New Zealand’s #1 Direct to Consumer Hearing Aids
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New Zealand’s #1 Direct to Consumer Hearing Aids
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By Don Hudson, CEO of PocketAid
A recent article by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) sheds troubling light on a long-standing gap in our healthcare system: despite the critical role hearing plays in healthy ageing, general practitioners (GPs) across Australia report they simply do not have the time in routine consultations to address hearing loss effectively. That’s more than just an operational issue, it’s a wake-up call.
Too often, hearing is treated as a secondary concern. Understandably, when a patient presents with multiple comorbidities – like hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular risk – doctors focus first on what appears urgent.
I’ve heard, first-hand, of patients being told directly by GP reception staff that their appointment is scheduled to address one health concern only, and if they want to discuss more, they will have to make a second appointment. This is backed up by the university questionnaire study involving more than 100 GPs that is referred to in the RACGP article.
This approach overlooks something vital: hearing loss rarely screams ‘urgent’ and is often put on the back-burner behind more obvious health concerns. But it is not benign, and it’s certainly not optional to address.
The reality is that untreated hearing loss contributes significantly to cognitive decline, social withdrawal and mental health issues, and we now know it is associated with an increased likelihood of developing dementia. If we’re serious about prevention – and we should be – we can’t afford to let hearing slip through the cracks.
We’d like to think addressing hearing loss is getting easier, but in reality, for many, it’s getting harder. One reason is that people are waiting longer to seek help. It’s especially true for men, who are statistically less likely to make a GP appointment until a health concern becomes unavoidable. There’s often a mindset of, “I’ll deal with this when I have a few things to bring up,” turning GP visits into catch-all consultations after months of delay.
But in today’s healthcare climate, that approach no longer works. We’re hearing from patients who’ve waited months to raise concerns about their hearing only to be told they need to book a separate appointment to even begin the conversation. That final “push” moment, the point where someone was finally willing to act, gets pushed back again. And with that, comes the risk they’ll put it in the too hard basket and never return to the issue.
For some, it’s like being asked to make a second appointment when they barely made the first. As one GP candidly remarked to me, “For some of my older male patients, unless they’re losing a limb, they won’t walk through the door.” This kind of sentiment underscores just how emotionally and logistically difficult it can be for individuals, especially older men, to act on health issues that feel less urgent. If the first step is already daunting, adding more steps can discourage people altogether from seeking help.
The sad irony is that hearing loss is highly preventable and treatable, if caught early. But our system is inadvertently nudging people toward a dangerous point of no return, a place where hearing has deteriorated too far to be effectively restored and the window for intervention has closed.
The consequences of inaction go far beyond the individual. Delayed hearing care places additional strain on the healthcare system, contributes to avoidable mental health burdens and erodes overall quality of life for ageing Australians. By failing to act early, we are turning a manageable issue into a chronic one, with long-term personal and economic costs.
GPs aren’t to blame. The current model of care is overloaded. But this survey impresses upon us the need to rethink how we support hearing health, especially for older Australians. It’s time we acknowledged hearing not as a “nice-to-have,” but as a cornerstone of preventative health.
We also need to be frank about why patients are reluctant to pursue hearing care. There’s the cost of hearing aids, which remains a barrier for many. There’s the complexity and time commitment involved in booking appointments, attending follow-ups, and navigating a fragmented system. And yes, stigma plays a big part too, particularly among older Australians who may associate hearing aids with frailty or decline.
These barriers aren’t just unfortunate. They’re preventing people from accessing care that could protect their cognitive health, extend their independence and dramatically improve their quality of life.
If traditional hearing care pathways are too expensive, slow or clinical, then we need to offer smarter, more flexible alternatives – solutions that empower people earlier, reduce stigma and fit seamlessly into their lives. At PocketAid, we believe those solutions already exist:
Ultimately, the question is this: if we know hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia, why aren’t we treating it like we treat blood pressure or cholesterol?
For Australia to truly lead in preventative health, hearing care must become an embedded, accessible and stigma-free part of ageing well. Let’s give our GPs the tools – and our communities the confidence – to prioritise hearing as the essential health issue it is.
Don Hudson is the CEO and co-founder of PocketAid, an Australian health-tech company providing affordable, ready-to-use hearing aids online.