The importance of Hearing Health & Connection this Holiday Season

 
From the crooning of carols to the excitement and chatter at a family feast, keeping on top of your hearing health over the festive season is as important as ever.
 
New research suggests that a staggering one in two people know someone with a hearing loss, yet it can take years of struggle for many of us to do something about it. 
 
Hear and Say Adult Hearing Rehabilitation Program Manager, Georgia Cambridge said that because hearing loss could occur at any age and often progressed unnoticed, a regular hearing check should be on everyone’s new year to-do list.
 
“Your hearing health impacts all aspects of life, and this can be particularly evident when you’re bouncing from one noisy festive gathering to the next,” said Georgia.
 
“It’s common not to notice a hearing loss until it begins affecting your interactions with others, however as we get older, being socially connected is even more important to help preserve healthy brains and lifestyles.”
 
Motivated by the alarming statistics that one in four Australians are anticipated to have hearing loss by 2050, Hear and Say – a proud longstanding charity partner of Suncorp Stadium – launched its not-for-profit Adult Hearing program in 2019, which as a social enterprise supports its charity work with children impacted by hearing loss.
 
The start of a new year is an ideal time to have your hearing tested and ensure you’re proactively staying on top of any changes – and to know what options are available if an issue is identified.
 
“It can be challenging to know which hearing device is the right one. As an independent provider we support people to make an informed decision and provide clear recommendations based on their individual hearing loss and communication needs,” said Georgia.
 
“Many models of hearing aids can also now be paired with your smartphone, which means calls, audio books, music and even the navigation system can all be streamed off your phone straight to your hearing aids – potentially opening you back up to a world of sounds that had slipped away.”
 
For further information about Hear and Say or to book a hearing test, please visit www.hearandsay.com.au or phone 07 3850 2111.
 

Common signs or symptoms that you may have a hearing loss

• You often ask people to repeat what they have said

• You experience tinnitus, an intermittent or continuous buzzing/ringing noise in the ears or head

• You find it hard to hear on the phone

• You need the volume turned up on the TV, radio or iPad

• You’re sometimes unsure of which direction sounds are coming from

• It’s hard to hear in noisy places like a café or at a football game

• You get tired from concentrating more than usual during conversations or at events