Give Yourself a Chance at Life feat. Richard Taylor | First Time Hearing Aid User

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S. - HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CC, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. C-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services.

In this episode, Blaise Delfino speaks with Audiology Services patient Richard Taylor about hearing loss and getting hearing instruments. 

A Lifetime in the Printing Industry

Mr. Taylor spent his entire career, 50 years, in the printing business. He did not use hearing protection, although as the owner of a printing company, he encouraged his workers who ran the presses to do so. They would wear headphones or some form of hearing protection when he was there, but we he went on sales calls, they would take them off. They claimed they couldn’t adjust to wearing them, and that they were uncomfortable.

In the Navy

Mr. Taylor also spent several years in the Navy aboard aircraft carriers, where he says, it was impossible to get away from the noise. It was noisy 24/7.

Mr. Taylor didn’t think much about his hearing loss, until his daughter, Pam, made him aware of it. Also a patient at Audiology Services, Pam took her father to see the practitioners at the age of 90. He put off getting hearing aids because of vanity.

Most People Delay Getting Help

Dr. Gregory Delfino says most people delay getting hearing instruments because of the way they look and the stigma that “only old people get hearing aids.” Usually once people get hearing instruments and find out how wonderful it is to hear again, they no longer care about how the hearing aids look.  

Mr. Taylor says he is so happy to have gotten hearing instruments. He can’t say enough good things about them. He says it’s like having a whole new life. He encourages everyone who has hearing problems to get help. He adds that if a person has financial problems, that can be worked out with the audiologist. There are a number of payment plans and a variety of prices to fit every budget. Audiology Services now offers a leasing plan, with the lowest costing hearing aids at $15/month.

Blaise adds that the cost of untreated hearing loss is much greater than that of hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss has a number of comorbidities, including dementia, diabetes, heart disease and many other chronic diseases.

A Whole New World

Mr. Taylor says he’ll never forget the day he left Audiology Services with his new hearing instruments. He heard a bird chirping and was just delighted. He says it was an emotional moment. He waited 90 years but now can hear. He strongly advises anyone who is having trouble hearing to get fitted with hearing instruments. He says, “Don’t ignore hearing loss another day.”

Transcript

Blaise Delfino: 0:06

You're tuned into the Hearing Matters Podcast with Dr. Gregory Delfino, and Blaise Delfino of Audiology Services and Fader Plugs, the show that discusses hearing technology, best practices, and a growing national epidemic, hearing loss. On this episode, we have one of our patients, Mr. Richard Taylor joining us on this episode. We are so happy to have you on the show. Mr. Taylor, welcome to the Hearing Matters Podcast.

Richard Taylor: 0:35

Thank you. And I'm happy to be here because I have an attachment, I've been coming here for what, three, four months? I have an attachment to this place, you and Jasmine and all those that we see. And I know that's what you strive for and you got it.

Blaise Delfino: 0:50

Well, thank you so much. And we always say because we are a family owned private practice that our patients truly are part of our family. And we're so happy to hear that you, no pun intended, feel that way now. Mr. Taylor, before we dive in and talk about your new hearing world. Share with us about your background, because it's very interesting

Richard Taylor: 1:10

Going way back to birth? Or do you want?

Blaise Delfino: 1:13

Your career, okay?

Richard Taylor: 1:16

I've just evolved spent a lifetime and printing it happened is an accident, really, you know, there are vocational schools in our high schools. But I never took one of those printing was available, yet. I never took it. So all of a sudden one day I found myself standing in a press the small printing press the very beginning kind of a press offset. And I liked it. And from there I moved on. And I eventually ended up working for cover astronautics. And I was cleared for secret in the US Navy, which made it easy for me to get my first real job and printing because they wanted people with clearance of please secret. Some of the guys are worried over top secret because all that now was declassified. So I can talk about that because that's like back in the 50s. So you're talking 50 years ago.

Blaise Delfino: 2:06

So I'm curious to know you were in the printing business. And when you would go to some of these manufacturing plants, and you would walk through did you wear any hearing protection?

