Recycled hearing aids can be a sound idea

One person in eight will be hearing impaired by age 50. Typically, this person will spend another seven years in denial before getting a hearing aid, said Amanda Samoluk, audiologist for the Warren Center for Communication and Learning in Bangor.

“It is too bad because people tend to withdraw from the community because they can’t hear and things are not fun for them anymore,” said Samoluk. “Consequently, they will often stay home where they can turn the TV up really loud.”

The Warren Center is hoping to change this scenario for low-income individuals, who cannot afford a hearing aid. The income guidelines are $1,432 monthly for one and $1,990 monthly for a couple.

The Center’s Regional Hearing Aid Bank, or ReHAB, program repairs and refurbishes old donated, behind-the-ear model hearing aids and gives them to those in need. In-the-ear models cannot be recycled but the center receives a credit when the aid is returned to the factory. This credit is then put toward the reconditioning of a behind-the-ear model.

“There is no other program like this one,” said Samoluk. “It is essential to the community. Often elderly people would not be able to be part of the community and interact with family and friends, even their doctors, without a hearing aid.”

The process to take part in the ReHAB program is quite simple. First, there is a test to determine the amount of hearing loss. You will need a referral from your doctor. Then an application is completed and your name is added to a waiting list. When the name comes up, a hearing aid is fitted. Clients are asked to make a nominal co-payment, usually less than $25 if possible.

“The program makes such a difference in people’s lives,” said Samoluk. “They are so happy.”

Well, most of the time. Samoluk recalls a client who, when asked how he liked his hearing aid, replied with a laugh, “I love it and I hate it.” When she questioned him, he revealed that after getting the aid, he discovered that his refrigerator and car were making weird noises and he had to do some repairs. “He had been unable to hear the noises before,” she said, smiling.

Samoluk offers some tips for communicating with someone who has a hearing impairment:

. Get the person’s attention before starting a conversation.

. Speak slowly and clearly. Do not shout or overemphasize your words.

. Make sure the person can see your mouth. Don’t talk behind a newspaper, hold your hands in front of your face of talk to someone from behind.

. Face the person and make sure there is ample lighting in the room. It’s important the person can see your face.

. Limit background noise by turning off the television. Remember, appliances such as the dishwasher or microwave oven can create background noise that can make voices hard to hear.

When people return to the Warren Center for a follow-up it is clear what a direct impact the program has made on their and their family’s lives, said Samoluk.

“One woman’s daughter told me how wonderful it is not to have to write out conversations with her mother on paper anymore,” she said. “And a lot of people have hearing aids that are not being used anymore, maybe from a family member who passed away, that may be just sitting around in a drawer. We can use them to help someone else.”

There is a ripple effect with a hearing aid, she said, because everyone involved with the hearing-impaired person benefits. And that trickles back to the Warren Center.

“We go home feeling good at the end of the day,” Samoluk said.

If you would like more information on the ReHAB program or would like to donate a hearing aid, call the Warren Center at 941-2850.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA services or programs, call the resource and referral department at 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.