People Avoid Seeing a Hearing Care Specialist, REASON #3 – The Patient is Afraid of Being Sold Something

​            It’s like magic-once you turn the respectful age of sixty, you notice that the content of your mailbox seems to change. Nearly every week, you are “blessed” (I’m being sarcastic!) to have a full mailbox (both your physical and electronic mailbox) with literature about “essential vitamins for seniors,” “how to choose the right assisted living residence,” “how to invest your retirement money,” “join AARP,” and “which digital technology widget is best for your hearing loss.” Somewhere along the line, hearing health care started down the dangerous road of becoming a retail transaction. Heck, I’ve even seen some hearing widgets sold at big-box retailers and chain pharmacies…. Although I don’t know who would ever consider buying medical treatment for progressive degenerative disorder alongside a giant vat of peanut butter! Like I ask my patients: “Would you get your colonoscopy performed at one of the big-box chains? NO. So why would you treat your hearing loss there?” I don’t blame the patient for sometimes entering the office thinking he/she is going to be “sold” something.
            My best advice is to steer clear of anybody trying to sell you something. If we go back to Reason #1 above, the patient is likely already nervous because he or she knows the medical diagnosis before ever stepping foot in the office. Combine that with the fear of “being sold something” and that makes for a pretty nervous patient with his or her guard up.
            Unfortunately, much of modern medicine is turning into a commercial advertisement seen on TV that marginalizes the process of treating a medical disorder; and hearing health care is not immune to this. In my office, and the Excellence in Audiology member-clinics across the country, our belief is in the medical evaluation and treatment of hearing loss.
            I believe strongly that the proper medical treatment of hearing loss is best left to the clinicians specially trained to understand, diagnose, and treat your hearing loss.