Why Hearing Aids Aren’t the Whole Solution: The Power of a Long‑Term Treatment Plan

Hearing aids can help, but they are not the whole solution. We talk about why hearing care works best as a long-term treatment plan, especially when you consider how closely hearing loss and the brain are connected. If you have ever felt like you “hear but don’t understand,” or you leave restaurants exhausted from trying to follow conversations, this is the kind of clarity-first roadmap we wish more people had from the start.

We dig into cognitive health, including the widely discussed link between untreated hearing loss and increased dementia risk, and why hearing loss is often described as a modifiable risk factor. That does not mean we can override genetics, but it does mean we can reduce risk in many cases by keeping the brain supplied with the sound it needs and by staying on top of changes with consistent follow-ups. We also talk about the real goal of treatment: keeping speech understanding strong, not just turning up volume.

From there, we get practical. We explain auditory training with LACE, an evidence-based program designed to improve listening in background noise, processing speed, and the ability to fill in missed words. We also cover hearing aid care in humid climates like Dallas Fort Worth, including why a dryer can protect sensitive electronics and keep performance steady. Finally, we break down the support and budget side of hearing healthcare, including an eight-year price lock guarantee, free loaner devices during repairs, and the value of unlimited access to staff and audiologists when problems pop up. 

If you’re ready for hearing healthcare that holds up for the long haul, listen now, then subscribe, share with someone who struggles in noise, and leave a review. What is the hardest place for you to hear clearly?

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
(469) 809-4487

Transcript

Welcome And Big Promise

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference, where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the Experts of Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we're here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus, and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Better hearing is not a one-time fix. It's a long-term journey, and the right plan can protect your hearing health, your cognitive health, and even your budget for years to come. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yuveth, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr. Jill Copley. Dr. Copley, it's great to be back with you today. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:51

I'm doing really well today. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Great. Well, let's go ahead and dive a little deeper. Why is having a treatment plan so important? And what makes it so essential for long-term hearing health?

Why Hearing Care Needs A Plan

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Okay, so this is a this is a great topic. This is kind of part B. We just had um uh a part A to this, but let's continue that conversation because what we want to do treatment-wise, is we know that the brain, um, hearing loss and the brain are very connected. We consider hearing loss kind of a chronic condition. So it's gonna be there. It may worsen, it may not, but we need to treat it and we need to look at the whole system. We need to look not only at okay, let's get some some hearing devices for you so we can give you the sound you need, but we also need to look at how we treat the brain long term. Are we helping the brain um get get you what you need to hear? And we need to make sure of that. And so it's not just a one-time fix, like you mentioned. It requires ongoing conversations with um the audiologists and our staff to make sure that the patient's keeping up with what they need to do, but also that we're keeping up with the patient and making sure that we're doing all we can to help that person hear their best.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

So, Dr. Cobley, on that note, getting into a structured treatment plan, how overall does it help to prevent that decline, especially when it comes to cognitive health? I know you said that's not always the case with hearing, sometimes it stays the same or gets worse, but how can this help?

Dementia Risk And What You Can Change

SPEAKER_02 2:46

So we know that um hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor for dementia, meaning that if we treat it, we can reduce some of the risk for a person getting significant cognitive decline or dementia. And that's what we want to do. We want to help the person reduce that risk. And so we do that in a number of ways. Like I've already mentioned, we um try to keep up with patients. So if we see a change to their hearing, we can adjust for that. We want to give the brain as much information as we can that that person needs so that their brain is active. And so we can help um prevent some decline that may occur. I do want to say though, if there is a genetic predisposition to something, we cannot reduce that risk. Um genetics are a whole different kind of ballgame there. We are just trying to reduce the the risk that's not a part of genetic decline.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Now, when it is genetic, what is the best approach?

SPEAKER_02 4:01

We still want to help that person here. One of the things we can do is we may not be able to reduce that risk or prevent decline, but maybe we can delay the decline. Um, or I'm not, I'm sorry, not delay the decline, but delay some of the symptoms of the decline. Make it easier for families to talk to their um their the patient that is um starting to have that hearing loss, starting to have that decline, and hopefully make it easier for them to communicate for as long as they can.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Understood.

Training The Brain With LACE

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Now, can you explain how tools like LACEPRO improve processing speed and understanding in background noise?

