Dr. Michael MacDonald, Director of Audiology for Birdsong Hearing Benefits, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the importance of hearing healthcare for working Americans, signs of hearing loss and how employers and health plans can help.
Birdsong is a hearing benefits manager that provides solutions for the most underutilized supplemental benefit: hearing. MacDonald said Birdsong helps employees navigate hearing care through a four-step process. He discussed the company’s history and how they came up with their four-step process.
According to MacDonald, hearing loss impacts a person’s overall health. He discussed some of the medical conditions, both physical and mental, that can be present with hearing loss. He also discussed his struggles with hearing loss after his time in the military and how it’s impacted him. Using that experience, MacDonald knows first-hand how hearing loss could affect trades members and potentially prevent them from working.
Construction trades, heavy machinery, and other trades with high noise levels are at the most risk for hearing loss. MacDonald discussed some of the preventative measures a worker can take to try to prevent hearing loss. Hearing loss can be subtle, and he discussed some changes that a worker might notice and what someone can do to get assistance. MacDonald explained what a health plan or Member Assistance Plan coordinator could do to protect members and provide them with high-level hearing care.
Listen to Dr. MacDonald in the episode above to learn more about hearing loss and prevention.