Australasian Mining Review
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/26056
62 Is hearing loss making your life difficult? Help is available! With the world becoming louder, many people are losing their hearing earlier in life. In Australia, around one in six baby boomers have a hearing loss, and there are more people aged 45 to 64 with a hearing loss than those over 65. Despite this being a serious health issue, many are understandably reluctant to seek help. N oise induced hearing loss results from continuous loud noise over an extended period of time- loud music, personal stereo systems, factory noise, home power tools, lawn mowers and the roar of construction sites can all be to blame. Research has shown that hearing loss left untreated can cause irreversible damage to hearing. In a study conducted by Harvard University, more than eight in 10 subjects with hearing loss who ‘put off’ being fitted addressing their hearing loss, permanently lost their ability to process sound and speech, leaving them untreatable with hearing aids. Wearing hearing aids ensures that the brain is stimulated and does not lose the ability to process sounds over time, greatly improving the wearer’s lifestyle now – and problems they would otherwise experience in years to come. For Baby Boomers, the realisation that hearing is no longer as good as it once was can provoke feelings of anxiety. As a result of this apprehension, the majority take many years before they actually take the step to arrange a hearing test – and, by that time, the damage to their hearing could be irreversible. According to HEARINGLife’s Chief Audiologist, Jan Pollard, “many people would find their lives improving dramatically if their hearing loss was treated. We find that individuals with hearing loss experience problems such as not being able to follow conversations, turning the TV up louder and louder and in some cases, declining social invitations.” The improvements in technology mean that hearing aids are highly sophisticated, able to reduce background noise, don’t whistle and are so small they are virtually invisible. They are more effective and smaller than ever – some are so small that only you will know you’re wearing hearing aids and they can be your little secret! Russell Greene Hearing protection A hearing test is the only way to establish whether hearing loss is adversely affecting your life. That’s why HEARINGLife ensures that there is no cost or obligation for anyone who wishes to have a hearing test. In addition to FREE hearing tests, the company provides FREE “Home Trials” of the latest hearing solutions so that people can hear for themselves the difference that sophisticated and discreet hearing solutions may make to their lives. Russel Greene, former AFL football player says; “My hearing was definitely not as sharp as it once was but I was burying my head in the sand. It wasn’t just my wife nagging me, the whole family were getting fed up with me missing whole conversations or having to repeat things and they were also getting deafened by the volume on the TV. So I went and had a hearing test and they were right – my hearing was rubbish. But the worst was to come, or so I thought. The dreaded hearing aid. Well I can honestly say I was pretty self conscious at first and despite being an active outdoor sort, I grew my hair long so no-one could see the aid. Actually it was pretty small so you would have been pushed to see it anyway! After a while though I noticed how many other people wear hearing aids and quite a few my age as well. So I stopped growing my hair and now I don’t worry. I see it as a positive gain, I have my hearing back so what does it matter if you can spot the tiny tube in my ear? I will never forget that first day, walking out of the HEARINGLife clinic where I had my hearing aid fitted and hearing sounds I had forgotten about for many years. I could hear birds and a range of little noises I hadn’t heard in ages. Most importantly though I could now follow aconversation, even in noisy places like pubs and restaurants. I have been wearing my hearing aid since 2009 and it is just fantastic, no going back now.” To make an appointment for a free hearing test, call 1300 134 097 or visit www.hearinglife.com.au