Keefer.

Dr. Robert Keefer of Raleigh, NC will be giving a talk about his book “The Alzheimer’s/Hearing Aid Paradox” at the Traer Public Library on June 23 beginning at 2:30 p.m. This new book points the way to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 500% in every American with hearing loss, and advocates for improved Medicare hearing healthcare policies.

Keefer’s book is based on discoveries at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and John Hopkins Medical School showing that people with hearing loss have up to 500% higher risk of Alzheimer’s and falls with broken backs. It is for these reasons he now releases “The Alzheimer’s/Hearing Aid Paradox: In Search of Sanity” published by an arm of Simon & Schuster.

In a groundbreaking presentation, Keefer relies on 36 years of experience in the healthcare industry and the results of his detailed research to offer insights on how to correct outdated Medicare policies, improve U.S. hearing healthcare, and ensure well-performing hearing aids for everyone in need. After explaining why people with hearing loss do not use hearing aids, he then leads readers on a journey into the world of these tiny medical devices. He tackles the U.S. hearing healthcare matrix, the technology and costs surrounding hearing aids, the stories of those with hearing loss, some wisdom from audiologists in their own words, and the ways to advocate for changes that can save hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare expenses.

“This book is for everyone with hearing loss and their families as well as every American who wants to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s and other long term health issues with links to hearing loss, including falls with broken bones and depression. It is also for Members of Congress, Medicare officials and insurance executives who still do not realize how much money and heartache could be saved if we simply got everyone with hearing loss to use hearing aids,” Keefer says. He adds, “This book is timely because, as it was going to press, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a new class of over the counter (OTC) hearing aids that can be sold online and in stores without the need for a medical exam or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist. The FDA established this category of hearing aids because members of Congress and the White House were mistakenly convinced that the reason 80 percent of Americans with hearing loss are not getting hearing aids is that they are too expensive. The book explains the real reasons”.

When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Keefer answered, “My hope is to shift the thinking around hearing health care. We need to enlighten fellow citizens, politicians, Medicare/Medicaid, private insurers, regulators, physicians, and hearing aid manufacturers about the need for much wider use of well-performing hearing aids for everyone in need. This can help minimize the social and financial impacts of both hearing loss and the disastrous consequences of Alzheimer’s. The impact of the associated costs on our overall health-care system cannot be underestimated. It only takes one person to cross that tipping point and make a change that can spur countless others to see things differently. That person can be every reader.”