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Okay, so in the the last podcast, I mentioned that two of the most common complaints that we hear are things like I can't hear in background noise, like at a party or a restaurant, or that I can hear the person, but they're talking too quickly. And so those are signs that the brain is not actually processing that information very well. So part of that's the hearing. We want to give that hearing back so that the brain has the full picture of everything. But there is also an important um phone app that can be used. It could also be used on a computer and it's called LACE. Its research is specific to auditory or the hearing system. And some of the things it helps do if uh is help improve people's function in background noise, processing speed, maybe if they miss a word here or there, um, trying to fill in that gap, trying, you know, trying to more quickly fill in that gap. And it's a series of, I think of it as a series of games that you play on your phone. Um, it's about 10 to 15 minutes a day. Um, you you want to do it a lot in the first month because that's again what the research shows, you're gonna get the greatest effect during that first month. But people have liked it so much that they've really wanted the lace um manufacturer to let people continue to use it long term. And so it's something you can use more than um once, basically, you know, because we want you to use it a lot in that first month, and then you can continue to use it if you notice that you're having difficulties again.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Now,

Protecting Hearing Aids From Moisture

SPEAKER_01 6:33

what role does the perfect dry luxe dryer play in protecting hearing devices long term?

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Oh, you're bringing up a good point. There are supplies and other things we can do to keep the hearing aids working as best as they can, right? Because we want them to give that information to the brain. So if you live in a humid area, um, such as we're in Dallas, um, something like Houston, which can be uh really, really humid. Um, West Texas, you're not going to need something like this because it's dry. But for us, we do get some humidity, and humidity can get into the electronics of the hearing device and can cause it not to work. So we give you a dryer that you can put the hearing aids in. It's about 30 minutes, maybe 45 minutes a day, 30 to 45 minutes a day, and it helps dry them out. And so it helps prevent some of that regular wear and tear of moisture damage that you could get.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Thank you for sharing that with us.

The Eight Year Price Lock

SPEAKER_01 7:38

What about that eight-year lock price guarantee that benefits patients financially over time?

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Yeah, so one of the things we've decided to use in our treatment program at Total Hearing Care is we do an eight-year price lock guarantee. What that means is that when you get your second set of hearing aids or your next set, because you, you know, you could have worn sets before. I'm sorry, it should be your next set of hearing aids after four years, then you would get them for the same price that you paid for that initial set. So we know that prices are probably gonna go up in four years. I mean, they go up every couple of years. So therefore, you're saving money by having that price lock guarantee. So that next set of hearing aids is actually going to be less expensive than you would have to pay otherwise. And so that's really one of the top advantages of um the treatment plan is really that price lock guarantee because you could stray, you know, you could save um several hundred dollars that way on the next set of devices.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Wow.

Loaners And Unlimited Support Visits

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Now, Dr. Copley, speaking of the life of the treatment plan, why are free loaners and unlimited visits with staff and audiologists so valuable during the life of the plan?

SPEAKER_02 9:05

We um our office, I think, is one of the few offices in the area that really has loaners and promotes loaners to its patients. Um we know that devices are going to have to go in to be repaired by the manufacturer. In fact, we encourage that. We want to make sure they're working well. We can do certain things over the counter and clean them, but we can't really open the devices and fix anything on the inside. So we want them checked. And so we make sure we have loaners available for patients, just kind of like if you had a car, you depend on that car. And so you might need to have a loaner if you take it in for repair. We know our patients depend on their hearing aids to hear. So we want to make sure we have loaners for them. Um, so that's part one to that. The next part is having the staff to see people when they need. Now we schedule people at least once a year with the audiologist as well as quarterly with the front staff. But if somebody has a problem, they can call us. We can try to help them over the phone, they can come in and we can try to help them over the counter. If our front staff can't handle that issue, if it's too complex, then they're rescheduled with the audiologist. So, in between those regularly scheduled appointments, if there are issues, we want to see people before then. And so they can schedule with us. And so that's part of our treatment plan as well, is including those visits if if they need them at no additional charge.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Wow, that's so wonderful. Do you also see a difference with that ongoing counseling when they're not having some of these issues still coming in on

Why Regular Follow Ups Work Better

SPEAKER_01 10:52

a regular basis?

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Right. So we do see that people that come in on a regular basis do much better. They're not coming back going, um, this didn't work, this hasn't worked for a few years. Well, if you haven't seen us for a few years, that makes a lot of sense because we weren't able to make sure the hearing aids were working. We weren't able to make sure that your hearing hadn't changed, um, that your lifestyle or situations haven't changed, um, and be able to counsel on those as well as make any adjustments to the devices we need to. Um, and so we do find that people that come in regularly that know our names and we know their names by just seeing them, um, they're going to do better long term. And they're going to their understanding and cognitive aspects of hearing and speech are going to be at their best quality.

Wrap Up And How To Book

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Well, Dr. Copley, thank you for highlighting why a treatment plan is so much more than devices. It's expert care, long-term support, and a roadmap for better hearing. We'll see everyone next time.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469 809 4487 to book an appointment. Or visit totalhearingcare.com because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.