Everyone’s heard the stories about the person who spends a fortune on hearing aids and lets them sit, unused and nearly forgotten, in a bedroom drawer.
"It’s a common story," says MJ DeSousa, vice-president and chief audiologist at Listen Up! Canada, a chain of hearing clinics across Ontario. "They say about 12 per cent of hearing-aid owners don’t wear them – they put them in the drawer.
"It’s unfortunate and, I think, due in large part to lack of follow-up," she says. "One of the most important things people need to understand about hearing aids is that’s it’s not a simple device you just put in your ear and everything is better. There’s a lot of education and learning associated with the whole process of getting used to an aid. Education after the fitting is so critical."
A key component to success is making sure the aid is properly serviced, agrees Robert Oswald, president of Hear At Last, a new chain of clinics opening up in Walmart stores. Their aids come with a two-year extendable warranty that includes cleaning and replacing tubing, plus an ample supply of batteries.
Chantal Kealey, manager of audiology and supportive personnel at the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists, adds, "You can have the most expensive hearing aid in your ear and if it’s not properly fit and programmed to an accurate test of your hearing loss, it’s not going to do much good."
A problem that goes hand-in-hand with the need for follow-up is the high cost, Oswald believes. Today’s digital devices may represent the latest technology and work superbly but they aren’t cheap.
"When you spend $6,000 for hearing aids, you sure hope these things are going to do something special," he says. So when there are problems, he says there can be a "big let-down component."
"The cost of hearing aids is incredible," agrees Janice McNamara, executive director of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. "Most digital aids run around $4,000 so definitely the cost is atrocious."
Customers should inquire whether their province has an assistive devices grant. In Ontario, the subsidy is $500 per ear every three years. B.C. offers no such assistance.