Hear the Future on World Hearing Day
Post on 3rd March 2018
It’s World Hearing Day today (3 March) to focus attention on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care across the world.
The World Health Organisation has ‘Hear the future’ as its theme for this year’s awareness day. It wants to draw attention to the expected increase in the number of people with hearing loss around the world in the coming decades as well as what can be done to stem the rise.
As people continue to live longer, the number with an age-related hearing loss will also increase. Also, improvements in early detection and diagnosis of hearing impairment mean that more people than ever before are aware that they have a hearing loss.
It may be a global initiative that seems a world away from our daily lives, but it’s a timely reminder that we should all do our bit to look after our own hearing.
Please don’t take this vital sense for granted as once damaged it cannot be repaired.
We can’t stop the ageing process, but we can take steps to protect our ears from very loud sounds, whether working with noisy equipment or listening to music set at high volumes.
We can also have regular check-ups.
Hearing loss is a serious health condition that can strike at any age and if ignored it can have a significant impact on our lives including social isolation and risk of depression.
For most people hearing loss occurs over the age of 50. Scrivens recommend an annual hearing health check for anyone over 50 to identify any changes and see what action is needed.
We provide a free NHS hearing service for people who are eligible and have been referred by their GP. Please call into your nearest branch for advice whether on World Hearing Day or another convenient time.