Making Hearing Health Accessible - Sharon Stoor and Ira Fleiscer of HearingLife

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In a recent episode of "Talking Retirement," host Ken Connolly sat down with two hearing health experts from HearingLife: Ira Fleischer, Area Director, and Sharon Stoor, BC-HIS, ACA, Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist with almost 40 years of experience in hearing health. Their conversation revealed crucial insights about hearing care that every senior should understand—from evaluation to technology and financial accessibility.

Understanding the Importance of Regular Hearing Evaluations

One of the most important takeaways from the discussion was the necessity of regular hearing evaluations, particularly for older adults. As Ira Fleischer emphasized, "We believe that everybody that's 50 years or older should have an annual hearing evaluation." This recommendation isn't just for those experiencing noticeable hearing difficulties—it's a preventative health measure.

Sharon Stoor outlined what people should watch for: "Do you need to turn the TV or the radio up a little bit loud? Or do you find it difficult to locate pinpoint where a sound's coming from? Are other people telling you that you have hearing loss?" These are early warning signs that shouldn't be ignored.

Most importantly, HearingLife offers complimentary evaluations to remove financial barriers to initial assessment. "Our hearing tests are always complimentary," Sharon explained. "Even if you think you have a hearing loss and you're not really sure, or you're sure you have normal hearing but you want to develop a baseline, we highly recommend to call, make an appointment."

The Connection Between Hearing and Cognitive Health

Perhaps the most compelling reason to address hearing loss promptly is its connection to cognitive health. Sharon Stoor shared a startling fact: "Hearing loss is one of the most modifiable risks for dementia and Alzheimer's... Even mild hearing loss increases the risk for cognitive decline two times."

This connection makes sense when you understand how hearing affects brain function. As Ira explained, "Your brain is like any other muscle in your body when it's not used. If this wasn't being used, it would be flabby and it would be smaller than it is and your brain can atrophy just like any other muscle in your body... what hearing aids do is they wake it all up again."

Sharon emphasized that hearing aids should be worn consistently—even when alone—to maintain brain stimulation: "There are so many sounds of life... Those sounds of life all around you are so important to continue to stimulate your brain."

Modern Hearing Technology: Beyond Basic Amplification

Today's hearing aids are sophisticated devices that do far more than simply amplify sound. As Ira explained, "Hearing loss isn't about everything needs to be turned up. What that can create is just more confusion for your brain and your body and yourself."

Sharon described how modern technology has evolved: "The technology behind the hearing aids isn't just a little amp and a wire like it was back in the 80s and 90s. It's a chip." This enables capabilities like artificial intelligence and advanced signal processing.

"Hearing aids are trained with AI," Sharon explained. "That, to put it very simply, just means that they're trained to recognize things... what kind of noise it's in or the whole environment, what water is and bring down the annoying frequencies or what music is and let some of those nuances come through."

Ira highlighted one of the newest advances: "These sensors understand your head movement, the environment that you're in. It knows, they know that because my head went this way, I'm speaking to this person here, even though I still have a similar volume of sound coming from here, it will prioritize the sound that your brain should be hearing."

Making Quality Hearing Care Accessible to Everyone

A significant portion of the conversation focused on how HearingLife is working to make hearing care accessible, particularly for those with financial constraints.

Comprehensive Follow-Up Care

Unlike many providers, HearingLife includes ongoing care as part of their service. "Great part about it is, is that with HearingLife, when you work with us, all of that aftercare is free of charge," Ira explained. "We want people to come in. We want them to get the service that is needed to ensure the best experience."

Sharon added that they've even developed extended hours support: "We have a team, we call it On Demand... On Demand is open Eastern time, 5 to 10 at night and 9 to 3 on weekends. So we take calls from any clinic across the country."

Financial Accessibility Options

For those concerned about costs, HearingLife offers multiple payment options. "You can get into a really, really good pair of hearing aids for as little as $92 a month," Ira explained. "We work with a company called Care Credit, which is a medical financing company... and we have 36 month no interest options, which is pretty incredible."

Commitment to Medicaid Patients

When asked why HearingLife continues to accept Medicaid patients when many providers don't, Ira responded simply: "Because everybody deserves it... Why are they deserving of less attention, less care? I don't have the answer to that because I don't think there is an answer to that."

Sharon elaborated: "Lower income patients can also be at risk for so many more health issues... We're really fortunate in New Jersey that New Jersey Medicaid does pay for hearing instruments. And at HearingLife, we're really fortunate that we have a great insurance team that can bill those claims."

New Jersey's HAAAD Program

For those who don't qualify for Medicaid but still need assistance, Sharon highlighted an important state benefit: "It started with a program called Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled, and they moved into Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled. And right now in New Jersey, if you qualify for that, it is a $500 per hearing aid reimbursement."

As Ken noted, "Currently in 2025, the income limits for both PAAD and HAAAD, it's about $53,000 for a single person and $60,000 for a married couple. So if you're on a fixed income, the vast majority of people qualify for this."

The Dangers of Delaying Treatment

One concerning trend the experts highlighted is how long people typically wait before addressing hearing loss. "It tends to take about... five years," Sharon explained. "So even after having their first hearing test, some people do wait far too long to get that help."

This delay can have serious consequences, given the connection between hearing loss and cognitive health. "Out of people that aren't wearing hearing aids, only one in five people that need hearing instruments right now wear them," Sharon noted.

Conclusion

Hearing health is an essential component of overall wellness, particularly for seniors. With advancements in technology, financial assistance programs, and providers like HearingLife committed to accessibility, there's no reason to delay getting the care you need.

As Ira Fleischer summarized, "What's most important here is your wellness." By prioritizing hearing health, seniors can maintain better cognitive function, social connections, and quality of life.

For more information about hearing health or to schedule a complimentary evaluation, visit hearinglife.com to find the location nearest you. With 31 offices across New Jersey and 650 nationwide, quality hearing care is more accessible than ever.

Sharon Stoor is a Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (BC-HIS, ACA) with almost 40 years of experience in hearing health.

Ira Fleischer is an Area Director for HearingLife, overseeing operations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and parts of New York.

Ken Connolly is a licensed life and health insurance broker and host of the "Talking Retirement" podcast.

To learn more about life insurance, Medicare and other healthcare options, visit NJ Life and Health at www.njlifeandhealth.com or call their Toms River, NJ office at 848-226-6897.