{"id":33097,"date":"2021-12-14T06:29:34","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T06:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nuheara.com\/usa\/?p=33097"},"modified":"2021-12-15T00:21:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T00:21:33","slug":"over-the-counter-hearing-aids-are-coming-heres-how-to-get-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nuheara.com\/usa\/news\/over-the-counter-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Are Coming. Here\u2019s How to Get Ready."},"content":{"rendered":"

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The following content contains excerpts from a recently published article on the Wall Street Journal. Access the original article in its entirety at: https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/over-the-counter-hearing-aids-are-coming-heres-how-to-get-ready-11639231203<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\" By: Julie Jargon
December 11, 2021 9:00 am ET<\/p>\n

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“If you think you have mild or moderate hearing loss, there are ways to prepare for one of the less-expensive hearing aids coming to your drugstore”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A hearing-aid disruption is under way, with inexpensive hearing aids heading to drugstores and other retailers sometime next year. But if you\u2019re experiencing hearing loss, doctors and hearing experts say it isn\u2019t wise to just wait for them to arrive.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Food and Drug Administration is expected in the next few months to finalize a rule it proposed in October allowing people to buy hearing aids\u00a0without getting a medical exam first<\/a>. The rule would take effect 60 days after it\u2019s published, following a public comment period that ends next month.<\/em><\/p>\n

Over-the-counter hearing aids could cost a fraction of the price of hearing aids fitted by audiologists, though people with severe hearing issues will still need a high-end model from a specialist.<\/em><\/p>\n

The FDA\u2019s aim is to make hearing help more accessible to the 37.5 million American adults with hearing loss. Due to the high cost of hearing aids and the social stigma of wearing them, only about a fifth of the people who could benefit from a hearing aid use one, according to the agency.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Additional Article Highlights<\/h2>\n

With more affordable hearing assistive technology on the horizon, many people are tempted to simply wait until the more affordable OTC hearing aids are available. However, the article also highlights that holding off for a year or so until the new products are available “could have dire consequences.”<\/em><\/p>\n

It points out that: “Experts warn that even people with mild to moderate hearing loss could miss out on conversations and other social activity if they don\u2019t address it, and social isolation is a slippery slope that could potentially lead to dementia”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Other consequences of poor hearing health highlighted also include social isolation and brain atrophy.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, author Julie Jargon isn\u2019t suggesting that people “rush out and get fitted for a $5,000 pair of hearing aids”<\/em> and outlines a range of steps that people can take to “understand their hearing health, and to protect it, while waiting for cheaper hearing aids”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

These steps include:<\/p>\n