WHEN IT SOUNDS LIKE TIME FOR A HEARING AID.

Byline: >BY EVANGELINE MITCHELL

If your hearing isn't as good as it used to be, you may be thinking about getting a hearing aid.

Then again, there's a good chance you can't be bothered, even though you find yourself cranking up the volume on the TV set, or asking a friend sitting next to you to speak up. If so, you are not alone.

More often than not, people put off getting a hearing aid after they first notice it's getting harder to hear, said audiologist Leigh Kjeldsen "People wait an average of seven years between knowing they have a problem with hearing and doing something about it."

Why the wait?

"People don't know about the process and don't know where to begin," said Kjeldsen, owner of Valley Audiology, which has offices in Concord and Walnut Creek.

The first step is to get your hearing tested by a hearing professional. That's followed by more evaluations to help the patient determine what type of hearing aid would best fit his or her hearing needs. Once a hearing aid is selected, there is a fitting, which involves adjusting the hearing aid to best meet the patient's hearing needs. Often, patients come back for further adjustments after the initial fitting.

While a hearing aid can indeed improve your life by improving your ability to hear, they are not cheap. The cost of a quality analog hearing aid can go from $900 to $1,200, while a digital aid can range from $1,300 to $3,000, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site. And that's just for one.

"Some people need, one, some people need two," depending on their hearing needs, said Kjeldsen.

Digital hearing aids, which are programmed by a computer, allow for more flexibility and fine-tuning of the hearing aid so that it can be adjusted to hearing fluctuations of the user as well as different hearing environments.

"Hearing aids -- nowadays I like to think of them as miniature computers. They are programmed for each individual's hearing loss ... It's not one size fits all. ... Once the hearing aid is programmed it can be reprogrammed," said Robert Green, an audiologist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.

Today, requests for analog hearing aids are rare, said Kjeldsen.

"Just about all the hearing aids sold these days are digital," she said. "I would say in the last five years there have been incredible advances in what a (digital) hearing aid can do."

Hearing aids cover a wide range when it comes to prices.

"People need to know there is a very wide range of cost per hearing aid and that all depends on the level of technology," said Green. Smaller, less visible hearing aids tend to cost more than larger ones, he said.

Hearing aids may need to be replaced after several years of use to accommodate a person's changing hearing needs. However, digital aids have more flexibility when it comes to programming to adapt to a person's changing hearing needs.

Not only are hearing aids expensive, but Medicare won't pay for them. That means people have to either buy a hearing aid as an out-of-pocket expense, or have supplemental Medicare or retiree insurance to help foot the bill. Some financial assistance programs to help people buy hearing aids may be available from nonprofit and government agencies.

Hearing loss affects more than 28 million Americans, including nearly 6 million children.

With baby boomers starting to turn 60 last year, the number of people with hearing loss is expected to nearly double by the year 2030, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America. The likelihood of losing your hearing increases as you get older, with up to one in three people older than 65 having some kind of hearing loss, according to the association.

Although 95 percent of Americans with a hearing loss can be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 22 percent (or 6.35 million individuals) currently use them.

"Hearings aids are very expensive, so a lot of people are convinced they are not going to get value for what the are paying. There is a lot of skepticism," said Green.

"What is at the heart of this whole process is whether or not the person (with the hearing problem) is actually ready for (a hearing aid). She is the one who is going to wear it. She is the one who has to make the decision. ... It's not something people are kind of excited about, but for a lot of people it's a necessity."

Mitchell writes for the Contra Costa Times.

Hearing aid help

To find an audiologist near you, go to www.audiology.org.

More information is also available from the Hearing Loss Association of America. Go to www.hearingloss.org or call [phone]. The TTY number is [phone].

Go to www.mayoclinic.com and type in hearing aids in the search box.

Before you buy

1. Read your sales contract carefully. Make sure you understand everything. Your signature on a contract is your commitment to fulfill the terms of that contract. Take someone with you to give you a second review of the contract.

2. Verify whether your hearing aid dispenser has a current and valid license.

3. A properly fitted hearing aid can amplify sound and enrich your life, but it cannot restore permanently lost hearing, prevent further hearing loss, or cure dizzy spells.

4. Before you complete your purchase, be certain your contract specifies the refund and warranty provisions.

5. Financial assistance may be available. If your dispenser is unable to direct you to a source of financial assistance, write or call your local United Way, Department of Veterans Affairs, or the state health department.

6. Check your state laws. Some states require a 30-day warranty on new and used hearing aids sold. Buyers may also be able to return the hearing aid for a refund, adjustment or replacement of the hearing aid. Check your local regulations.

Source: California Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau

Types of hearing aids

Basic analog: This conventional technology amplifies all sounds equally. Your audiologist sets the amplification level, though it can be adjusted later. Basic analog is the least expensive.

Programmable analog: The programmability of this technology means that your audiologist can adjust these devices to amplify different kinds of sounds at different levels.

Digital: With this type of technology, a computer chip converts the incoming sound into a digital code, then analyzes and adjusts the sound based on your hearing loss and listening needs. The result is sound that's more finely tuned to your hearing loss.

Source: Mayo Clinic

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(1) Hearing aid help (see text)

(2) Before you buy (see text)

(3) Types of hearing aids (see text)