Three local chapters of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) are joining forces to host the Healthy Hearing Expo on February 3 intended to help those with hearing loss overcome a barrier that is causing them to reject treatment they need.
In recent years, research has consistently pointed to the high cost of hearing aids as the main reason for not seeking help. Devices can cost up to $5,000 or more per piece and are not covered by most health insurance plans. But the hosts of this expo – HLAA Tampa, Sun City Center and Gulf Coast- say it is not expense per se that is the issue.
Consumers shopping for hearing aids are forced to purchase the device first without being able to try them. These HLAA chapters claim many balk at paying considerable sums of money for a device primarily because they have no sense of its performance and overall value. To solve this unmet need, the Healthy Hearing Expo will offer consumers the unique opportunity to try and compare, without purchase or obligation, the latest hearing aid technology.
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This event, only the second of its kind in the country, was preceded last March by an event sponsored by the HLAA Sarasota/Manatee chapter. Chapter leaders convinced leading hearing aid manufacturers to allow consumers to try and compare their devices at their public health fair. Many of the 250 consumers attending the Sarasota event confessed they had previously visited one or more hearing care professionals who recommended a specific hearing aid for their purchase. Most said they felt “pressured” to buy an item for which they had no true understanding of what to expect, so they passed.
There are 500,000 people with hearing loss in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties and, according to Johns Hopkins Medical Research, 86% of them do not get the treatment that can help them hear better and, as a result, improve their quality of life.
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During the Healthy Hearing Expo, visitors will be able to experience the performance of hearing aids from several manufacturers after undergoing a hearing screening and consulting with an audiologist, who can guide them on which models are best suited for their needs. In addition, some 40 exhibitors will be on hand to allow visitors to try many of the wireless accessories, assistive listening devices and other access devices that complement hearing aids on the phone, in noisy restaurants and throughout the community at theatre, services and meetings.
HLAA Gulf Coast President Debbe Hagner said, “The expo is all about educating and mentoring people, so it will be a sales-free, pressure-free event. The goal is to guide consumers to discover what is best for them so they can return to the marketplace with more confidence for their purchase choice.”
The Healthy Hearing Expo is being held on Saturday, February 3, 2018 from 9 AM to 3 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Brandon, 121 Carver Avenue in Brandon. Those who wish to try hearing aids can save time by bringing a past hearing test if they have one. For more information, contact healthyhearingexpo@gmail.com or 941-706-4312.
Edward Ogiba, the guest columnist, is the chair of the HLAA Tampa Bay Advisory Board, as well as the lead organizer of the Healthy Hearing Expo, and led the development of the Hearing Tech Clinic in Sarasota in March.