March is Hearing Awareness Month which aims to raise awareness around hearing health, kicking off with World Hearing Day on the 3rd of March.
This year, the World Health Organization challenges us to with the theme ‘changing mindsets’ to confront negative perceptions and societal barriers that often prevent people from seeking and accessing crucial hearing care.
This Hearing Awareness Month, get to know the facts about hearing loss:
One of the common early signs of hearing loss is finding that others seem to be speaking too quietly or mumbling, and you may not be able to make out some words and phrases. Understanding what others are saying or who is speaking to you while in a crowd or noisy space may also be tricky. You might ask people to repeat themselves often, and you may have noticed a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears (tinnitus).
Ear and hearing problems are among the most common problems encountered in the community, with an estimated 1 in 6 New Zealander’s experiencing hearing loss1. The good news is that the earlier you seek treatment, the better off you will be with your quality of life and your ability to communicate with others4. Managing hearing loss may also help prevent cognitive decline and dementia5.
It can be challenging when someone close to you is experiencing hearing difficulties. It is not easy to find the right time to start a conversation about hearing loss. Reactions can be mixed because hearing loss can be a gradual process, which people learn to accommodate and find difficult to accept.
If you or a friend or family member might be experiencing hearing loss, there has never been a better time to book your free hearing test. Simply find your nearest Bay Audiology clinic and book online to secure your free hearing check today.
To learn more about how to take care of your hearing health, the Bay Audiology website has a range of articles covering everything from the signs and symptoms of hearing loss to ways you can help prevent hearing loss, different types of hearing loss and more.
Find more about Hearing Awareness Month at the National Foundation for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, or head to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to learn about World Hearing Day on March 3.
1Deloitte Access Economics, (2016). The Economic Impact and Cost of Hearing Loss in New Zealand (p.9).The National Foundation for the deaf.'
2 www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/deafness
3www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
4Kochkin, S. (2011, June). Patients report improved quality of life with hearing aid usage. The Hearing Journal, 64(6), 25-32
5G Livingston, Jonathan Huntley, Andrew Sommerlad, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet. July 30, 2020.
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