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FREE THE FRAMES [1]
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Date: 2023-03-09
I thought it would be suitable and even useful for me to share my experiences and thoughts re becoming deaf and coping with the “hearing aid establishment”.
In 2016 I went to Hickory audiology to get my one North Carolina subsidized aid. The paraprofessional who tested me insisted on giving me the instrument for my right ear. This was a problem as I have trouble hearing on the telephone and in order to hold the phone to the right ear and write with my dominant right hand I had to hold the phone to the right ear with my left hand. A minor inconvenience but a major irritation.
So when I became eligible for a replacement I went to an independent audiologist in Hickory. He upsold me aids that were linked to the phone with proprietary software. This never worked properly; in fact the software corrupted my phone which had to be replaced at some expense and a lot of trouble. He refused to remediate or fix the problem but with the help of the NC Dept of Health and Human Services he was persuaded to return my $1700.00.
Next I went to Bargain Hearing in Morganton. There I was triggered by a wall covered with pictures of notorious right wing politicians. This was not confidence inspiring. I did not want to deal with them. At the present time I am waiting for a new instrument from Hearing Life in Morganton.
Actually I don’t really want any of the aids I have been offered. What I want is an aid in or on the frames of my glasses. These are available in Europe but not in the U.S. What is going on? I think it is a matter of restraint of trade and should be subject to regulatory correction or perhaps a class action suit. These audiologists are just too greedy and perhaps too heavily subsidized to do their jobs properly. I find wearing my glasses (for severe myopia), my hat (likewise) and the nose and mouth mask plus the hearing aids to be very inconvenient. In fact when I remove the mask the aids invariably pop off.
The deaf and hard of hearing community is one of the most neglected sectors of disabled persons in this country. If there was a magic pair of glasses that would allow the blind to see available in Europe would it be made available here or left to the markets and co-opted regulators? FREE THE FRAMES!
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