When a Loved One Resists Help for Their Hearing Loss

from the Better Hearing Institute - written by Richard Carmen, Au.D., Auricle Ink Publishers, Sedona, AZ

When we think of helping a loved one with hearing loss who declines use of hearing aids, we often think of how important it is to repeat ourselves, speak clearly, speak louder or interpret what others say if they cannot hear the message. But when we do these good deeds for loved ones with a hearing loss, what we don't realize is that we're assisting in their failure to seek help.  Such well-intended efforts are counterproductive to the ultimate goal of them receiving hearing aids. Here's why.

If a loved on with a hearing loss has come to rely on your good hearing, what is the great need for them to wear hearing aids? You co-dependent efforts must stop in order for them to grasp the magnitude of their problem.  Many people with a hearing loss never realize how much communication they actually fail to understand or miss completely because you have become their ears.  However, it takes only a short time for them to realize that without your help, they're in trouble.It is through this realization that one becomes inspired to take positive action to solve their problem.  Therefore, as a loving spouse or family member you must create the need for your loved one to seek treatment by no longer repeating messages na being their ears.  Your ultimate goal is for them to hear independent of you.

Here are some practical tips for you:

STOP REPEATING YOURSELF! Explain that you are on the "Hearing Help Quest" - one that involves you loved one by allowing him or her the opportunity to realize the significance of their hearing loss. Do not stop helping though. All you do it preface what you repeat by saying each time, "Hearing Help!" or some other identifier. In a short amount of time, your loved ones will relize how often you say this. In turn, they will come to realize how often the depend on you. (This suggestion is only for a loved one who resists the idea of getting any help.)

STOP RAISING YOUR VOICE (the complaining you're hoarse). That results in stressing your throat and vocal chords.

STOP BEING THE MESSENGER BY CARRYING THE COMMUNICATION LOAD FOR THE FAMILY. Do not tell your loved on "he said' and "she said" when he or she needs to be responsible for getting this information directly from the source.

DO NOT ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION FROM ANOTHER ROOM as tempting as this is and as convenient as it appears. The sets up your communication process for failure.

CREATE A TELEPHONE NEED. This means for you to stop being the interpreter on the telephones. Allow your loved one to struggle in order to recognize how much help he or she needs. We're looking for motivation (to hear) from you loved one - not you.

For more information, click HERE.

Why Hearing Healthcare Professionals Still Matter

a few months ago - November 11, 2011 to be exact - I shared with you a article urging consumers to seek proper diagnosis, treatment and counselling for hearing loss.  (see HERE)

I'd like to add to that discussion by sharing this next article with you.  It was written by Ross Cushing, Au.D.  Dr. Cushing is the director of A&A Hearing Group in Maryland.

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Increasingly, hearing aids are being sold online, through catalogs, and directly to the consumer, bypassing the hearing healthcare professional.  Even Hammacher Schlemmer, a gift and gadget retailer, is selling hearing aids as an over-the-counter product.

Leaving aside whether it's legal (it's not), the main argument for buying direct is that it will provide greater access to more products, which will make manufacturers more competitive, and this will ultimately provide a less expensive, higher quality product for the consumer.

Here's the problem. Although it is true that the distributors of these products can almost always provide hearing aids at lower costs, the purchase and use of a hearing aid without a proper examination, diagnosis, fitting, programming and counseling is a recipe for poor treatment outcomes and increased health risks.

There are many potential causes of hearing loss including aging, blockages, ear infections, fistulas, head injury, medication, Meniere's disease, noise damage, otosclerosis, and tumors. Many cannot be treated with a hearing aid and may require a cochlear implant instead. Several require immediate medical intervention. If they buy via a catalog, how will consumers know when to seek medical attention? They won't. What's more, hearing loss can result from the improper fitting or programming of instruments.

Most hearing aid manufacturers will not allow their hearing aids to be sold or purchased without a face-to-face consultation with a licensed practitioner.  They recognize the risks of buying and using them without the proper counseling and fitting that only a licensed hearing healthcare professional can provide.

Customers value professional input as well.  Research by trade group Hearing Industries Association using MarkeTrac data provided by Sergei Kochin, Ph.D., the executive director of the Better Hearing Institute in Virginia, has shown that the top reasons for patient satisfactions with hearing aids are directly attributable to his experience with a trained hearing professional.  The technology is successful only when a professional has evaluated the hearing loss and prescribed a customized solution.

There are four important components in the audiology model that are necessary-and absent-from the direct-to-consumer model:

1. Proper Evaluation.  A battery of audiology tests will evaluation if medical treatment is necessary and if a hearing aid is even needed.

2. Individualized device setup. A hearing aid has to have the right hardware and software for the needs of the individual. It has to physically fit correctly. It has to be tuned and configured to the individual's dynamic range of hearing. And finally, it has to be used correctly.

3. Psychological considerations and counseling. A hearing aid is not a normal consumer product. It is a medical device. On average, people know they have a hearing problem for seven years before they do something about it. They wonder: "What will other people think about me if they know I have a hearing aid?" There are communication issues to be addressed, and there is often a fear of having to rely on an artificial device.
   From the perspective of someone who has never gone through the process of getting hearing aids, getting hearing aids through a catalog may seem simpler.  They can try it in their own time and see if it workds. In theory this soudns attractive, especially for new users who aren't ready to confront their own perceptions of wearing hearing aids or for those who want to keep costs low. But does this work?
   It's like putting a Band-Aid on a broekn arm. Although on the surface it may seem as if better hearing can be more accessible if provided in a direct-to-consumer way, in reality it is not practical or effective, and in many case, not safe. Fitting hearing aids is an art that is guided by science and delivered by the experience of a hearing healthcare professional.

Not Customizing Hearing Aids Hurts Patients:

I recently read this passage in a monthly hearing journal:

   Just one of every four Americans with hearing loss wears hearing aids, a figure that suggests many are missing the chance to hear better and improve their quality of life, said Sergei Kochkin, director of the Washington DC based Better Hearing Institute, at a convention session.
   Part of the problem may be stigma."To some, hearing aids are a sign of impending death," he adds.
   But, according to Kochkin, stigma is just an excuse for underuse because if more people wore hearing aids, there'd be less stigma.  The real issue, he said, is too many people have negative experiences with hearing aids due to poor fitting and improper adjustment.
   "Thirty percent of new use fittings are probably failures," he said.  "They get poor benefit, poor fit and comfort, and poor performance in noise.  As a result, we fail to improve positive word-of-mouth about our services."
   Between 11% and 18% of hearing aids stay in people's drawers. In other words, more than a million of the 8.4 million hearing aid owners never use the devices, said Kochkin.

Wow.  That hurts.  And I want to comment:

At Kenwood Hearing Center, we PROMISE to work with you; to customize your chosen hearing technology to best fit not only your hearing loss, but more importantly, your hearing needs.  We PROMISE to work with you ensure that your hearing ability supports your listening demands.

As Audigy Certified Professionals, we are committed to making every effort to maintain your confidence and satisfaction while providing you with the best hearing care possible.