Sir, – Róisín Ingle’s article (Magazine, August 27th) draws welcome attention to the problems of those with unassisted hearing loss. Although glad the outcome for her elderly relative was so good, I’m concerned about the suggestion being made that, once an HSE audiologist assesses the patient’s hearing loss, the expenditure of “a few thousand euro” privately buys a suitable digital hearing aid.
It’s not that simple. Not every pensioner can afford “a few thousand”.
Hard-of-hearing medical card holders, of whom I am one, until a year ago were offered only plastic in-the-ear aids – fragile, difficult to clean, and less efficient than digital aids. But those of us who were issued with them, will get nothing better until they irretrievably break down. Patients assessed since 2010, on the other hand, get digital aids free.
People who go by the private route fare little better. The industry supplying assessments/ hearing aids appears to be unregulated. They do not have to meet standards, or provide follow-up care, although some do.
Vulnerable patients need to be informed of this. – Yours, etc,