Subsidy system for hearing aid purchase for children with mild to moderate hearing loss

Abstract

Children with not only severe, but mild to moderate hearing loss, require a hearing aid. However, there has been no nationwide welfare system. Early intervention, including fitting hearing aids should be performed in children with mild to moderate hearing loss to learn language and to develop communication skills. From September 2013, a subsidy system for hearing aid purchase for children with mild to moderate hearing loss was introduced in Tokyo. Twenty-seven children have applied for this system in our hospital in Tokyo. Sixteen children were newly fitted with hearing aids and eleven children replaced old ones. Before this system started, hearing aids had to be purchased at the parent's expense. Therefore economic problems were one of the reasons that some children could not have a hearing aid. Using this subsidy, eight children were able to receive financial aid and started using hearing aids. This was a long-awaited support for children and their families. In children with mild to moderate hearing loss and their families, sometimes the problems caused by hearing loss and the need for a hearing aid are difficult to understand. Therefore, the interval from diagnosis to fitting with a hearing aid tends to be longer than that for cases of severe hearing loss. However, after this system began, this interval has become shorter. This subsidy system is effective, thus we need to develop it further.