Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears: The Road to Better Hearing

by John M. Burkey

Overview

In Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears, audiologist John M. Burkey addresses common fears, concerns, and misconceptions about hearing aids to help readers decide whether these devices will prove useful. Using an informal, anecdotal style informed by years of clinical practice, Burkey provides practical information about hearing aid styles, options, and costs. His expertise and experience in caring for more than 50,000 patients will help people with hearing loss address their personal concerns. The book also helps friends and family understand why a loved one might resist getting a hearing aid, and offers tips on counseling. Audiologists will find this text an important educational tool in advising their own patients.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813534879
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	831 KB

About the Author

JOHN M. BURKEY is the director of audiology and speech at the Lippy Group for Ear, Nose, and Throat in Warren, Ohio. He is coauthor with his colleagues at the Lippy Group of Hearing Better: Understanding Your Hearing and Ear Care Options.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Medical Observations on the Normal, Impaired, and Aided Ear
2. Denial and Acceptance of Hearing Loss
3. Appearance and Deeper Concerns
4. Fears and Doubts
5. Benefits for Hearing Aid User
6. Benefits for Friends and Family
7. Hearing Aids 101
8. Cost
9. Rejoining the Hearing World
Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Ten percent of Americans are estimated to have some form of hearing loss; in those over age 70, the number is thought to be as high as one in three. Burkey (director, audiology & speech, Lippy Group for Ear, Nose, and Throat, Warren, OH) here seeks to address the misconceptions surrounding the use of hearing aids. Personal stories illustrate the ways people deny suffering from hearing loss and the toll this takes on the sufferer and his or her family and friends. Fears and doubts about hearing-aid performance and getting used to and caring for hearing aids are addressed. Burkey begins with the function of the normal ear, types of hearing loss, and what hearing aids can and cannot do. "Hearing Aids 101" describes different styles of aids; circuitry options; analog, digital, and programmable models; channels and bands; custom vs. noncustom, disposable, and personal amplifiers; directional microphones; telecoils, and remote controls. Costs (including insurance coverage), the role of a professional audiologist, and the selection of a manufacturer round out the information offered. This practical book fills a definite need and is recommended for most public libraries.-Jodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Lib. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This book will be very useful for hearing aid users and their families. It helps demystify many of the uncertainties surrounding the purchase of hearing aids, and is written in a highly readable style.

past president, American Academy of Audiology - David Fabry