Seniors to benefit from hearing aid funds

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This article was published 03/03/2023 (1129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local health-care advocate is praising the province for its latest grant program, which involves an investment of $12.6 million to help Manitobans 65 and older cover the cost of testing, fitting and purchasing new hearing aids.

To Meryl Orth, the current co-chair of Health Checks, the grant of up to $2,000 for each potential applicant will go a long way toward encouraging those experiencing hearing loss to get the help they need.

“Today’s announcement by the government of Manitoba is most welcome and appreciated,” Orth told the Sun on Thursday shortly after the province announced the program.

Orth said supporting those with hearing loss has been a major focus of Health Checks since its inception, with the senior advocacy group providing free screenings during the inaugural Brandon health expo in 2019.

“And at that time, in 2019, 67 per cent of those who took the screening were referred for further full hearing assessment,” she said.

“So we have known for some time the impact of hearing loss on the aging population in Brandon and the surrounding area.”

Nearly 4,000 Manitobans over age 65 reported hearing loss during a physician visit in 2021, according to Thursday’s news release from the province.

Based on her past experiences consulting with seniors, Orth said hearing loss isn’t just a mild inconvenience.

Communication impacted by hearing loss can sometimes result in prolonged social isolation and depression, which is especially top of mind for seniors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Family members can come over and if [the person] can’t hear properly, they sit silently,” Orth said. “And when they do respond, their answer is more than likely way off topic and people wonder ‘what’s the problem with this person?’”

Additionally, hearing loss can lead to the development of much more serious ailments like dementia, with persistent miscommunication between a medical professional and their elderly patient leaving tell-tale conditions undiagnosed and untreated for years, Orth explained.

While cost and social stigma associated with hearing aids frequently prevents elderly Manitobans from seeking help, Orth hopes the funding changes their minds, especially with the program specifically targeting those who make under $80,000 a year.

“So this new grant is a great step in ensuring that many more seniors will have a hearing aid that they need,” she said. “They will have a better, healthier lifestyle as a result of this.”

The province’s new grant of up to $2,000 is available to all Manitobans who are 65 and older, have a documented history of hearing loss and have already been prescribed hearing aids by an audiologist or otolaryngologist.

The Manitoba government will begin accepting applications for the program later this spring.

Thursday’s announcement comes about a week after Seniors and Long-term Care Minister Scott Johnston unveiled his Provincial Seniors Strategy for the coming years.

During Thursday’s press conference, a reporter asked Johnston why the cost of hearing aids isn’t already covered through Manitoba Health.

According to CBC News, Johnston responded by saying the new grant program is a product of government workers consulting with seniors about their needs, with his department eventually determining that a grant system is the most rapid way of meeting those needs.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson