Hearing Loss on the Farm

Hearing loss does not have to negatively impact your ability to work on the farm and enjoy life in general. Exploring hearing aid options does not have to be a complicated or difficult process!

Hearing Protection

"The most important thing to remember is that noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable. By using hearing protection every single time, you can prevent the hearing loss caused by noisy equipment." -Leslie Purcell, Audiologist.

Protect your hearing through noise reduction or by wearing personal protective equipment. Consider keeping earmuffs on each piece of equipment or in easily accessible locations. Be sure to select the correct type of hearing protection for each task and level of noise.

Hearing protection is important at any age. Children of any age should also wear hearing protection to prevent long-term hearing loss. There are many affordable options available for different sizes, many of which you can find at your local hardware store.

When Should You Consider Hearing Aids?

"Having hearing aids is like night and day. It's the difference between being able to listen to the radio in my car, and not being able to understand what they're saying; going to a restaurant and being able to understand the waitress; going to the grocery store and asking the clerk where to find something and understanding their answer. Having hearing aids… it's a life-changer at my age." -Bob, PATF borrower.

It might be time to consider hearing aids if you experience:

• Difficulty hearing people speak
• Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds
• Turning up the TV or radio to a level higher than comfortable for those around you
• Ringing or other constant noise in ears
• Withdrawing from events due to inability to hear and have conversations
• Others around you mention potential hearing loss

How to Obtain Hearing Aids

The thing to know about hearing aids is that they aren't "one size fits all." To ensure you aren't wasting your time or money, work with a hearing professional to determine the best technology for your needs. The first step is to meet with your primary care physician. They can give you a referral to see a licensed Audiologist or an ear, nose, and throat doctor. This hearing specialist will provide a simple and painless hearing evaluation. This evaluation will determine if you have hearing loss and to what degree. Your hearing specialist can then discuss options for hearing aids based on your hearing needs and communication style. If you do not have a primary care physician, you can contact a local hearing specialist directly.

Farm Factors Impacting Hearing Aids

Farming factors can impact the selection and use of hearing aids. Rapid changes in noise levels and environmental exposures such as dust and moisture can impact hearing aids. Be sure to discuss these factors with your hearing specialist when selecting hearing aids. When wearing hearing aids in a farm environment:

• Utilize mute functions and wear hearing protection when working around loud noises such as tractors, saws, and shop equipment.
• Clean hearing aids regularly, even daily, when working in dirty or dusty conditions
• Use a drying kit to remove moisture that may occur from perspiration or weather conditions.

Implementing these practices is key to keeping your hearing aids in good working order and preventing additional hearing loss.

Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids

Hearing aids can range in price from under $1,000 to over $8,000.

There are a few funding resources available to help cover this cost. The first thing you can do is check with your health insurance as occasionally, health insurance will cover part of the cost of fitting and hearing aids.

Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is a good place to start. This statewide, nonprofit organization provides free information and assistance to people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians to help them fund their assistive technology (such as hearing aids).

PATF's publication, Funding Your Assistive Technology: A Guide to Funding Resources in Pennsylvania, provides a list of potential funding resources and is available for free online and in print. In addition to helping you identify funding resources, PATF offers no-fee financing with flexible repayment terms. Some of the most common funding resources for hearing aids include:

• ACHIEVA Family Trust, which provides grants for assistive technology to people with disabilities who have no other resources to obtain the needed product or service
• Pennsylvania's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), which assists people with disabilities who are in school, working, or looking to return to work, and can provide funding assistance for assistive technology that affects someone's ability to work or be in school
• Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which may provide hearing aids and similar technology to veterans who qualify for VA health benefits

Lastly, Pennsylvania's Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs also cover hearing aids for those who are eligible. Occasionally, health insurance will cover part of the cost of hearing aids.

Resources

• Hearing loss and protection for agricultural producers. (2024) Ag Safety and Health eXtension Community of Practice. 
• Hearing protection and additional personal protective equipment is available through the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health.
• Noise induced hearing loss in agriculture. (2022) Penn State Extension.
• Starkey Hearing Foundation 

AgrAbility PA

AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians Project is supported under USDA/NIFA Special Projects 2021-41590-34811 in collaboration with Penn State Extension. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research and extension programs are funded in part by Pennsylvania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and USDA.

The AgrAbility PA project is designed to assist farmers and other agricultural workers with disabilities or long-term health conditions by providing the resources and support they need to live independently and to continue working in or return to production agriculture.

Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), founded in 1998, provides education and financing opportunities and advocates for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, helping them to acquire assistive technology devices and services that improve the quality of their lives. It is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and uses a network of Funding Assistance Coordinators across the state to assist prospective borrowers.  Contact them at 888-744-1938 or patf@patf.us. PATF is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you to Leslie A. Purcell, AuD, Assistant Teaching Professor and Audiology Clinic Coordinator at Penn State University and Susie Daily, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation for co-authoring this article.