In a recent opinion article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Tonelli and Warick highlight the unmet needs of people with hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the sound attenuation due to facemasks and physical, protective barriers.

They also highlight barriers to appropriate hearing loss interventions including lack of adult hearing screenings, high cost of hearing technology, and limited to no insurance coverage for audiological services and technologies.

The authors conclude with three actionable recommendations to address the deleterious effects of hearing loss.

  1. Develop a coordinated hearing health-care program to facilitate collaboration among hearing-care professionals and physicians.
  2. Recommend an individualized and collaborative approach to identify and implement the most appropriate accommodations and recommendations for patients and families.
  3. Increase research funding to identify the causes, consequences, and optimal treatment for persons with hearing loss.

For example, the National Institutes of Health has a low funding rate for hearing-related grants, despite the fact that hearing loss is common in older adults. 

Concluding remarks encourage professionals and researchers to increase overall awareness of hearing loss as an important public health issue. However, achieving this requires action, appropriate and individualized recommendations, and a larger financial investment.

Reference 

Tonelli M, Warick R. (2022) Focusing on the needs of people with hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. JAMA 327(12):1129–1130. 

Share this

Related Posts

The Utilization of Telehealth Services (Drazen Zigic/shutterstock.com)

The Utilization of Telehealth Services

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Academy of Audiology (2020) provided audiologists with guidance regarding the use of telehealth services. In October 2021, the Academy released a position statement titled The Use of Telehealth for the Delivery of Audiological Services. Members can access this statement here. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have expanded telehealth services,…

Read More
Postural Sway Observations in Children with ADHD

Postural Sway Observations in Children with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects approximately five percent of the pediatric population. Up to 50 percent of children with ADHD also exhibit motor control and balance issues in addition to the more commonly seen symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. Fidgeting, poor motor planning, increased postural sway, and difficulty sitting still may be related…

Read More
Deaths from Unintentional Falls in Older Adults (Cedric E/shutterstock.com)

Deaths from Unintentional Falls in Older Adults

At the end of September 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data overviewing rates of death resulting from unintentional falls between the years of 1999–2020 by adults 65 years and older (Garnett et al, 2022). The report showed that death rates have increased, with the largest increase seen by those aged…

Read More