Notice: Undefined variable: paywall_console_msg in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/single_post_meta_query.php on line 71
Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 18
Notice: Trying to get property 'cat_ID' of non-object in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 18
Hearing aids bring help to hard of hearing
John McIlvaine with his bluetooth hearing aid receiver around his neck in his law office. The receiver wirelessly transmits sounds to the hearing aid in his ear.
Pictured is John McIlvaine’s Bluetooth hearing aid that allows him to hear within a 60-foot range by placing a receiver near another person or the television.
John McIlvaine sits in his law office surrounded by his hunting trophies. McIlvaine still practices law at age 82. He lost his hearing in the 1950s due to the loud sound of his gun.
Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412
Notice: Trying to get property 'term_id' of non-object in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412
John McIlvaine said that before he got hearing aids, conversations between him and his wife, Alice, sounded like a comedy routine.
“We used to have some hilarious conversations. I had no idea what she said, really. I’d answer her with something completely unrelated to what she said,” said McIlvaine, 82. “I’d come up with some foolish retorts or I wouldn’t say anything. We’d both laugh about it. I’m sorry I didn’t record them – some comedian could have used them and made a million dollars.”
But, the Washington attorney admits, his hearing loss wasn’t something to laugh at. In the courtroom, he worried that he was going to miss important information. And at home, he drove family members and friends out of the living room because he turned up the volume of the television “loud enough that it rattled windows,” he said.
“It takes a person about seven years or more before they reach the point where they come in for a hearing test,” said Dr. Deborah Swift, an audiologist and owner of Swift Audiology in South Strabane Township.
An estimated 27 million people over the age of 50 have a hearing impairment – but only about 15 percent use a hearing aid, said Swift.
There are lots of reasons why hard-of-hearing people don’t seek treatment for their hearing loss.
For one, said audiologist Heather Gasparovic of AudioLogics, many don’t realize they have a hearing problem.
“Hearing loss comes on slowly, over a period of time, so a person with a hearing problem often doesn’t notice it,” said Gasparovic.
It’s happening at a younger age, too, as baby boomers increasingly use electronic devices like MP3 players that contribute to hearing loss.
And many adults with hearing loss think that losing their hearing is a normal part of getting older, so they don’t bother to get it treated.
It does, in fact, go along with aging – about 55 percent of people over the age of 70 have hearing loss, and by the age of 80 almost everyone has some loss – but ignoring the problem isn’t an option, audiologists say.
The sooner an adult gets treated for hearing loss, the better.
The biggest problem with hearing loss is that it can affect the quality of a person’s life.
“What hurts them the most is that they tend to withdraw and they stop participating in activities and general conversations,” said Gasparovic. “They don’t get the joke, they don’t hear the movie they’re watching, they miss out on conversations with children. It can lead to sadness and depression and impairs their enjoyment of life.”
It’s also a safety issue: Older adults need to hear fire alarms, phones and doorbells ringing and emergency alerts. And while hearing loss does not affect balance, it can disorient an older adult and lead to falls.
Also, there is growing evidence of a link between hearing loss and dementia.
In a recent study, hearing specialists from Johns Hopkins reported that hearing-impaired adults between the ages of 75 and 84 are more likely to experience cognitive and memory problems than those in the same age range with normal hearing. Study participants who had hearing problems experienced cognitive decline 30 to 40 percent faster than those with normal hearing.
“It makes sense, because our ears are the pathway to the brain. For someone with hearing loss, cognition slows, which affects the ability to communicate in real time,” said Swift. “It takes longer to get caught up with a conversation. It’s a case of if you don’t use it, you lose it.”
Gasparovic recommends that people over the age of 55 get a baseline test so that they can track their hearing loss as they grow older. Routine screenings also can help audiologists detect other ear-related problems.
Most insurance companies, however, don’t cover the cost of hearing aids, which can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
That makes hearing aids cost-prohibitive for older people living on a fixed income.
It’s important, too, to visit an audiologist when it’s time to get hearing aids, instead of ordering online, said Swift.
Audiologists can provide adjustments and program the devices, and can offer counseling, hearing training and support when a person obtains hearing aids from them. Hearing aids bought online do not include these services.
For McIlvaine, hearing aids have helped him enjoy his life.
“The quality of life is the most important thing we have; it’s what we’re all looking for. If you can’t hear, you’ve cut off a good half of your enjoyment of life,” said McIlvaine. “I don’t think you can put a price on that.”