Western Health would like to remind the public about the Provincial Hearing Aid Program, which supplies hearing aids to all children with hearing loss and to hearing impaired adults, based upon financial assessment. An individual that purchases a hearing aid without having been assessed by an audiologist working in the provincial health care system may not have been informed of this program.
“Staff in our audiology department are finding that people are not aware of the provincial aid program and have gone out and purchased a hearing aid when they may have been able to qualify for financial assistance,” said Michelle House, VP, Population Health for Western Health.
“Most people who have hearing loss can benefit from a hearing aid but are not wearing them for a variety of reasons,” said Christine Simms, regional clinical leader, audiology for Western Health. “Sometimes the individual is not ready to accept that they have a hearing loss. Others admit they have some hearing difficulty but not enough to wear a hearing aid, though their family members may disagree. Some people feel that they can not afford a hearing aid, so they do without instead.” While some hearing aids can cost more than $3,000, lower priced hearing aids generally cost over $1,000, which may be a significant financial burden to an individual on a fixed income.
To qualify for the program, a hearing assessment must first be scheduled at a hospital’s audiology department to determine if a hearing aid is needed. If a hearing aid is believed to be of benefit for a child, they automatically qualify for a hearing aid at no cost to the family. When an adult is believed to need a hearing aid, they are required to go through an assessment of income with the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment to determine if they qualify. Many adults are eligible for the program including low income earners, those who receive Canada and old age pension only and those with a small private pension. Personal savings are also considered in the assessment.
If cost is the main reason for preventing you or someone you care about from getting a hearing aid, please contact your local audiology department to discuss this service. In Corner Brook, call 637-5374; in Stephenville, 643-8690.
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Media Contact:
Heidi Staeben-Simmons
Director of Communications
Western Health
709-637-5252
heidistaebensimmons@westernhealth.nl.ca