To mark the end of Hearing Awareness Week, Better Hearing Australia Central Coast will host a stall at the International Women’s Day Expo on Saturday, March 6, at The Entrance to highlight how timely and effective interventions can help people with hearing loss reach their full potential.
President of Better Hearing Australia Central Coast, Jeannine Asciak, said ageing and excessive long-term exposure to loud noise, often in the workplace, are the most common causes of hearing loss in Australia.
“Of especially great concern is hearing loss due to loud noise as it is preventable,” Asciak said.
“As technology has advanced, many people with hearing loss have benefited from hearing aids and cochlear implants, but, even with these innovations, communication can still be challenging.
“The ability of people with hearing loss to hear clearly at noisy public events may be greatly improved by the installation of hearing loops and other systems.”
The amplified signal from an electromagnetic wire hearing loop installed around a room’s circumference can be picked up by a telecoil wire in a hearing device and converted to a sound that can be heard with much-reduced background noise.
“Hearing Awareness Week and World Hearing Day, on March 3, provide opportunities to focus on the needs of Australians who are hearing impaired, and to explain to the community about the need for screening and the risks associated with long-term exposure to loud noise,” Asciak said.
Almost four million Australians (one in six) are affected by some level of hearing impairment.
The condition affects one per cent of people aged younger than 15 and 75 per cent of people aged over 70.
By 2050 it is expected one in four Australians will be affected by hearing loss.
Volunteers from Better Hearing Australia Central Coast will be at the International Women’s Day Expo at The Entrance Community Centre, corner Oakland Ave and Battley Ave, on March 6 from 10am.
Source:
Media release, Feb 24
Better Hearing Australia Central Coast