title: [Subsidized project of hearing aid purchase for mild-moderate hearing impaired children in Akita prefecture].
abstract: The dissemination of newborn hearing screening has detected children with mild-moderate hearing impairment at an early age. However, there is no nation-wide welfare system for children with mild-moderate hearing impairment in Japan. Under these kinds of social conditions, a subsidized project of hearing aid purchase for mild-moderate hearing impaired children has come into force from April 2010 in Akita prefecture. All 18 candidates who applied for this project were subsidized in Akita prefecture. Eighteen children purchased their hearing aids using this subsidy. The feature of this project was that every child could have access to subsidies as long as their doctor recognized the effectiveness of hearing aids because children with hearing impairment need to learn language. They contacted the hospital, prefectural government and institutes related to hearing loss before this project come into force. We recognized parents who are raising a child with mild-moderate hearing impairment have high interest in this project. Hearing aids can represent a considerable expense for young parents who are raising a child. We encountered some children who had to give up the idea of hearing aids due to their parents' economic circumstances before this project become effective. These situations were completely avoided after this project came into being. This administrative purpose was of demonstrated value in children with mild-moderate hearing impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita.
authors.forename: Teruyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Misao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000191:economics; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000191:economics; D034381:Hearing Loss; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan