As the festive season approaches and the prospect of reuniting with family members becomes a real possibility, audiology professionals are concerned that some Berwick locals will be missing out on conversations at the Christmas table because they haven’t assessed their hearing.
This comes after new research released today by Specsavers Audiology revealed that despite six million Australians admitting to having hearing loss, 61 per cent, or 6,756 locals say they have pretended to be able to hear a conversation because they were too embarrassed to admit they couldn’t hear.
Berwick Specsavers audiology professional, Lalitha Mahendren, said for those living with hearing loss, social isolation can be very prevalent, and Covid‐19 hasn’t helped.
“We don’t want people to avoid interaction with others because they are struggling to hear conversations that they should be a part of. Without intervention, those living with hearing loss will continue to miss valuable moments and everyday sounds that are otherwise taken for granted,” she said.
“That’s why audiology professionals across the country are encouraging Australians to get their hearing checked so they aren’t missing out on conversation. This is especially important for the festive season, one that is meant to be of celebration, happiness, and reconnection.”
The research also revealed common reasons locals find it hard to tell someone they think they are hard of hearing is because it might hurt their feelings or they will get angry with them for mentioning it.
Specsavers audiology professionals are encouraging Australians to have their hearing checked ahead of the festive season.
If you know someone who you think may be hard of hearing or are worried about your own hearing loss, book a free 15‐minute hearing check with a local audiology professional.
