Support needed on cost of hearing aids

The first thing that hit me when I left the audiologist’s office with my new hearing aids, at 28 years of age, was the sound of the birds.

It was as if, up until that point, I had pretty much forgotten they existed.

The world, it seemed, had decided to reveal itself to me, anew and it’s a moment I will always treasure.

What I know now, is that I was very lucky to be in a position where I could afford hearing aids at all.

My first pair were almost €3,000 and that was a big financial stretch, at the time. Fast forward to the present day and you can pretty much add another €1,000 onto that.

The technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate, with the use of AI on certain brands which is furthering the technology to the point where some users who had previously relied on lip-reading, could now understand what was being said to them while faced away from people.

Deaf and hard of hearing people will know how this seemingly small thing, is actually a game-changer. But what happens when you can’t afford hearing aids?

I spoke with Brendan Lennon, from Chime in Dublin, as part of Hearing Awareness Week who said: “We in Ireland are prescribing hearing aids at half the rate of the UK.”

Brendan also noted that “medical card holders are on waiting lists. Some are 80 years old being put on a wait list for four years. I mean, what is the point of that?”

Although, Mr Lennon also pointed out that 80 per cent of people are happy with the hearing aids they acquired from the HSE, and that the brands provided are of the same standard as those sold by private audiologists.

However, he also pointed out the challenges of seeking change from the government with regards to supports.

“The change that was given in the Treatment Benefit Grant was not the one we were looking for,” he said.

He added that those with a busy lifestyle “need more than the basic hearing aid and more than the basic grant”.

He expressed his hope that in the next Budget, supports might be introduced that put deaf and hearing impaired people with no disposable income “in a better place”.

Terence Rea, from Cork Deaf Association, told me that they provide an audiologist once a month who will do hearing tests for free. But, as he is booked out months in advance, it is advised to ring ahead.

Mr Rea said: “There is a two-tier system in Ireland with the HSE and private patients.”

He also informed me that in America you can purchase over-the-counter hearing aids for “a few hundred dollars”, much the same as buying reading glasses in chemists here. This might be an avenue worth exploring here in Ireland.

When I asked if Mr Rea would agree that the private audiology sales of hearing aids was a bit of a ‘wild west”, he replied: “The Regulating body Coru, does not include audiologists. So there’s no avenue for the public to report or complain in this industry.”

Mick Duff is an Independent Councillor in Tallaght, and also a Drug Project manager in Dublin.

He himself is hard of hearing, and when he bought his hearing aid, he found it a challenge when he lost his right one, to be told they were only sold as a pair.

Mr Duffy stated that hearing aids get lost, break or sometimes need an upgrade. and felt that PRSI contribution “should not be a ‘once off”.

I myself am with Audiology Medical in Carrigaline and I could not rate them highly enough. I’ve been with them for over ten years and their aftercare and support whenever something has gone wrong (which it will) has been second to none. They never try to upsell, and they genuinely want you to get the best out of the hearing aids you have.

However, some companies do better than others. One person told me: “I paid €6,500 for my hearing aid. No PRSI because the previous ones were two and a half years old. Scandalous.”

Surely, it’s in the government’s interests to have as many people as highly functional as possible, if they want a healthy workforce.

Brendan Lennon, from Chime, indicated that a meeting with the Disability Minister on August 1 for a National Hearing Care Plan was beneficial but “required much more joined up thinking”.

Thanks to places like Cork Deaf Awareness, at least there are avenues out there for people who simply cannot afford the current high prices being charged for hearing aids.

How many other people out there have forgotten the sounds of nature because of this? Have forgotten the sounds some of us take for granted?

Hearing is a right. Hearing is part of life. Hearing should not be for the birds.

Cork Deaf Association, at 5, MacCurtain Street, Cork city, is holding free hearing tests (limited availability - contact to book an appointment) from 10am- 4pm today as part of Hearing Awareness Week

For further information and to book attendance for the talk or hearing test, please contact (021)4505944, email mail@corkdeaf.ie or text (086) 8535574.