The annual spotlight on hearing loss by the World Health Organization (WHO) delivers poignant messages to both policy makers and the public in order to stress just how widespread and life-changing hearing loss is. World Hearing Day marks the release of the yearly World Report on Hearing which continuously presents critical data to underline how many people suffer from hearing loss, many without treating it while others could have prevented getting it. This World Hearing Day, hearing aid manufacturer, Oticon, is joining the World Health Organization in its global call for action to address hearing loss, urging people to take timely action if they are experiencing any hearing loss and encouraging everyone to protect their hearing from preventable damage.
Thomas Behrens, Chief Audiologist at Oticon, commented. “The earlier a hearing loss is detected and treated, the less impact it will have on a person’s life. The ability to communicate well and feel confident in social environments is vital to keep people leading an active life, which has significant benefits for health and wellbeing. Living with hearing loss for any amount of time, and at any stage of life, can begin to have an effect on daily life. This is because it is actually the brain, not only the ears, that plays the main role in hearing, as our extensive BrainHearing research shows, and the effort the brain endures to compensate for the lack of sound information it receives with a hearing loss can make many aspects of life too difficult. The consequences of not treating your hearing loss can include fatigue, isolation, depression and even an increased risk of early on-set dementia. We urge people to recognise the signs of hearing loss as early as possible and to seek professional advice.”
Some types of hearing losses can be prevented
World Hearing Day 2021 will also stress the importance of hearing loss preventative measures, which could help reduce the number of people needlessly affected by hearing loss. The most prominent example of preventative hearing loss is Noise-Induced hearing loss (NIHL).
“We have come far in treating hearing loss thanks to professional care and modern hearing solutions allowing people to hear all relevant sounds again so that they can live actively. Living with hearing loss can have many consequences for quality of life. That is why it is so important to treat a hearing loss – or try to prevent it, and why this World hearing Day, we urge everybody to take action,” concluded Thomas Behrens.
A free online hearing test is available on the Oticon website for anyone that would like to take the first important steps
