Hearing Awareness Week, a nation-wide initiative of the Deafness Forum of Australia, officially commences this Sunday!
The central aim of Hearing Awareness Week is to highlight issues people with hearing loss deal with. The Deafness Forum of Australia also use the week to continue to campaign for greater recognition of issues relevant to hearing loss.
Mackay Hearing Principal Audiologist and Director, Jodie Miles is well aware of the increasing prevalence of hearing loss throughout the community.
“Hearing loss affects 1 in 6 Australians, and 75% of people aged over 70 years. With our ageing population and various work and lifestyle factors these figures are expected to increase” Ms Miles said.
Hearing is crucial to communication and quality of life. It is common for people with hearing loss to lose confidence and feel frustrated, isolated, unproductive and disconnected. However research shows that on average people take around 7 years to take action on a suspected hearing loss.
There are also many cases of undiagnosed hearing loss being confused with other health conditions such as dementia.
“Hearing testing and treatment options have never been more accessible or effective. I want to get the message out there that hearing loss is common and in most cases can be decisively addressed” Ms Miles said.
To mark Hearing Awareness Week, Mackay Hearing is hosting a FREE morning tea talk on hearing loss and tinnitus at the Mackay Senior Citizens Centre on 25 August 2016. RSVPs close today (Friday 19 August), so please contact us on 4952 4649 or e-mail listening@mackayhearing.com.au if you would like to attend.
Mackay Hearing have also been busy conducting popular FREE hearing screens at venues throughout the region. The free screens will continue until early September, but appointments are filling fast.
For more information on Mackay Hearing’s Hearing Awareness Week events and activities, please visit our website (details removed as Hearing Awareness Week 2016 has concluded).
Find out more about Mackay Hearing at mackayhearing.com.au or call 4952 4649.