A Hythe man who started wearing hearing aids in his mid-thirties says they gave him the confidence to win two promotions at work and get more out of Scouting, as Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care challenges residents to discover their Hearing IQ this Hearing Awareness Month.
Andy Warwick, age 41, had experienced hearing problems since childhood, but their impact became more noticeable after he moved into an office-based role. He found himself missing points in meetings, speaking too loudly and turning up the television until it was uncomfortable for his wife.
Andy decided to seek help and contacted Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care on Hythe High Street, where a hearing test identified the areas of hearing loss and the team explained his options.
“The difference was immediate,” Andy said. “I no longer struggled to hear the television, meetings or my wife. The biggest change I noticed straight away was that, when I was wearing the hearing aids, my tinnitus stopped.”
Andy is also Group Lead Volunteer at 3rd Dibden Purlieu Scout Group, near Hythe, where he has volunteered for more than 13 years.
“My professional work and Scouting have both benefited because I’m happier to engage with people without fearing that I’ll mishear,” he said. “I’ve had two promotions since and taken an opportunity with a new company to progress my career further. I’m not sure I could have done this without the confidence gained from being able to hear properly.”
Andy is urging others not to delay. “Get checked,” he said. “It may be nothing, but if you need help, it could change your life in the same way that a pair of glasses does for someone with vision problems.”
His story comes as Scrivens marks Hearing Awareness Month this November. New company figures show that, since 2015, the number of under-40s seeking hearing care at Scrivens has risen six-fold. The number of 40 to 59-year-olds has risen more than 3.5-fold, while the number of 60 to 69-year-olds has risen nearly four-fold.
The increase suggests that more people are seeking advice earlier, although many may still overlook signs such as struggling to follow conversations or finding noisy places difficult.
Scrivens’ online Hearing IQ quiz measures how well people listen, protect and care for their hearing. It covers three areas: lifestyle and exposure to noisy places; listening habits; and general hearing-health knowledge, including when someone last had a hearing check.
Scrivens Southampton Hythe branch manager, Maryanne Lowe, said: “We’d never ignore a change in our eyesight, but lots of us put up with changes in our hearing for years without realising. The signs can be easy to miss, whether it’s turning up the television or nodding along in a noisy restaurant. The Hearing IQ quiz is a quick and fun way to check in with your hearing, so we’d encourage everyone to give it a go and challenge their friends and family to do the same.”
Hearing naturally changes with age, so Scrivens encourages people aged over 45 to have an annual hearing check. Early detection and support can benefit quality of life, social connection and long-term cognitive wellbeing. Hearing checks at Scrivens are free.
More hearing-health information and details of free hearing checks are available from Scrivens’ Hearing Hub and the Southampton Hythe branch.
Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care was established in 1938. It has 166 high-street branches across England and Wales and more than 1,000 employees. For more information, visit www.scrivens.com.
