 85 and older, compared with 53 percent of 71- to 74-year-olds. Also, hearing worsens over time, with more people experiencing moderate or severe deficits once they reach or exceed age 80, compared with people in their 70s.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, only 29 percent of those with hearing loss used hearing aids. Multiple studies have documented barriers that inhibit use. Such devices, which Medicare doesn\u2019t cover, are pricey, from nearly $1,000 for a good over-the-counter set (OTC hearing aids became available in 2022) to more than $6,000 for some prescription models. In some communities, hearing evaluation services are difficult to find. Also, people often associate hearing aids with being old and feel self-conscious about wearing them. And they tend to underestimate hearing problems that develop gradually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barbara Weinstein, PhD, a professor of audiology at the City University of New York Graduate Center and author of the textbook <\/span>Geriatric Audiology, <\/span><\/i>added another concern to this list when I reached out to her: usability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHearing aids aren\u2019t really designed for the population that most needs to use them,\u201d she told me. \u201cThe move to make devices smaller and more sophisticated technologically isn\u2019t right for many people who are older.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s problematic because hearing loss raises the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression and social isolation.<\/span><\/p>\n

What advice do specialists in hearing health have for older adults who have a hard time using their hearing aids? Here are some thoughts they shared.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider larger, customized devices.<\/b> Many older people, especially those with arthritis, poor fine-motor skills, compromised vision and some degree of cognitive impairment, have a hard time manipulating small hearing aids and using them properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lindsay Creed, AuD, associate director of audiology practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], said about half of her older clients have \u201csome sort of dexterity issue, whether numbness or reduced movement or tremor or a lack of coordination.\u201d Shekinah Mast, AuD, owner of Mast Audiology Services in Seaford, DE, estimates nearly half of her clients have vision issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

For clients with dexterity challenges, Creed often recommends \u201cbehind-the-ear hearing aids,\u201d with a loop over the ear, and customized molds that fit snugly in the ear. Customized earpieces are larger than standardized models.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe more dexterity challenges you have, the better you\u2019ll do with a larger device and with lots of practice picking it up, orienting it and putting it in your ear,\u201d said Marquitta Merkison, AuD. associate director of audiology practices at ASHA.<\/span><\/p>\n

For older people with vision issues, Mast sometimes orders hearing aids in different colors for different ears. Also, she\u2019ll help clients set up stands at home for storing devices, chargers and accessories so they can readily find them each time they need them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opt for ease of use.<\/b> Instead of buying devices that require replacing tiny batteries, select a device that can be charged overnight and operate for at least a day before being recharged, recommended Thomas Powers, PhD, a consultant to the Hearing Industries Association. These are now widely available.<\/span><\/p>\n

People who are comfortable using a smartphone should consider using a phone app to change volume and other device settings. Dave Fabry, PhD, chief hearing health officer at Starkey, a major hearing aid manufacturer, said he has patients in their 80s and 90s \u201cwho\u2019ve found that being able to hold a phone and use larger visible controls is easier than manipulating the hearing aid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If that\u2019s too difficult, try a remote control. GN ReSound, another major manufacturer, has designed one with two large buttons that activate the volume control and programming for its hearing aids, said Megan Quilter, AuD, the company\u2019s lead audiologist for research and development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out accessories.<\/b> Say you\u2019re having trouble hearing other people in restaurants. You can ask the person across the table to clip a microphone to his shirt or put the mike in the center of the table. (The hearing aids will need to be programmed to allow the sound to be streamed to your ears.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Another low-tech option: a hearing aid clip that connects to a piece of clothing to prevent a device from falling to the floor if it becomes dislodged from the ear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wear your hearing aids all day.<\/b> \u201cThe No. 1 thing I hear from older adults is they think they don\u2019t need to put on their hearing aids when they\u2019re at home in a quiet environment,\u201d said Erika Shakespeare, CCC-A, who owns Audiology and Hearing Aid Associates in La Grande, OR.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s based on a misunderstanding. Our brains need regular, not occasional, stimulation from our environments to optimize hearing, Shakespeare explained. This includes noises in seemingly quiet environments, such as the whoosh of a fan, the creak of a floor or the wind\u2019s wail outside a window.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the only time you wear hearing aids is when you think you need them, your brain doesn\u2019t know how to process all those sounds,\u201d she told me. Her rule of thumb: \u201cWear hearing aids all your waking hours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Consult a hearing professional.<\/b> Everyone\u2019s needs are different, so it\u2019s a good idea to seek out an audiologist or hearing specialist who, for a fee, can provide guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost older people are not going to know what they need\u201d and what options exist without professional assistance, said Virginia Ramachandran, AuD, the head of audiology at Oticon, a major hearing aid manufacturer, and a past president of the American Academy of Audiology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her advice to older adults: be \u201creally open\u201d about your challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t afford hearing aids, ask a hearing professional for an appointment to go over features you should look for in over-the-counter devices. Make it clear you want the appointment to be about your needs, not a sales pitch, Reed said. Audiology practices don\u2019t routinely offer this kind of service, but there\u2019s good reason to ask since <\/span>Medicare started covering<\/span><\/a> once-a-year audiologist consultations last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. <\/span>Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he\u2019d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Poor Hearing Can Be Frustrating, but So Can Some Hearing Aids<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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