Don't let loss of hearing limit you
Every year, on March 3, World Hearing Day is commemorated to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss as well as promoting ear and hearing care across the world.
It marks the beginning of Hearing Awareness Week in Australia and highlights for us all the importance of having our hearing checked regularly and reducing the noise around us for better hearing health.
As many as four million Australians are hearing impaired or deaf and Hearing Awareness Week focuses on the fragility of hearing health and ways to protect it.
The week aims to eliminate the stigma, isolation, lack of work opportunities and the associated health issues that come with hearing loss and how to improve the overall quality of life for people with deafness or hearing impairment.
WHAT'S THAT?: A hearing test could change your life and increase your productivity. Photo: Shutterstock.
It is often described as the 'invisible disability'. This is partly because hearing aids tend not to be obvious and because those affected are often isolated through lack of access to communications.
As technology advances, many people with hearing loss benefit from hearing aids and cochlear implants. These innovations have made a positive difference in the way they can communicate and enjoy their lives, but communication can be exhausting for a hearing-impaired person, even with a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
People often wait for years before they seek help for their hearing loss. They ignore the signs, which include turning the TV or stereo up so loud that others complain, frequently needing to ask others to repeat themselves and not being able to hear properly on the telephone.
Many people, especially adults, cannot afford to buy and maintain their own hearing devices. One of the greatest challenges is a lack of recognition of the life-long financial burdens to access education and to participate fully in the workforce.
This week we can also take the time to be more aware of the growing epidemic of noise-induced hearing loss in the community.
While generations of Australians were subjected to the damaging effects of loud noise in industry and in war, no previous generation has been exposed to the constant aural barrage that is the background to our daily lives. Noise from transport, noise in the workplace, noise in the places where we gather.
There are many situations when the music is so loud that a conversation is a shouting match. Young people spend hours each day listening to personal music devices at levels that are not healthy.
And it is thought that Baby Boomers will pay dearly for their recreational noise habits. For these mature Australians, the average community ratio of one in six people with a hearing loss, will jump to one in four then one in three and with it, a whole new set of life challenges to remain active participants in their communities.
More than a third of acquired hearing loss is due to excessive noise exposure and this is entirely preventable.
If you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves often, or turn up the volume of the radio or television all the time, you may be starting to have reduced hearing. You may also notice you are speaking louder than usual, or have a ringing sensation in your ears.
While this may sound alarming, hearing technology has made great advancement over the years and a simple test could change the way you hear the world around you and ultimately improve relationships and your work effectiveness.
Visit www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au to find out more about hearing health.
