SPRING

EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES Loud and Clear

AUDIOLOGY PROGRAMS AMPLIFY LIFE FOR HARD-OF-HEARING

When Jeremy Lachance heard that his 13-year-old daughter needed new hearing aids, he wasn’t sure how he’d pay for it.

That’s where HearU Nebraska, a university led hearing aid bank for children, came in.

“It’s been a blessing,” Lachance said. “It’s a night and day difference. I’m a single parent, so money’s always kind of tight. Like last year, I had a heart attack at the beginning of summer and a few months later, we got the news that it was time for some new hearing aids. And that’s where the HearU program really came in handy. That really helped when I was already down.”

HearU Nebraska is one of three hearing aid banks serving deaf and hard of hearing Nebraskans. Run by the audiology program in the College of Education and Human Sciences, the hearing aid banks provide vital, statewide access to hearing aids for those who would otherwise be unable to afford them. The university also runs the state’s only Doctor of Audiology program, and its students gain hands-on training through the banks. More than 10,000 Nebraskans (and counting) have received hearing aids through the work of the university’s audiologists and partners who dispense the devices since the first hearing aid bank began in 1981.

“With the hearing aid banks, individuals don’t have to make that decision between affording hearing aids or keeping the lights on in their house or putting food on the table,” said Stacie Ray, audiologist and director of the hearing aid banks.

Nebraska is the only state with hearing aid banks that serve people across their lifespan, Ray said. While the services are based on financial criteria, unique situations may warrant exceptions.

“We’ve had to make quite a few exceptions recently because inflation is just so high,” Ray said. Ray experienced the financial burden of hearing aids herself when her son was diagnosed with hearing problems at the age of 17 months. She had to take out a loan for a set of hearing aids and pay it back with interest over several years. Ray, a professor of practice in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, founded HearU in 2007.

“I knew there had to be a better way,” Ray said. “We started HearU to lessen the emotional and financial burden on families with deaf and hard of hearing children.”

HearU has dispensed over 900 hearing aids to children across the state since its inception, which includes Lachance’s daughter, Chloie.

Chloie was born prematurely, which affected her inner ear development and led to her hard of hearing diagnosis. Being connected to HearU Nebraska provided the Lachance family with the assistance needed to get hearing aids early on in Chloie’s life. Today, she is on her third set of hearing aids from the program.

HearU also allows children to customize the color and designs on their hearing aids and earmolds. For her current set, Chloie chose pink hearing aid and purple earmolds with a blue heart.

HearU has given Chloie more freedom to participate in school and communicate more freely with her friends and family. She currently enjoys school, especially math, science, and ukulele club.

“One thing we really like about the hearing aids is that at Lincoln Public Schools the teachers wear microphones that go to classroom speakers and directly to the hearing aid,” Lachance said. “It’s awesome, and it helps cut out background noise.”

Hearing difficulties impact not only individuals, but also their families and society. “Fortunately, those Nebraskans who cannot access amplification due to a lack of financial resources have someplace to turn, and our students who are attending the only Doctor of Audiology program in the state are provided unique opportunities to work with this population” states Ray.

“Research shows that those with untreated hearing difficulties are at higher risk of dementia, loneliness and more, and the problem is growing. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently 466 million people with disabling levels of hearing, with an estimated 700 million by 2050. Accounting for all levels of hearing differences, globally there are approximately 1.5 billion affected.

The Hearing Aid Banks and statewide partners are working hard to combat these problems. Some 40 offices from Omaha to Scottsbluff dispense hearing aids to adults, giving access to more than 200 providers. All pediatric hearing facilities are participants in HearU Nebraska. —Kateri Hartman

Overheard

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