Hearing is integral to effective communication and when impaired can affect one’s ability to function productively and, by association, maintain social connections. Untreated age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is ubiquitous and costly to society in terms of both economics and negative health outcomes. Although the effects of ARHL are well documented, the majority of persons with hearing loss do not avail themselves of the technologic innovations available to optimize audibility and speech understanding.

Low uptake of hearing health care innovations is attributable to a number of factors, including [Page 64]lack of affordability and accessibility. For the most part, the interventions are costly. However, a report published in the United Kingdom revealed that the economic burden of not attending to hearing loss in terms of extra visits to ...