Richard Taylor: 2:17

No. And I tried as an owner of a printing company to encourage the people who work for me to use audio protection, and they'd put them on and I'd go out on a sales call or somebody come back and they'd all be no protection.

Blaise Delfino: 2:33

Taking them off, right?

Richard Taylor: 2:34

Yeah, taking them off. Why'd you take them off? Ah, they're uncomfortable, I can't get used to him, blah, blah, blah. So that was one of the first real introduction for me into audiology, unprofessionally he didn't understand at all, but I do know that those people were told that it'd be better for their hearing and their health if they wore them. Yes. And so I did encourage kind of an unknown product did I should let them know and I got a little tough room I made a worm as long as I was around good prefer to go out. I know they take them off.

Blaise Delfino: 3:06

And it's essential if you do work in a noisy environment to protect your hearing and now with OSHA, it is mandated the company needs to provide hearing protection for their employees to protect and preserve their hearing. Now when you first came here to audiology services, we of course conduct and Dr. Delfino conducts an extensive case history we want to make sure and review well did you work in a loud environment is your hearing loss linked to present accuses which is age related hearing loss now taking your history into consideration, of course the aging process

Unknown: 3:42

We also haven't hit the Navy either. There's heavy, loud engines. I was on two different ships the aircraft carrier, I made one over and back once and then a true transport I went over and back 13 times 13 over and 13 back and it was hard to be placed in a quiet place aboard a naval ship and you just better get used to living with noise. If you want a good night's sleep is when you lay your head down just say I'm going to sleep I'm not going to listen to that junk, it could be pretty disturbing is kind of a vibration. I call it a thick noise in like somebody's pounding on steel or it's not like some delicate thing we're a baby drop a little pacifier her it was real heavy. So it's constant whenever that ship pulled out. Once we'll see that carrier was for de Laval steam engines. Back when was all steam that was a 1944 carrier and a true transport was the earlier version. It was a writer but the first part of the war 41 when they started really building ships, and they knew they need to get troops over there.

Blaise Delfino: 4:49

So we can say that it is highly likely that due to your occupation, and again, thank you for your service that you began to experience a decrease in hearing due to your occupation. But of course, there could be other factors like if you mowed the lawn without wearing hearing protection, things of that nature. Now, Mr. Taylor, you are 90 years young, right?

Richard Taylor: 5:12

Three weeks ago

Blaise Delfino: 5:13

Three weeks ago, happy belated, when did you start to notice that you had difficulty hearing?

Richard Taylor: 5:19

Probably way back. But I didn't know how do we code it? I didn't know. Was it me? Was it a physical thing inside? Or was it the audiology was receiving was distorted through my ears, but I wasn't knowledgeable enough to really understand all sides of it. So I just ignored it, like a lot of people do and just lived with it is, you know, I lived 90 years, with no correction to my hearing until I was brought here to you and introduced to all that you can do to help someone

Blaise Delfino: 5:56

Just to dovetail off what you're saying hearing instruments are really only as good as the individual tuning them and programming them.

Richard Taylor: 6:05

I can so agree with that with the help of my daughter, and my own thoughts on what I should be doing. They've been very successful. In fact, I think the last time I talked to you said I was warning them like 14 hours a day. You have some way of knowing that, you know, until you told me that I never thought about it. I put them in the morning, take them out at night. What they have to do for care payment puts them in the dryer. She's a dryer lady.

Blaise Delfino: 6:31

So Pam is your daughter. And Pam found our family almost four years ago, we fit Pam with musician ear plugs.

Richard Taylor: 6:36

All her father's attributes, we could just say She's a phenomenal musician, she is a teacher. So we'll definitely put a link a little bit about Pam and her incredible career. that and so we can move on.

Blaise Delfino: 6:52

So Mr. Taylor, most individuals will wait seven to 10 years before they do something about their hearing loss. And really, it's about 10 years I believe, longer. Now, what do you think delayed your hearing journey? Was it acceptance? Was it vanity? Was it? Maybe your friends wore hearing aids, but they weren't successful with them? What do you think delayed the journey?

