Related Blog: 10 Reasons Why You Should Take a Hearing Test
Hearing is a vital human sense that is important to communication, health and quality. Hearing loss often leads to isolation and contributes to depression, especially in the elderly. Yet for a variety of reasons, many people with hearing loss do not seek out or receive hearing health care. Estimates of hearing aid use are that 67 to 86 percent of adults (50 years and older) who may benefit from hearing aids do not use them, and many hearing assistive technologies as well as auditory rehabilitation services are not fully utilized. Long seen as an issue for individuals (and to some extent their families and friends), there is a growing recognition that hearing loss is a significant public health concern that can be addressed by actions at multiple levels.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened an expert committee to study the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults in the United States.
Using a set of guiding principles to help shape its work, the committee recommends key institutional, technological, and regulatory changes that would enable consumers to find and fully use the appropriate, affordable, and high-quality services, technologies, and supports they need.
Hearing loss must be recognized as a public health concern, influenced and affected by decisions and actions at multiple levels. Improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care will require solutions that span society: collaborative and sustained work from stakeholders in the public and private sectors and across professions.
At the Silverstein Institute, one of our goals is to educate the public on the treatment options available for those with hearing loss. Because with today’s advanced technologies and the numerous options for help, no one has to live with hearing loss or deafness anymore. We even have multiple programs in place, through our non-profit Ear Research Foundation, to provide assistance to financially eligible candidates because the gift of hearing should be made available to everyone, even those who can afford it.
If you or someone you care about is suffering from hearing loss, please contact us for an appointment to learn more about your options.