Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

Adult Audiologic Rehabilitation, Third Edition is an advanced textbook for doctoral level audiology students that focuses solely on adults with a completely international perspective. It is the only advanced text to meet the need for the high level of preparation required for doctoral level training. It is also an essential resource for practicing clinicians looking for a complete reference on the latest techniques and technologies. With ever changing technology and new methodologies in client care, the third edition of Adult Audiologic Rehabilitation is a critical resource to audiology education. The book covers definitions of audiologic rehabilitation, an overview of the area, psychosocial impact of hearing loss, assessment strategies, current technologies, treatment methodologies, e-technologies, research needs, and special issues in audiologic rehabilitation. It has been deliberately structured to move the reader from introduction, to specific details of the specialty of audiologic rehabilitation, to providing insights into characteristics of this patient population, and thence to a framework for assessment and treatment of the impact of hearing loss. New to the Third Edition: Thoroughly updated, this edition includes eight new chapters and revisions to nineteen chapters that include updated content, references, figures and tables. New topics include: * Hearing Health-Seeking Behavior * Social Factors in Hearing Aids * Improving Patient Adherence * Multimedia Educational Resources * Family-Centered Care * Patient Narratives in Audiology * E-health and M-health for Audiologic Rehabilitation * Community Outreach This edition welcomes contributions from new authors including: Abbey L. Berg, Melanie Ferguson, Stefan Launer, Alessia Paglialonga, Gabrielle Saunders, Nerina Scarinci, Gurjit Singh, Nancy Tye- Murray, Barbra Timmer, Emilie Zaslow, and a foreword by Arthur Boothroyd. Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

The eighth edition of Introduction to Audiologic Rehabilitation offers a comprehensive exploration of aural rehabilitation spanning across the lifespan. Written in an accessible style for undergraduate students, the text covers the fundamentals, methods of assessment and management, technologies, and contemporary issues for a thorough understanding of audiologic rehabilitation practices. Two chapters focus solely on real-world case studies addressing the needs of children and adults. There are detailed chapters on hearing aids and hearing assistive technologies, cochlear implants, auditory and visual stimuli in communication, language and speech of the deaf and hard of hearing, psychosocial aspects of hearing loss, and more. New to the Eighth Edition: * Discussion of current issues and trending topics including over-the-counter hearing aids * Highlights related to telepractice and teleaudiology * Addition of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics related to hearing health disparities and audiologic rehabilitations Key Features: * Based on a proven model framed within the concepts of the World Health Organization * Authored by leading experts ensuring current, evidence-based information * Emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach, recognizing the collaborative nature of audiologic rehabilitation involving professionals in audiology, speech-language pathology, and related fields * Case studies offer application opportunities across the lifespan * Each chapter includes activities, recommended readings, and websites for additional resources * Visual aids, including figures, tables, and photos enhance student comprehension, particularly for complex topics such as cochlear implants and auditory stimulation * Appendices containing valuable terms, definitions, and additional resources for easy reference

Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids: Selection, Fitting, and Verification is a comprehensive textbook, ideal for graduate-level amplification courses in audiology programs. It also is the ultimate go-to reference for anyone fitting and dispensing hearing aids. This is truly an "A to Z" textbook, with topics including audiologic prefitting testing, needs assessment and treatment planning, hearing aid selection, verification, orientation and counseling, post-fitting follow-up, and real-world validation. Moreover, a substantial portion of the book reviews the underlying up-to-date design and function of digital hearing aid components, circuitry and processing, the wide assortment of hearing aid features, and the many algorithms that make these features work successfully. The world-renowned authors have included numerous prefitting and post-fitting tests that can be conducted along with step-by-step protocols for their administration and scoring. They also review the selection of hearing aid styles and fitting arrangements, explain the process of obtaining an ear impression, and making critical decisions regarding earmolds and hearing aid plumbing. Essentials of Modern Hearing Aidsprovides guidance for selecting prescriptive fitting approaches and detailed protocols for the use of behavioral measures and real-ear speech mapping to both verify the fitting and assess special hearing aid features. Follow-up care and validation options also are reviewed, with detailed guidelines for using a wide range of outcome measures. Key Features Included throughout the text are short paragraphs identified as "Technical Tips," "Key Concepts," "Things to Remember," "Points to Ponder," and "Soapbox" for quick reference.The text covers both foundation and direct clinical application.The veteran authors have over 100 years of combined experience in day-to-day patient care and clinical research.The book is infused with humor throughout! Written in an accessible and easy-to-read style, this text includes not only reference information, but also tools supported by research and clinical experience. The information is presented in a way that is both accessible to clinical students with little experience in the field and with enough depth for even the serious hearing aid researcher. The text is also appropriate as a handy companion for busy clinicians - a friendly resource where they can quickly find critical information needed for the next patient. *Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.