CRESTVIEW — Aging, genes, medications and loud, noisy work environments can contribute to hearing loss, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Many people rely on hearing aids to effectively communicate. And over the years, this basic necessity has become more user-friendly. 

"In the past, hearing aids were more of a nuisance," said Cameron Yordon, a licensed hearing aid specialist with Beltone in Crestview. "But nowadays, with this new technology, it's more become a lifestyle change. It's more of a luxury now."

Remote controls, iPhones and iPads can adjust a hearing aid's volume, and an app can even track lost hearing aids with GPS. Relatives can Skype or listen to music, with audio from a computer feeding directly into the hearing aids. And hearing aids can adapt to outdoors or restaurants settings with the touch of a button.

"It's become so much simpler now," Yordon said. 

Here's a history of the device:

Body-style transistor hearing aid. "People had a box about the size of a beeper with a cord that went up to your ear with the ear mold in it," Greg Yordon, Beltone's Northwest Florida manager, said.

Though bulky compared to today's devices, the transistor hearing aid — manufactured throughout the late 1940s and 1960s — was still stylish.

For instance, Beltone's 2-ounce Largo model — 2 1/2 by 1 5/16 by 5/8 inches — featured a brushed stainless steel case over a black plastic chassis, according to HearingAidMuseum.com.

Eyeglass hearing aid. For more than 20 years, a device that improved not just audio but also vision was in demand.

Beltone's "Invisible" series — among a number of eyeglass products  the company manufactured from 1955-1979 — hid the microphone and battery door inside the eyeglass frames' temple pieces, according to HearingAidMuseum.com.

At one point, in the late 1950s, these hearing aids made up 50 percent of the market, according to the Washington University School of Medicine.

Though available past its peak, the eyeglass hearing aid was a trend that Sharon Yordon, who also manages Beltone's Northwest Florida offices, was glad to see go away.  

"Eyeglasses were very hard to adjust and we were always having to coordinate with the eye centers and so forth to do that … that was difficult," she said.

Behind-the-ear aids. This analog device — such as Beltone's "Minuet II," which became available in 1976 — trimmed some of the bulk and added convenience.

Users could control volume and replace batteries directly on the earpiece, the only piece.

BTEs gave way to later models and innovations, including in-the-ear models, those worn entirely in the canal, and programmable hearing aids that allow more fine tuning, Greg said.

"As hearing loss changed, we were able to keep up with it," providing smoother sounds with just the touch of a button, he said.  

Customers notice the difference, Sharon said.

"When they walk in with a problem, you could just hook it up to the computer, make adjustments and they're like, 'Wow, what a difference! That's terrific!" she said. "And they're out the door."

LEARN MORE

Want to learn more about hearing aids? Beltone's new Crestview office is located at 2670 S. Ferdon Blvd., Unit 105. Call 683-8777 for free hearing screenings.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'MORE OF A LUXURY NOW': Hearing aids have changed over the years

More than 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. While the disease created a number of challenges, one particular problem has been obtaining coverage for medications my physicians prescribe.

I've been forced into fail first, or step therapy, protocols. 

These management processes require a patient to try the least-expensive treatment of medication to address a problem, despite what his or her physician recommends.

Only after trying — and failing — on the least expensive option, and possibly additional treatments, can a patient receive coverage for the medication the physician originally prescribed.

In 1998, my physician advised me to try a recently approved Hepatitis C treatment, Ribavirin, meant to be taken in addition to Interferon, which treats Hepatitis C. My insurance company required me to go fail on Interferon by itself before I could get the superior combination of the two prescribed by my doctor.

Instead of enduring an inappropriate or incomplete treatment, my physician should have been the determiner of the treatment's duration and recommendations on when to receive treatment or switch to a new treatment.

Restraints on access to treatment do not protect patients; they just interfere with the doctor-patient relationship, and allow patients' conditions to deteriorate while they wait for appropriate medications.

Later, without proper treatment, these patients will often require more costly treatments, such as hospitalization.

Rather than have physicians spending excessive time on administrative tasks associated with step therapy and prior authorization, we should allow them to focus on providing relief and comfort to their patient through immediate treatment options.

Patients and physicians should work together to determine the best course of action without insurance companies and bureaucrats setting forth excessive protocols that interrupt proper treatment.

Our legislators have the opportunity this year to support legislation designed to address problems with excessive use of prior authorization and step therapy.

Bills to examine these access limitations' medical appropriateness — and to provide a clearer path for physicians to better navigate the prior authorization and step therapy processes — are being considered by lawmakers in Tallahassee. 

Support of these bills will put Florida in line with a number of other states that have enacted similar measures to protect patients from administrative denials.

Pam Langford is president of Hepatitis Education Awareness and Liver Support, or H.E.A.L.S. of the South. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: COLUMN: Protect patients' rights; end step therapy protocols

CRESTVIEW — Did you know one in three women annually die of heart disease and stroke?

Raising awareness is the point of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women.

February is American Heart Month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national effort aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.

The key?

Ensuring Americans know their blood pressure; if it's too high, the goal should be to control that number, the CDC states.

North Okaloosa Medical Center's staff wore red to bring attention to the issue on Feb. 6.

Learn more about controlling your blood pressure at www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: NOMC raises awareness for women's heart disease, stroke