The Commoditization Of Better Hearing

So here is a topic that has been a point of significant contention for me. If you have ever spent any time in Florida and picked up a newspaper there you will notice the inundation of advertising for hearing aids. You see coupons and graphics and “Free, Free, Free” in everything, the end result is sensory and information overload. Even though we live in Canada we are seeing this kind of advertising and marketing hitting us as well, messages like two for one or 40% off or free this, free that, full page colour adds, direct mail, T.V. offers etc. You see the big box stores like Costco selling hearing aids at discount rates making you feel like you have saved money, you see hearing aid manufacturers buying up clinics to set up distribution chains for their products. The world of better hearing has been commoditized leaving you feeing like a consumer unsure of what is real and what is the best decision to make in your health care. The reality is that the world of better hearing should be in its best form; part health care and part technical care. Health care from the standpoint that hearing is a function of ones body and a change or deterioration of that function is relative to a component of your health. Working inside the ear by the standards of our province is a regulated controlled act. Hearing and communication cannot be minimized to the point that a product is your entire solution. Understanding and accepting and seeing the difficulties that you have with hearing and communication as well as vestibular function (balance) is why you come to an audiologist.

Identifying pathology and the correct intervention is a job that an audiologist is trained for, many audiologist today posses a Doctoral degree to know enough to get started in the field. Anyone that has worked with hearing and hearing loss as well as hearing aids no matter what their qualifications will tell you that there is so much more to successful intervention than a simple fitting of a product. I have learned much from my patients over the years as well as the knowledge of formal education, and what I know is that a one size fits all solution does not exist, I also know that there is no Santa, or Easter Bunny and that advertising that seems too good to be true probably is exactly that.

Helping my patients hear better, live living to its fullest, is a journey that begins long before wearing a hearing aid. Understanding the patient’s needs comes from understanding physiology but also understanding psychology as it applies to the individual. The journey of better hearing is an ongoing one that the audiologist and patient go on together it takes place over many years as we constantly work at doing better and dealing with the challenges that can come our way. Perhaps a better way to understand where importance lies is in considering the use of hearing aids as a part of a rehabilitative process with far more than just the involvement of a device.  Learning how to hear again is a process that takes time and effort. The effort that I speak of one that the patient puts forth as well as the audiologist.  Perhaps when we approach the hearing aid fitting as just the beginning of rehabilitation we can start to understand the importance of a team that helps to get you to your ultimate goal.

At The Ear Company we have refused to product advertise or price advertise because we believe that better hearing is not a commodity. While it is sometimes disappointing and difficult to see others in our profession following a different path in advertising we believe that it remains important to hold to what we believe serves our patients in the best way possible and we have been rewarded with loyal patients and friends of our company that spread the good word, which is far more powerful than any coupon or marketed discount can ever be.