Each May, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) celebrates National Speech-Language-Hearing Month. Let’s look at a couple of ways you can celebrate the month in style.
Raise Awareness
Hearing loss affects more than 10% of people in the United States. Despite how prevalent hearing loss is, most people don’t know they have it right away, but that doesn’t stop it from affecting their lives. A few subtle signs of hearing loss you may miss initially include:
- Turning up the TV or radio louder than usual
- Difficulty hearing children’s voices
- Trouble understanding speech in noisy environments
- Skipping social events you used to enjoy
- Excessive fatigue, particularly after heavy-communication days
Sharing valuable information about the signs of hearing loss and the available treatment options, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, is a powerful way to raise awareness and minimize the impact of the condition on a patient’s life.
Use social media, flyers or email blasts to share vital information. You can look through some of our blogs for inspiration on what information to share!
Advocate for Hearing Healthcare
In addition to sharing information, you can encourage the people in your life to schedule regular hearing tests and help them along their journey if they need to start treatment with hearing aids.
Advocating for hearing safety is another way to help people. Practice the following safety tips and encourage others to do the same:
- Keep the volume on your phone, TV or radio below 80 decibels; you can set decibel limits on smartphones for automatic volume reduction
- Wear earplugs to concerts at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre or around noisy construction sites
- Download a decibel meter on your smartphone to monitor the sound levels in your environment
We don’t tend to think of our ears as an essential part of our health until hearing loss starts to creep up. Advocating for regular hearing tests and effective hearing protection will remind the people in your life how important it is to care for this vital sense.
Schedule a Hearing Appointment
Raising awareness about communication disorders is an effective way to ensure people get the care they need, when they need it. If you or someone you know shows signs of hearing loss, this is the perfect month to seek treatment. Call Advantage ENT & Audiology today to schedule a hearing test with one of our specialists.