Richard Taylor: 7:14

Being a young guy, I have to admit it was probably vanity. Look at a poor old guy with those hearing aids. You know, I think that as labels, you may be an older age, and you actually have one of your young person with problems hearing. I think that was the number one being vain, which I didn't really want to be but sure it was. And then the noticeable difference in what I was hearing without any help at all. I think a Navy maybe had my hearing checked, I can't remember what the result was. I don't think it was too serious. It wasn't serious enough that they would call it a problem. So I just blew it by and took my service.

Blaise Delfino: 7:54

They sort of collected a baseline to see where your hearing sensitivity lied.

Richard Taylor: 7:58

Yeah. And would I be safe? And would other people around me be safe with this problem?

Blaise Delfino: 8:04

Sure. I'm curious to know, to dovetail off what you're saying, Mr. Taylor, Dr. Delfino, you've been an audiologist well over 30 years, would you say that the majority of patients that you've seen and that you've worked with stall, or delay their hearing journey due to vanity?

Dr. Gregory Delfino: 8:22

I think without a doubt, that's certainly one of the primary reasons why people avoid the initial steps to amplification. It really is, how it looks and how it makes them feel and how they are viewed by other people. But what's interesting is that once they make that step, then it becomes such a less important aspect of what's going on the fact that they are able to benefit from amplification, they were able to see the difference between how they heard without them and and with them makes all the difference in the world. So the vanity issue quickly dissipates.

Richard Taylor: 8:55

Oh yeah, I would gladly tell anybody, anybody listening to this. If you have a trouble hearing, no matter your age, no matter your financial conditions, no matter what gets something done about it. It's a wonderful thing. It's like a new life when you can hear things that you haven't been here and didn't even know you weren't hurrying. Yes, Pam, and her husband and I last night we're kidding about. Paul was whispering to her when he got done. I told parents as I heard every word he said, and Pam says, Oh, we got to be careful. Always say no now. But all the wonders of this. And the payoffs of this are tremendous. And it took me 90 years to find that out. So I beg of people listening to this podcast, if you're not hearing clearly, if you're not getting a full advantage of your life, with a good hearing, good sight, good holes. Do something about it. See these young gentlemen right here before We see that audiologist see the professionals that can help you. I know that for a long time raising a young family 50 years ago, finances weren't the thickest, you know, like they usually are for they are absolutely, that's another reason I put it off. But I do realize that you need to work through things like that. And I know that you and good organizations like you have some kind of plans that they can adhere to, and pay small amounts for a certain amount of time, and still enjoy the benefits of being able to hear Yes, and don't use that excuse anymore of finances now, because it really isn't, and anybody that wants to hear can pay for them, you'll make available to them.

Blaise Delfino: 10:41

Absolutely. And Mr. Taylor, to really echo what you just said, number one, the cost of untreated hearing loss is greater than the price of hearing instruments. And for all of our listeners tuned in right now, you have the option to either lease hearing instruments for a nominal fee per month, lowest technology would be $15 per month, you can finance over time. And I know within our network of private practice owners around the country have options for every lifestyle, and for every budget. And that is really important. We've never wanted the financial aspect be the reason why no one moves forward with hearing technology because there are different comorbidities linked to untreated hearing loss, cognitive decline, increased risk of falling, Mr. Taylor, we recently fit you with your first set of hearing aids, they are oticon. share with us what your experience has been like with regard to your new hearing world.

Richard Taylor: 11:44

First of all, being a new electronic instrument. I didn't want to miss a month. Like drop them step on them, you know, something like that? Yeah, that was my first concern. I was kind of in a wonderment, kind of like, How can this be this little thing on top here, I found out from you and instructions, that is the microphone. And the part that goes in my ears, the receiver. And then there's a little piece of wire that has kind of fold up and going inside my ear. That I guess is also like an outside receiver.

Blaise Delfino: 12:21

So it actually ensures that the receiver stays in your ear canal and it's snug so it doesn't fall out.

