Gatwick Audiology Celebrates World Hearing Day on March 3, 2021
February 28, 2021
Digital Otoscopy
May 10, 2021
| This week marks Deaf Awareness Week 2021 – May 3-9th. Helping to raise awareness and challenge perceptions of hearing loss and deafness across the UK. In the UK alone, there are over 10 million people living with a form of hearing loss, whether it is mild or profound. Deaf Awareness Week highlights the importance of understanding how deaf people can feel socially isolated. Are you feeling isolated through hearing loss? Social isolation – especially as we age – increases the risk of numerous mental and physical health challenges, including depression, heart disease, and even dementia. The main reason for people to become socially isolated is hearing loss. Often, as hearing becomes challenging, people avoid social or transactional situations where interaction is key and instead choose to withdraw and isolate themselves. Deaf Awareness Week is an annual event primarily owned and promoted by the UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD) to provide Charities and interested organisations under the umbrella of UKCoD to join forces to raise awareness and challenges of Deafness and hearing loss faced by 1 in 6 people in the UK. Together, the aim is to continue to raise awareness, improve access to education, health, social care, and employment; ensuring people have the accessible information they need as well as advocating and informing Government and the public at large about Deafness and hearing loss. This year it is important that as changes are introduced as a result of the pandemic in so many areas, particularly with the emphasis on remote working, the needs of people who are deaf or have any level of hearing loss are understood and necessary adjustments made to services. More information is available from the Deaf Awareness Week website at http://deafcouncil.org.uk/deaf-awareness-week/ Is it time to upgrade your hearing aids? If you’ve had your hearing aids for several years, you may be due for an upgrade. Older technology or changes in your hearing may result in a hearing experience that’s more frustrating than it has to be. If you experience any of the following, it may be time to consider an upgrade: – Your hearing aids buzz, whistle, or give feedback – You have trouble hearing speech in noisy situations – You have trouble hearing on the phone – Your hearing aids are not working as well as they used to – Using your hearing aids is more tiring than it used to be Naturally, when a hearing instrument stops working reliably, you could be a candidate for new hearing aids or at least a significant repair. But there are other reasons you may want to make an appointment with us and consider an upgrade, even if things are working fine. Changes in your hearing Age-related hearing loss is a degenerative condition — it gets worse as you get older. If you’re not getting like-new performance from your hearing aids, it may be time for an adjustment. Changes in your life Changes in your occupation, living situation, outside interests or family life can put new demands on your hearing aids. A new job with a lot of conference calls and meetings, a teaching job, or a job in a noisy environment like a restaurant or construction site… any of these situations can mean a change in your hearing requirements. So could getting married, moving in with family, taking up a new hobby, or moving to a group home where there is a lot of conversation and social activity. If you were originally fitted for hearing aids based on a quieter lifestyle, any of these situations could create a need for hearing aids with more power or new capabilities. Changes in hearing technology Advances in hearing technology have introduced a lot of features that weren’t available just a few years ago … features you may have been waiting for but couldn’t get when you were first fitted. For example, hearing instruments are smarter than ever working with your brain to separate conversation from background noise and preserving the spatial ‘soundscape’ of a room. Today’s advanced hearing aids are more fun, too. They can connect easily to all the new electronic devices around you — TVs, computers, smartphones, audio equipment, and more. And there are even more options for size and fit more colors, completely invisible devices. If you would like to speak to us about updating your old hearing aids, call 0333 011 7717 or make an appointment by emailing hello@gatwickaudiology.co.uk. |
