Know the dangers of purchasing hearing aids from non-registered persons

Even when we communicate by visual means, such as writing or typing, we are still using the language that most of us first learned by listening.

Hearing impairment is considered the most prevalent impairment worldwide.

Almost 600 million, an estimated 10 per cent of people worldwide, have mild or worse hearing impairment.

Two hundred and fifty million have moderate or worse hearing impairment.

Two thirds of the world’s hearing impaired population reside in developing countries.

“Hearing is a complicated process, as evidenced by all of the tiny parts of the ear that are involved” said Kelly Nathan, President of the South African Audiology Association (SAAA).

“The selection, fitting, verification and dispensing of hearing aids and other hearing assistive devices require specialized skill and expertise.

“For example, an ill-fitting hearing aid may result in too much amplification which could, in fact, lead to further hearing loss”

It is therefore essential for individuals (adults and children) with hearing loss or impairment to consult only registered audiologists or hearing health care providers who will have the necessary expertise to diagnose the hearing loss, determine the degree of severity, identify exact needs and recommend the most suitable product to accommodate those needs.

Audiologists are the only professionals trained to fit hearing aids to children.

Once the appropriate hearing device has been selected, the audiologist will fit and fine tune the instrument to exact specifications.

There are also guidelines for using, cleaning, and maintaining the hearing aid.

Recently the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the statutory authority with the mandate to protect the public and regulate specific health care professions, including the profession of audiology, issued a warning to the public against purchasing hearing aids or amplifiers directly from retail pharmacies and other non-registered persons.

Not only are these pharmacies acting in contravention of the law, but these amplifiers could cause irreversible hearing loss to normal hearing members of the public.

In their advertising, “hearing aids” are dispensed by trained nurses who do not fall under the ambit of the HPCSA, and are placing the public at risk by illegally administering treatment for clinically unproven hearing problems by supplying unprescribed amplifiers and are as such in breach of the law and also practicing outside their scope of practice.

The public should be aware of the impact of noise and increased intensity levels on hearing and are advised to only consult registered audiologists for professional hearing tests, should they suspect any hearing difficulty.

For more information contact the South African Association of Audiologists at www.audiologysa.co.za , admin@audiologysa.co.za or 0828554132