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diagnosed with hearing loss: managing progress, hearing aids and support
4 minute read
audiologists recommend and help patients learn to use assistive listening devices, or hearing assistive technology systems (hats).
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when you have hearing loss, you may not even realize it. that’s the danger. it’s referred to as an invisible condition that gets worse without detection and treatment. it can be hereditary or result from trauma to the brain or other conditions like nerve disorders, viral and bacterial infections, and otosclerosis that affects the tiny bones in the middle ear.
in a society that can be noisy outdoors and indoors, and has people plugged into various devices at all hours, exposure to loud sound is one of the most common contributors to hearing loss. if you keep on top of hearing tests recommended every two years and have early detection of hearing loss, that’s the best-case scenario. if you’re diagnosed with severe hearing loss, though, there are still things you can do to hear better and stop further progression of your hearing loss.
“the therapies and hearing aids really do focus on strengthening. hearing is like a muscle, so if you injure a muscle and you don’t work it, it’s not going to be strong anymore. you’re not going to be able to strengthen it,” says salima jiwani, a toronto audiologist, past president of the canadian academy of audiology, and founder of the audiosense hearing, balance and concussion clinic.
here are steps to take to get the best care and management of hearing loss:
connect with an audiologist
first, get to a clinic with an audiologist to start looking at treatment right away. audiologists specialize in hearing and balance disorders and typically work with people of all ages. they can explain the effects of noise on hearing and fit people with protective hearing devices. most important, they will test people to determine if hearing aids or cochlear implants would be suitable. they can also provide rehabilitation training, like speech reading, auditory skill development, and language development.
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“everybody’s auditory experience is different and everyone’s brain is different, so what might work for you may not necessarily work for me,” jiwani explains. “there not a one-size-fits-all treatment.”
audiologists can also recommend and help patients learn to use assistive listening devices, or hearing assistive technology systems (hats), that increase the volume of phones or doorbells, for example, or that flash a light when the doorbell rings.
learn more about hearing loss and hearing aids
if hearing aids are recommended, there’s a lot to understand. they’re not a magic fix that instantly makes you hear everything clearly. they increase the volume of sound that you’re able to hear. experts point out that while hearing aids can be purchased online, they are medical devices that you need to adjust and monitor with your audiologist. as jiwani says, “hearing aids are truly a medical device. unfortunately,often they’re just treated as an over-the-counter item, but they really shouldn’t be. they truly are a medical device and should be treated as such,” she says, adding they can make a profound difference to individuals “if they have the right one or not, and it’s going to impact their life.”
an audiologist can counsel and educate people on adjusting hearing aids or other devices so they work effectively, trying different devices to find what works best through the years as hearing changes. the goal is to develop a working relationship with the audiologist to pair their expertise with the patient experience.
“when you buy a hearing aid, you buy the product, but really it’s an empty shell. it’s the ideology that’s behind that product, making sure that [audiologists] are using gold standard and science when they’re programming the devices. and then the patients’ feedback. you really do develop a relationship with your audiologist. and you should be in touch with them for the rest of your life.”
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jiwani sees patients every three to six months for adjustments at the start, and then every six months for a check-in, and an annual hearing test.
prepare to invest in your hearing health
hearing aids and other therapies are expensive when you’re paying out of pocket. some provinces offer partial coverage through government programs like the assistive devices program in ontario, for example. private insurance plans also offer some coverage. but cost can be a barrier for many.
“we actually did the math recently in our clinic and we found that a pair of hearing aids is about equivalent to buying a latte once a day, and that’s for a premium pair of hearing aids with no access to funding whatsoever,” jiwani says of the cost that roughly equates to three years of specialty coffees. having conversations around pricing with patients is important to put hearing health in context.
“it’s about prioritizing our health. i value my coffee but when you stop valuing your hearing, you run into a whole bunch of risks over the long-term, like balance difficulties and cognitive decline.”
find your support network for hearing loss
advocates say that hearing loss comes with the stigma of being somehow inferior and not as capable as others. people don’t want to open up about their hearing loss, and often hearing aids are put away and not used for fear of judgement.
finding a support network of peers and mentors who have similar lived experience and understanding is important. it can help people manage their day-to-day challenges, combat social isolation and educate people about employment opportunities and assistive technology for the workplace. the canadian hard of hearing association is an excellent hub of programs and resources.
as well, having a family member or friend join patients in audiologist appointments for tests, therapies and hearing aid adjustments is a benefit, jiwani explains. this is for emotional support and the learning process, so that someone else can take in all the information and help augment putting the recommendations into practice.
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