The Hough Ear Institute (HEI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to restoring hearing worldwide through research, teaching, and humanitarian efforts. At HEI, we are pursuing the dream “that all who have ears will hear.”

Helen Keller, upon being asked whether she considered vision or hearing more important, replied: “The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus—the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”

People with hearing loss and tinnitus often experience frustration and anxiety in social situations due to their struggles to hear. This can cause them to withdraw and isolate themselves from others. Isolation means less stimulation for the brain and can accelerate cognitive decline and dementia.

Hearing aids can be a significant expense, especially medical-grade devices purchased through an audiologist.  Hearing aids cannot cure tinnitus (ringing in the ears), but they can lessen the severity of symptoms and even stop the symptoms in some cases.

The AVERAGE cost of hearing aids is $5,000. According to the Social Security Administration, the average benefit from Social Security for Seniors is $1,843.96 a month. Many of our seniors will simply go without using hearing aids due to the high cost. More than 48 million Americans, including two in three adults over 70, live with hearing loss. But untreated hearing loss doesn’t just lead to arguments over the volume of the TV set, it’s also been linked to a higher risk of depression, cognitive decline, dementia, falls, emergency room visits, hospital stays, and a 46.5% rise in health care costs. In the elderly population, 1 in 5 individuals have tinnitus. For every 1 in 10 patients, their tinnitus is elevated enough to interfere with daily life.

Medicaid and Medicare do not cover hearing aids. SoonerCare pays for children up until the age of 18 for the cost of hearing aids. The HoughAid Program will serve individuals who are age 19 or older, have aged out of SoonerCare (Medicaid), are in need of hearing aid support, and face economic barriers to hearing aid access.

HEI started the hearing aid program in 2024. We predict we will have provided hearing aids to 21 low-income Oklahomans since September. In this initial phase, we have relied on partner audiologists for lead-generation and referrals to the program. In 2025, we plan to increase the number of partner audiologists across Oklahoma, especially in rural areas where access to care is even more challenging for low-income adults who are struggling. HEI also has plans to begin widely publicizing the program to the public, including reaching candidates through uninsured clinics, AARP, senior publications, county resource centers, and professional organizations serving under-resourced families and seniors.

Any hearing device you can simply buy in a store without input from a specialist is not a hearing aid- it’s a personal sound amplifier product (PSAP).

A 2024 study found that Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of bilateral hearing loss in the United States.

HoughAid Hearing Aid Program provides access to individuals with limited income in receiving high end, digital hearing aids at no charge. The program is a collaborative effort with audiologists across the State of Oklahoma will help low-income adults to hear.

HEI has partnered with Sertoma who will supply used hearing aids along with a 3-year warranty. They will ship the hearing aids to any audiologist willing to help the seniors. An application will need to be completed for each patient that will help to determine eligibility of low-income. HEI will pay $600 per patient to an audiologist who would be willing to accept the hearing aids from Sertoma. The $600 will cover the cost to help fit, clean, and maintain the hearing aids for one year.

Low-income adults who fall below or at the 200% Federal Poverty Level ($29,160 annually for 1 person per household or $39,400 for 2 per household.) An application process has been put in place to verify income for each individual participating in the Hough Hearing Aid Program.

HEI is the only organization in Oklahoma offering free hearing aids. There are two other organizations providing discounted hearing aids to low-income: as follows

• United Way Hearing Aid Bank (UWHAB) – John W Keys Speech & Hearing Center (OUHSC) assists individuals with limited income in purchasing new, high-end, digital hearing aids at the reduced price of $350 per hearing aid. They must reside in Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma or Pottawatomie Counties.
• Oklahoma School for the Deaf through Oklahoma Rehabilitation Services – The Senior Citizens Hearing Aid Program (SCHAP) is run by DRS’ Oklahoma School for the Deaf. SCHAP provides one hearing aid to qualifying senior citizens. This ensures as many seniors are served as possible. If you are interested, you may discuss purchasing a second hearing aid with your audiologist. The second hearing aid can be purchased with a co-payment equal to 10% of the difference between your monthly income and the monthly income guidelines.

Our goal is to provide hearing aids to 160 individuals annually to improve communication, better relationships and connectivity with friends and family, have less stress in social situations, better work performance and reduced atrophy of speech-recognition areas of the brain.