Lou Ferrigno, superhero icon and fitness expert best known for his role as The Incredible Hulk, attends the Hearing Loss Association of America’s 2022 Convention in Tampa to discuss his positive experience with his cochlear implant and overcoming the challenges of hearing loss.
While in Tampa Ferrigno visited Bloom a nationally syndicated health and wellness show headquartered at the NBC Affiliate WFLA and talk to host Gayle Guyardo about his cochlear implant surgery that he calls “a dream come true.”
In the United States, one out of three people over the age of 65 and half of people over 75 have disabling hearing loss, but only 5 percent of people who could benefit from a cochlear implant have them.
Research continues to show aging adults with untreated hearing loss can be substantially affected by social isolation and loneliness with impacts to brain health and quality of life.
Adults who currently use hearing aids and are not benefiting from them may be a candidate for cochlear implants.
Once hearing loss becomes severe to profound, cochlear implants are the only FDA-approved medical solution available to treat the loss effectively.
Cochlear implants are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurance providers.
Viewers can try the Cochlear Hearing Aid Check, a free online hearing check tool, to learn if they may benefit from a cochlear implant.
The Hearing Aid Check aims to help individuals compare their hearing performance with hearing aids to people with a cochlear implant, and depending on their results, they are encouraged to seek further hearing health care advice to treat their hearing loss.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8.