Program helps secure hearing aids
Elizabeth Boone has mostly kept to herself since 1974 — the year she underwent an emergency cesarean section to deliver her daughter.
The anesthetic technique used during surgery left Boone with total hearing loss in her right ear and damaged the hearing in her left, she said. Over time, her ability to hear out of her left ear dwindled to 20%.
“I was so embarrassed,” she said in an interview, “because everybody said, ‘You’re so young, Miss Boone. You’re so young, Miss Elizabeth. How come you can’t hear?’”
Boone lived with her hearing impairment by avoiding social settings. She doesn’t mingle with neighbors and struggles at family gatherings. Although she said her family is understanding, loud events are especially difficult, and she hates asking people to repeat themselves.
“The children, they’ve got to be close enough to where I can really understand what they’re saying,” she said.
But this spring, Boone was outfitted with a new hearing device through a program called Hear Chattanooga. The program is operated by the nonprofit Speech & Hearing Center and provides hearing devices — which can cost up to $6,000 or more a pair — for $200 or less to residents who qualify based on income, according to Taylor Bostwick, president and CEO of the center.
Hear Chattanooga covers the cost of the hearing aids, fitting and two follow-up appointments through the first year. Although the initial hearing test isn’t included, patients who cannot afford the test pay a reduced rate based on their income level.
Speech-language pathology and audiology are expensive medical services that often get overlooked in terms of basic health needs, which is why the Speech & Hearing Center’s mission is to ensure that everyone has equitable access to these specialized services, Bostwick said in an interview.
“What if you woke up tomorrow and you either couldn’t hear or you couldn’t speak?’” Bostwick posed.
“You don’t really think about how much your life would be affected by a communication disorder until you have experience with it or have had a loved one or friend or whoever close to you has had an experience.”
In addition to social withdrawal, studies have linked untreated hearing loss to an increased likelihood of developing dementia, falling and depression, among other chronic health concerns.
Hearing loss often progresses slowly, and many people don’t realize the issues that can arise by not treating it, Gretchen Switzer, a certified doctor of audiology at the Speech & Hearing Center, said in a phone interview.
“I’ll have people come in and say, ‘I think I hear well for my age. … It happens as you get older. I’m still doing OK. I hear better than some of my friends,’” Switzer said. “I get those a lot.”
Hearing loss is more prevalent in older adults, who are also more likely to be on a fixed income. Because most health insurance plans don’t cover hearing aids, cost can be a major barrier to addressing hearing impairment, she said.
It can be hard to access hearing aid assistance programs, Switzer said, because they’re typically offered by the hearing aid manufacturers and come with a cumbersome application process.
In Boone’s case, she was not able to get hearing aids through other programs, and paying for the aids out of pocket was not an option for her. She previously got assistance through a manufacturer’s program that has since expired.
Since getting her new device, Boone now enjoys going to her greatgranddaughter’s T-ball games, more family events and church, she said. She’s also able to hear music and watch her favorite Westerns, including “Bonanza” and “The Big Valley.”
“I’m so proud and happy because I only have to turn the volume just a tad bit up,” Boone said, adding that she wants others in the community to know about the resources at The Speech & Hearing Center.
“They will do whatever they can to help you,” she said, “and it is a blessing to be able to hear.”
Those who want more information or wish to apply to the program can do so online at bit.ly/SHCenterChatt or by calling 423-622-6900.