Jane M. Howard Turner lived with the “noises of the night.” She coined the term when she developed persistent tinnitus caused by medication in her youth. Turner watched her mother deal with progressive hearing loss for decades, but she never realized that the “noises at night” were a sign that she was in the same situation. There wasn't.
Turner had her first hearing test at age 19, when her doctor told her to sleep with the TV on to drown out the constant ringing in her ears. More than 50 years later, Turner finally received proper hearing care from the Arizona State University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
“We had to deal with the noise at night,” Turner said. “When I realized that it wasn't an external sound, but rather a sound that was coming to my ears, I tried to use something to hide it, and I've been doing that for years until last year. .”
The clinic is part of ASU's College of Health Solutions and provides diagnostic care and speech therapy to thousands of patients each year. When patients arrive at the on-campus clinic, they work with team members and students to develop a care plan and discuss their hearing loss needs.
While the clinic is open to anyone seeking hearing health care, it is funded through the Hearing Care Outreach Project, a partnership of the Arizona Commission for the Deaf, and is open to anyone age 21 with an income at or below 150% of the poverty level. We provide care to low-income adults. Deaf students at public universities in the state. Since he partnered with ACDHH on a support project in 2021, the clinic has provided free treatment to nearly 80 adults.
Michelle Michaels, hearing health care manager at ACDHH, recognized that low-income adults who cannot afford private insurance or receive government assistance lack access to hearing health care. When Michaels learned about the donation of hearing aids to the ASU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, she sought a way to help those dealing with hearing loss and hearing loss with little money.
With a grant proposal from the former director of the ASU Speech Clinic and the addition of 100 hearing aids to the ASU Clinic, Michaels created HHAP.
“I looked at all the states to see what they were doing to provide hearing care for low-income adults, and then I designed this project, which is one of the many other states being done in this country. It’s different than the one,” Michaels said.
This project will provide and pay for hearing tests, hearing aids, hearing aid fittings, batteries, wax traps, ear impressions, and hearing rehabilitation. The cost of such care typically ranges from $200 to $1,500 for the hearing aids alone, Michaels said.
As ASU and ACDHH enter their third year, Michaels and providers wanted to expand access, especially after learning that transportation issues were preventing people from participating in the project. The committee also asked for help from two other state universities, with Northern Arizona University announcing participation in 2023 and the University of Arizona earlier this year.
“We have clients in our program who are eligible and have access to hearing aids, but have struggled to get there,” said Kate Helms-Tillery, a clinical associate professor in Arizona State University's School of Health Solutions. “There is,” he said. “That's one of the reasons he expanded the partnership to the U of A so people who live in rural areas of the state don't have to drive to Phoenix to receive services.”
Expansion into the northern and southern parts of the state will provide easier access for many people outside the Phoenix area, while ACDHH and ASU health care providers will have access to trained community care workers and additional care in areas like Yuma. We hope to expand further by utilizing the space.
Those seeking support with their hearing care will be welcomed by ACDHH hearing loss specialist Christy Abrams, who will listen carefully to their needs and guide them to the best options. If their best option is her HHAP, Abrams will send them to his one of her three universities, where he will begin the process with four key appointments.
“Since we started the project, more than 1,000 people have contacted us. Since we started our contract with ASU, 666 people have contacted Christie and said, 'I need help.' ,” Michaels said.
Just as Mr. Turner did, new HHP patients undergo a hearing test during their first clinic visit to measure hearing loss and determine whether they would benefit from hearing aids. If you need hearing aids, we encourage you to talk to your hearing rehabilitation team to learn how to manage your hearing loss and the emotions you have when getting hearing aids. From there, the patient returns for a fitting appointment and at least two of her follow-up appointments with the entire team, including students from the speech-language pathologist training program.
Clinical professors in ASU's Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic allow students to participate in nearly every step of the way, from diagnosis to hearing rehabilitation. Student participation in clinical care allows many students to schedule appointments by the end of the semester without ongoing supervision from professors.
“There may be other programs that are better suited for hearing aids, but what sets us apart is that we meet with these people over and over again so we can find communication solutions.”ASUs said Aparna Rao, clinical professor at the College of Health. solution.
Tillery said clinics that provide aural rehabilitation can help people with hearing loss maximize their ability to communicate and function in daily life. There are several factors that go into this rehabilitation process, but Tillery points out that it's important to help patients overcome the sounds and barriers around them.
According to Michaels, the project is a success because there are no copays for HHP services and the program promises a detailed diagnostic and rehabilitation process for people who don't have insurance or don't qualify for other assistance programs. is different from other projects.
“My out-of-pocket costs were out of range, so I knew I had to have at least $400,” Turner said. “I couldn't afford that. And that was another reason I was hoping the committee would help me… So I was aware that I would have to go there to get the assessment. However, I was unable to do so because the compensation includes hearing aids and batteries. Please ask for more.”
Tillery said the project will empower low-income adults who need hearing care. For Turner, the hearing aids have revealed new sounds, including computer noise and the laughter of children at the school where she has volunteered since 2014.
“Clients who come to us go from feeling extremely isolated and alone to reconnecting with their families and communities,” Tillery said. “They may also realize that they are not the only ones with hearing loss.”
Mr. Michaels and Mr. Abrams have been able to provide assistance to many low-income adults, but they hope that this assistance project will become a permanent program that helps more than 1 million adults with hearing loss in Arizona. I hope it will become.
Meanwhile, the clinic's health care providers hope to expand access and support to communities that lack hearing care and need local and state assistance.
“Everyone in the community has a role to play,” Rao said.
