Better Hearing & Speech Month
International Hearing Center Hosts Hearing Health Month
… Says Covid-19 pandemic has further isolated many with hearing loss
May is Hearing Health Month, a time to raise awareness about communication disorders and available treatment options that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems speaking or hearing.
The theme for this year’s Hearing Health Month is “communication and hearing care are still essential in our virtual world”. Traditionally, May has been used by hearing care professionals to concentrate their advocacy and marketing efforts, encouraging and encouraging the public to get their hearing tested and to see a hearing care professional.
The COVID 19 pandemic and the resultant wearing of face masks which has also heightened levels of anxiety, social isolation, and other mental health-related effects among people with hearing loss in the country has made life doubly difficult for people with hearing loss. The use of face masks is known to adversely impact on aspects of communication, and this has created unique challenges for the hearing-impaired.
“Often people with hearing difficulty will compensate by reading lips and may not realize, or acknowledge, the hearing loss, but the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the difficulties faced by people with hearing and speech deficiencies in communicating.
Auditory-visual speech, where both auditory and visual-speech cues (lip, tongue, and face movements) are available, enhances speech perception. Those with hearing impairment rely more heavily on visual-speech information than those with normal hearing. Visual-speech cues help to counteract hearing difficulty experienced, particularly in a noisy environment. Cloth and medical masks block access to visual-speech cues including facial expressions and lip-movements. Clearly, individuals who are totally reliant on lip-reading to communicate will experience a negative impact.
Some of the most common causes of hearing loss such as exposure to loud noise, ear infections, and ototoxicity are preventable. some of the strategies for reducing hearing loss to include annual hearing screening, new born hearing screening, good maternal and childcare practices, genetic counseling, identification and management of common ear conditions, and occupational hearing conservation programmes for noise and chemical exposure.
IHC calls on the general public to utilize the opportunities in this month of May, across its centers in Abuja, Enugu, Ikoyi, Port Harcourt and Yaba to check their hearing health status and obtain the necessary correctional fittings where necessary.
- Free Hearing Screening
- Lecture on Hearing health
- Discounts on Audiological services- Hearing Aids check
- Hearing Conservation Tips
- Prevention Of Hearing Loss
- Exposure to new products and lots more.....
COVID- 19 HEARING AID PROTOCOL
We are certain that you're aware, precautions are being put into place nationwide to decrease the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 Corona Virus. Your overall health is our top priority, and we want you to know that during these times, we are choosing to stay open for our patients to help manage your hearing loss.
Here is what we are doing to protect you:
• We have taken additional precautions such as scheduling all appointments with significant time gaps between them to ensure you do not come in contact with other patients (and to give us ample time to clean and sanitize our spaces between appointments). Our appointments are still one-on-one and patient focused to specifically minimize any risk to you.
• If you need hearing aids cleaned or repaired, or you need batteries be sure that that you are wearing your protective face mask and your hand sanitized..
• We see patients in our offices for Ear mold impression making, Ear mold fitting, hearing aid reprogramming, and hearing aid fitting, but you must have your hand and your face masked properly worn to reduce the rate of transmission.
We continue to work full time for your convenience and safety in mind.
International Hearing Center is continuing to work full time, because we know that your hearing is important; it matters a great deal for your relationships and quality of life.
As always, your health and safety is most important thing to us, if you have questions regarding any of this information, or would like to discuss your hearing health, please contact us at any of our branches. We look forward to continuing to help you with your hearing needs now and in the future.
