Adopting a Patient-Centric Care Model Enables Audiologists to Combat Social Isolation and Deliver Better Health Outcomes

The field of audiology is shifting

Hearing healthcare professionals can continue to ensure positive health outcomes in a patient-centric care model

People often wait as long as 15 years before addressing their hearing loss.¹ For seniors who have delayed acquiring hearing aids – and as a result have become increasingly isolated² – the new experience of using hearing aids can be an adjustment – a positive adjustment in regard to reconnecting with close family members, but also in understanding the benefits and limitations of the devices. Moving from little or no sound to the noisy environment of stores, restaurants, office buildings and streets requires adjustments. Fine tuning the device itself is an adjustment, but patients also need training and a clear understanding of how their world will change with the use of their devices.

Download the white paper, Adopting a patient-centric care model enables audiologists to combat social isolation and deliver better health outcomes, now to discover:

• Why people wait so long to address hearing loss
• How consolidation of hearing aid manufacturers has contributed to the rising cost of hearing aids and the resulting increase in the hearable market
• What hearing healthcare professionals can do to help their patients address hearing loss and combat significant comorbidities such as social isolation

All of which presents hearing healthcare professionals with an opportunity to embrace their shifting role in helping their patients achieve better overall health outcomes.

1. Eric Spitznagel, “Hello Millennials, Can You Hear Me?,” AARP.org, April 2018 (https://www.aarp.org/disrupt-aging/stories/solutions/info-2018/hearing-loss-impacts-boomers-millennials.html)
2. Paul Mick, Kathleen Pichora-Fuller, “Is Hearing Loss Associated with Poorer Health in Older Adults Who Might Benefit from Hearing Screening?” Ear and Hearing, May/June 2016 (https://journals.lww.com/earhearing/Abstract/2016/05000/Is_Hearing_Loss_Associated_with_Poorer_Health_in.20.aspx)