Richard Taylor: 12:27

So yep, there's no electronic action from slowly I got to learn them. And Pam was a lot of help to me, because she has an analytical mind as you know, she's a great musician, and they all have good analytical. Absolutely. So if I have a real deep problem was discovered, so is nothing, you know, unfortunately, maybe, unfortunately for her, but fortunately for me, I just dumped it on her now. She does that kind of stuff that she does so fast. In fact, every Monday is our data, dry him. And I said to work and we use another day, this is kind of like a business day. I'm not here and like I should but currently do. Well. The problem is that Monday is my only really free day for several years. Okay, so I go without him on Monday. And that's another good thing. Let people know that try that if they want to really see the value of what they're getting out of those hearing aids. Try going without him for like four hours, or going out without them for a work day. And all of a sudden, oh wow. Big difference. You know, it's just as if I can't hear anything. Yes, of course, none I acclimate to it. But they have to turn her talk up to yell. And another funny thing after I got this all going on, and going on so greatly, I had to tell them to turn the TV down, or turn anything that they were using, don't please. And if they see me in there, messing with little toggles. I know that I was serious, and I can understand why I'm going to do we're used to yelling almost to me.

Blaise Delfino: 14:02

So what's interesting is that you cannot see the picture when you are in the frame and family members behaviorally start to speak louder because I need to speak louder to help you exactly for you to understand what they're saying now Mr. Taylor living in this new hearing world, what did you notice was enhanced and again, I'm sure family members notice that communication is easier.

Richard Taylor: 14:27

My favorite. My favorite story and Pam was with me. We walked out of this place. He had put the hearing aids in for me. I went up front here turned, made the left turn into the parking lot and all of a sudden his chirp, chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp and I look up at her is this Cardinal in his treatise far less down in the parking lot chirping away and as odd he was chirping, me, because see, you can hear me and I sound pretty, but you didn't know that before. I can almost get emotional about because whom I walked up to his door and heard, really heard Well, for the first time you plant this bird up here.

Blaise Delfino: 15:09

Oh yeah, we keep them. We have them on speed dial. Yeah. So he says congratulations to all of our patients who who move forward with technology,

Richard Taylor: 15:17

But man, I mean, that was so cool, and from that point on that day, and the time we were outside there, chirping back at me, and is it something that we go 90 years without having that feeling, and almost call it a security, and all of a sudden, as they're laid right before us all because of Audiology, and all because of a levels that has gone to I kind of talked to friends and quickly looked into years ago. But as I you know, this just doesn't make it so garbled. And these people are complaining they can't understand as well as they did without them. So what a day that was 90 years later, and I'm hearing at Cardinal church, it's a day I'll never forget that. So they they see that the Lord has made a man.

Blaise Delfino: 16:04

Mr. Taylor, what advice would you give friends, family, and listeners tuned in right now who suspect they have a hearing loss, but aren't really quite ready to move forward with hearing technology?

Richard Taylor: 16:19

Give themselves a chance at life, give them a chance to get life in a whole the whole 100% not 50% or 70%, but a whole 100% when they start hearing. Sick of I mean hearing, hearing sight smell ones is as important as the other. And for some reason hearing from what I'm hearing from you. And from what I've just seen through life doesn't get a good rap. They kind of get pushed up down all the way because it's not an immediate loss. Correct. It's a gradual loss. It's a gradual loss and gives you all next year, I got to get a check you know, next year, and all of a sudden or death or near death. So please, for your family, for you. Get your hearing checked and find out that you can have hearing aids and make good use of life with good hearing through someone like Blaise and his dad, who are real experts at this and I'm gonna prove it because I will warn her her needs not for three, four months. And what a difference. And don't ignore it another day.

Blaise Delfino: 17:30

You're tuned into the Hearing Matters Podcast with Dr. Gregory Delfino, and Blaise Delfino of Audiology Services and Fader Plugs. Today, we had one of our patients, Mr. Richard Taylor, join us talking about the benefits of hearing technology. Until next time, hear life's story.