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Free hearing tests, aids available for local seniors
hearing aids

EMC Health Foundation and United Samaritans Foundation, both of Turlock, are teaming up to provide free hearing tests and free hearing aids for eligible seniors.

If you’re 55 or older, are uninsured, have employer-provided insurance or are enrolled in Medicare, and live in a designated zip code — 95301, 95303, 95307, 95313, 95315, 95316, 95322, 95326, 95334, 95350, 95380, 95363, 95380, 95381, 95382 — then you are eligible for the program.

Simply call USF at 209-668-4853 to schedule an appointment and receive a voucher. Hearing tests will be conducted at Turlock’s Costco, 2955 N. Tegner Rd. If a hearing aid is required, one will be ordered free of charge. It’s not required that you be a Costco member to receive the hearing test.

“Our goal is to increase access to hearing services and rehabilitation devices, removing the cost barrier to care and improving long-term health and mental health outcomes of seniors 55 and older,” said Jeffrey Lewis, president and CEO of EMC Health Foundation. “A partnership with USF and Costco will guarantee quality hearings and access to people through our partnership with Costco.”

More than 28 million people in the U.S. require the use of hearing aids, but less than 20 percent of the people between the ages of 20 and 69 who require them actually use them, according to research from the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Hearing loss is a common condition in older adults, affecting 68 percent of Americans in their 70s and 90 percent in their 80s. It not only limits a person’s ability to communicate, but also increases the risk of significant health conditions such as dementia, depression, and anxiety, according to the National Council on Aging.

Studies have shown a link between hearing loss and dementia in older adults, with people who have hearing loss being more likely to develop dementia than those without. Mild hearing loss doubles the risk, moderate hearing loss triples the risk, and severe hearing loss makes the risk five times greater, according to EMC Health Foundation.