Did you know hearing loss affects one in three people age 65 and older? Severe hearing loss can lead to feelings of social isolation and withdrawal due to not being able to communicate effectively. Why live with hearing loss when you don’t have to?
Hearing exams are not covered under Medicare unless they are ordered by a doctor, so talk to your doctor about having a hearing exam done. You can also get hearing tests at places like Costco and Sam’s Club for free. Additionally, Avalon Hearing Aid Center offers free no-obligation hearing tests. You can reach them at 916-930-6347.
Signs of hearing loss include:
- Trouble hearing over the telephone
- Finding it hard to follow conversations when two or more people are talking
- Often asking people to repeat what they are saying
- Needing to turn up the TV volume so loud that others complain
- Problems hearing because of background noise
- Watching people’s faces more intentionally when they speak
- Requiring frequent repetition
- Thinking that others seem to mumble
- Trouble understanding when women and children speak
- Ringing or buzzing in ears
- Losing the ability to hear normal household sounds such as dripping of a faucet or ringing of a doorbell
- Avoiding meetings, religious services or movies because it is hard for you to hear
With hearing aids costing in the thousands there are some ways to have the costs covered. Certain Medicare Advantage Plans cover hearing aids for their customers, and qualified veterans can receive hearing aids through the VA.
Another great resource for hard of hearing individuals is the California Telephone access program at CaliforniaPhones.org which will provide free specialized phones for people with impaired hearing. These phones have bigger buttons, amplified sounds, flash instead of ring for an incoming call, and some even have captioning.
Eskaton presents this information as a public service. Please carefully select your providers, as Eskaton does not pre-screen the companies and organizations mentioned within this article.
