Aid to hear could come too late
An 81-year-old man who’s practically deaf faces up to five years on a waiting list for a hearing implant that will allow him to hear if his wife calls out in pain or for help.
Bob Tennant, of Levin, has a whisper of hearing in his right ear – 1.5 per cent – and none in his left, and wears a hearing aid.
He is a caregiver for his wife, who suffered serious injuries in a fall a year ago.
Based on the current list, Tennant could face a wait of up to five years to receive his implant – though his caregiver status may ultimately bump him up the list.
Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, the implant is an electronic device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear.
The implant is generally recommended for those who derive no significant benefit from a hearing aid.
Ministry of Health disability support services group manager Toni Atkinson said there were 228 adults eligible for implants who did not meet the clinical priority assessment criteria.
The Government funds 40 singleear adult implants each year, and does not offer double-ear implants for adults.
Atkinson said candidates were prioritised according to their level of need and ability to benefit, making the average waiting time for adults about 18 months.
She added that Tennant would earn additional points on the priority scale as he cared for his wife.
The implant costs $45,000, plus about $10,000 to replace the processor every six or seven years.
Tennant, who lives at Summerset retirement village with his wife Billie, said they could not afford the implant.
He has been her caregiver for almost a year, after she fractured her femur, pelvis and vertebrae in a heavy fall.
He wears his hearing aid even while sleeping.
‘‘He wants to know when I get up to go to the toilet or anything,’’ Billie Tennant said.
‘‘He wants to know that I haven’t fallen over.’’
Tennant first started noticing a loss of hearing at age 20, four years after he had started working at a printing press.
‘‘I used to go and play table tennis. We’d stop playing, sit down and I thought ‘they’re talking quiet’.’’
His hearing continued to deteriorate, despite five operations on his ears.
Nowadays, the only way Tennant and his wife can communicate in the car is if they both wear microphones.
Elsewhere, they cannot talk if they are more than just a few metres apart.
Billie Tennant said more money needed to be ploughed into health.