Hearing loss is as common as dandruff, maybe more, with nearly 30 million Americans suffer from some type of hearing decline.
However, 80% or more to avoid hearing aids for reasons that include embarrassment, disappointment with the amount of relief the product offers, and spending. In fact, only about one in five people who need a hearing aid have one, according to Sergei Kochkin, executive director of the Better Hearing Institute in Arlington VA.
This may change as a cheaper, more accessible devices are available.
Too good, as not treat hearing loss can have serious consequences. The National Council on Aging a few years ago studied 2300 hearing adults and found that people with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report depression, anxiety and paranoia and were less likely to participate in social activities organized, compared with those who use hearing aids. The study was funded by a group of trade, the Hearing Industries Association.
Audiologists’ lobby is worth
The headphones have been expensive and difficult to obtain since 1977, when U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Rule Hearing aid. The rule requires that consumers see a doctor before buying a hearing aid.
Not surprisingly, this was a direct result of the testimony of “audiologists,” who warned that consumers would otherwise waste money on the headphones when their hearing loss actually the result of a medical condition, such as acoustic nerve tumors, infections, and of course, from the accumulation of wax. The rule also created an exception: adults can bypass a doctor if they signed a waiver acknowledging the dangers of skipping a medical evaluation.
Medical assessments, installation sessions (with, who else, audiologists), and the battery of tests before they took up the cost of hearing aids dramatically: 2300 U.S. dollars is the average cost of hearing aids, and for many Americans, the insurance pays little or nothing.
Enter the Internet
But the situation is changing rapidly. Cheaper hearing aids are suddenly easy to find, thanks to the Internet and mail-in catalogs. Mail-order sales alone jumped more than 90% between 1997 and 2000, the most recent data available.
More and more companies are developing ways to circumvent the process and sell directly to the medical consumer. The resignation is an option, a Web-based output, Hearing Aid Express, requires customers to sign a waiver before the product can be sent.
Another option is to market the product differently; Crystal Care International says that its product Crystal Ear is an “assisted-listening device,” not a hearing aid, and therefore not obliged to follow the rules of the FDA.
Crystal Care linguistic gymnastics may not be enough, however. The Lutz, FL, the company is under investigation by the Attorney General of Florida.
“This company, through various marketing mechanisms, such as informercials and national newspaper advertising, sells a $ 399 headset,” Attorney General Charlie Crist said in a statement on its Web site. “The hearing aid is sold in Florida and nationally by the audience without the help of specialists through the U.S. mail, both violations (Florida law).”
Hearing Aid Express sells several models of ready-to-wear headphones that come with five different ear tips, so that customers can choose the best fit. For those who want a truly custom setting, Hearing Aid Express offers materials for making impressions of the ear, which then mails the customer to the company.
These customized products are still significantly cheaper than traditional aid, ranging from $ 500 to $ 700. Songbird is an even less expensive devices mail-order option, and cost $ 59.95 each.
But beware! Carol Trinity, NC, his brother has done one of those media. The “simple” procedure was very painful, and for two months later, Carol could not hear that from your ear.
Finally discovered that “obviously when the impression is being taken, the eardrum was punctured,” which silicone on both sides of the eardrum and surgery to remove it. What was initially thought to be a simple process resulted in a time and money, not to mention painful ordeal.
Sometimes it is cheaper better
While these products lack some of the features of custom hearing aids, many consumers feel the devices offer reasonable results at a reasonable price.
Dr. Mead Killion and his wife Gail, who both have doctorates in audiology, I think this is just the case. Dr Killion recently played two recordings before an audience of 50 audiologists. The first was a person speaking in cafeteria noise, amplified by a $ 149 over-the-counter device. The same speech was expanded again, this time through a popular $ 2,000 digital hearing aid. Surprisingly, the device for $ 149 is rated the best product. “The point is, are not reasonably good OTC aids out now,” said Dr. Killion.
Devices obtained via the Internet or through mail order can vary greatly in quality, and there are several things to consider before making a purchase.
Batteries buyers in the photo Haven site
1) Check the company. Frank of Pequannock, NJ, hearing aid batteries ordered online shoppers Haven. When it became evident that ever tried to contact the company but found that the list does not store the location, only an email address. Marsha at Champlain, NE had the same fate after ordering products through a Sunday paper. She has not yet received anything from the company four months later. In the case of a problem, make sure the company can be easily and in contact with the right people accountable.
2) Always visit a doctor before buying any type of device for listening. By skipping a formal assessment, may fail to diagnose a serious problem, like an infection, ear tumor, or excessive accumulation of wax. Nancy McKinney was diagnosed last year with mild, age-related hearing loss. Unhappy with each of the various aid tried, McKinney returned to the audiologist and discovered that she had collapsed ear canals.
In addition, a formal evaluation will provide one piece of information often taken for granted: if the real need for a hearing aid actually exists.
If the hearing loss is not serious, an OTC product may be the best and least expensive bet. Dr. Mead Killion and his wife, I think this is just the case. “There are a lot of audience without loss in the mild to moderate range that do not require a very sophisticated,” says Dr. Killion.
After arthritis and high blood pressure, hearing loss is the third most common chronic disease in the elderly, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This market is not going away anytime soon, and if the devices continue to boost OTC, high-end products may see the prices in bars in order to remain competitive. And that would be music to almost all ears.
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