Ruth Andersen is one of many in this country who uses a hearing aid. The Tromsøværingen thinks the ones she has are cumbersome to use. She wants someone who is more modern. – Without help from my daughter, I wouldn’t be able to hear anything in the world. She is the one who has helped me all the way, says Andersen. The problem is that she has to wait until she is 107 years old before she gets them for free from Nav. She thinks that is unfair. With a more modern hearing aid, she could manage on her own. Ruth Andersen (105) needs help from daughter Aud Lorentzen to use her hearing aids. She hopes for a loophole in the regulations, to get new and modern aids. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news A little user-friendly The hearing aids she now has in each ear, she calls “the conch shells”. – They stand far out in the air. They are ugly. Nobody wants to wear such hearing aids these days, she says. Ruth Andersen’s hearing aid sticks out of her ear. But it is not vanity that makes her want new ones. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news But it is more than vanity that makes Ruth want new hearing aids. – It is difficult for me to use them, and there is a lot of back and forth, she says. Ruth says it is difficult to manage the service her hearing aids require. Both changing the battery and cleaning the hearing aid are challenging. Daughter Aud Lorentzen often helps Ruth with the hearing aids. – When she has to change batteries, it often happens that she drops them on the floor. And then she can’t find the batteries again, as she can’t see well. The battery for the hearing aid is tiny. It doesn’t take much for it to disappear when Ruth tries to replace it herself. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news Lorentzen says that the mother occasionally turns the devices the wrong way when they are to be inserted into the ears. – Then she doesn’t hear anything. They are also difficult to get into the ear. So there are many things that are a problem with such a hearing aid, says the daughter. Ruth’s daughter, Aud Lorentzen, is approaching 80, and is the one who helps her mother with the maintenance of her hearing aid. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news Wants a rechargeable hearing aid Lorentzen herself is almost 80 years old, and she also uses a hearing aid. They are of recent date. And is much easier to use. – I have some that are put on charge when I go to bed at night, she says. Ruth wants modern hearing aids, like the ones her daughter has. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news According to Nav’s regulations, you can receive support for a hearing aid every six years. If you want it sooner, you have to pay for it yourself. For Ruth, this means around NOK 14,000. She thinks it is unreasonable that she has to wait for a new device. – I have to have something that is easy. So that I can manage as long as I live. When Ruth and her daughter raised the matter with Nav, they were told that there was still a 2.5-year waiting period before the 105-year-old could get a new device. – When I am now 150 years old… No, how old am I now? It’s not just about keeping count! – In 2.5 years I will be 107 years old … No, in 2.5 years I will have ended up under the turf a long time ago, says Ruth with a mild laugh. Ruth Andersen jokes about her own age. She wants to be able to hear well for the rest of her life. Photo: Eva Ersfjord / news Gets support from an ear doctor Ruth’s ear doctor, Paul William Hansen, says it is difficult to understand that discretion cannot be used in this case. – I think it is bad when you have become so old that you have to wait so many years for a new hearing aid. It should be possible to offer her a new one before six years have passed. The otorhinolaryngologist at the Ishavsklinikken in Tromsø is exempt from the duty of confidentiality. He says he understands the 105-year-old’s frustration. – We have a desire to help each patient to a better functional level, he says. Nav: The six-year rule remains Nav confirms that the main rule is that six years must pass between each time a new hearing aid can be assessed. Jan Erik Grundtjernlien is department director at Nav. He says that age is not relevant in these cases. – But there is room to get benefit for a new hearing aid before six years have passed. That according to given criteria, he says. Department director at Nav, Jan Erik Grundtjernlien Disease or other things that worsen the hearing loss are central here. But Nav can also use discretion, according to the department director. He says that it may be relevant in Ruth’s case. – If it is also the case that it is difficult to operate the device, for example with a battery, there may be a reason to fulfill the conditions for a new device earlier, says Grundtjernlien. Asking for a solution Ruth Andersen hopes that this may be the case in her case. – I hope for a solution. That’s all I ask for, nothing else. When I lay down for good, they’ll get them back. I have no intention of taking my hearing aids to the grave, says the fit and cheerful 105-year-old. Summer tires on slippery surfaces, high speed and advanced technology in cars are to blame for the traffic chaos in Eastern Norway this week. But what is it like to drive up in such conditions? It will also be about emergency aid, Italian men who refuse to move out, and old murder cases in a new light.
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Ruth (105) challenges Nav’s six-year rule for hearing aids – news Troms and Finnmark
