Equipment

There are assistive listening devices that can be purchased without seeing a doctor that can help with many everyday tasks. They have a microphone and receiver and help you have one-to-one conversations, or to hear on the telephone or tv, without making it too loud for everyone else. Some connect wirelessly to your hearing aid, if you have one.

Another option are Personal Sound Amplification Products, also called PSAPs. They are like hearing-aids, in that they are worn in or on your ear, but they can be purchased over-the-counter. Their quality varies and they are not programmed by an audiologist for your specific hearing loss, but they are significantly less expensive than hearing aids. Some people find them very helpful.

Hearing aids are a commonly used solution for age-related hearing loss. To get a hearing aid, you need to have your hearing tested and see either an audiologist or a hearing aid dispenser. Audiologists have more training than hearing aid dispensers. In addition to fitting and selling hearing aids, audiologists evaluate and provide rehab to patients.

Hearing aids are programmed to address your specific hearing loss, which means that they will probably do the most to address it. However, they can be quite expensive - several thousand dollars each -- and are not covered by all insurance policies. The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing has information about your rights while purchasing hearing aids, in accordance with state and federal laws.

It is good to know there are a few newer companies that are providing high-quality hearing aids at a lower cost and trying to change the market and bring the cost of hearing health care down across the board. Currently, researcher groups, such as Dr. Frank Lin's lab at Johns Hopkins University, are evaluating these devices using objective measures to determine their capabilities.

Author Katherine Bouton, who lives with age-related hearing loss, wrote a compelling blog post on a recent federal advisory report that advocates Buying Hearing Aids Should Be Cheaper and Easier.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHS) has equipment labs for individuals and families in each of their regional offices in Minnesota. In this lab, you can use and test a variety of devices such as telephones, assistive listening devices, alarm clocks, noise signalers and more to figure out which equipment will work best for your lifestyle. They will also provide information on where the equipment of your choosing can be purchased. If interested, be sure to contact Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division.

Some individuals and families can qualify to receive a free amplified or captioned telephone through the State of Minnesota's Minnesota Access to Communication Technology (MN ACT) program. More information is available on the MN ACT webpage.