By Lauren McGrath
My father is an avid concertgoer who turned 61 in February, and I’ve been trying for more than two years—since I joined the team at Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)—to convince him to get his hearing tested.
I do not know whether or not my father has an identifiable hearing loss, but I know that a person of his age should take extra precaution for his ears. The World Health Organization advises: “If you are beyond the age of 60, work in a noisy environment, or have frequent exposure to loud noises, an annual hearing check is recommended.”
Lauren and her father at a music festival in Athens, Georgia.
As an adult, I have had my own hearing tested twice, first with an audiologist at the Center for Hearing and Communication in New York City, and later over the phone using an automated system. Though I have never experienced difficulty in conversations or noisy spaces, I appreciated that these non-intrusive tests provided reassurance my hearing falls within the typical range. If a loss was identified, I would have been equipped to seek treatment immediately.
“Hearing tests are quick, easy, and painless, Dad,” I persist, but he’s still adamant about not getting one of his own, despite being generally proactive in other areas of his health. As we now know, ignoring a hearing loss can result in additional serious medical issues affecting the whole body, including cognitive decline and dementia, falls, social isolation, and depression.
With my ongoing support (read: badgering), I expect my father will take my advice in the near future. But most of the U.S. adult population does not have someone in their life checking up on their hearing health unless they are already treating a known hearing condition.
Because the importance of healthcare is still severely underappreciated, I’m immensely grateful for the “Hear Well. Stay Vital.” campaign. This awareness initiative launched by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA) in early 2019 has as its objective to encourage more people—starting with baby boomers, like my dad—to check their hearing annually and take appropriate action with the results.
“Hear Well. Stay Vital.” is centered on the preservation of our passions. The campaign website states: “We all have passions that inspire us, hobbies and interests that energize and make us feel like our true selves. Singing. Tennis. Dancing. Motorcycling, Yoga. Pottery. Hiking. Gardening. Traveling. Socializing. This concept is designed to capture those passions and help people understand that to stay vital and preserve their passion, they need to manage their hearing health. So, get a hearing wellness check annually and stay true to yourself.”
HIA was largely inspired by a 2016 report by the The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on “Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability.” One recommendation of this report, to which HHF Board of Directors member Judy Dubno, Ph.D., contributed, calls for improving publicly available information on hearing health.
“Hearing health and routine hearing checks do not receive the attention directed to other health issues. Many people can cite statistics relative to their unique health, such as height, weight, heart rate, cholesterol, vision and more. But not hearing,” says Kate Carr, president of HIA.
HHF is a partner in the campaign, along with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology, the American Cochlear Implant Alliance, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Hearing Loss Association of America, and the International Hearing Society.
HIA encouraged a major push during May’s Better Speech and Hearing Month to garner awareness. As of August, PSA videos were distributed to more than 3,000 network stations across the U.S. The PSA videos are in the top 10 percent of more than 1,000 videos tracked by Nielsen.
“Anyone can join in this effort to improve hearing health,” Carr says. The campaign website hosts videos and a social media guide for free download and distribution.
I’m hopeful that education will continue to increase and, one day, hearing tests will be perceived as important as dental cleaning and vision checks.
Music is my dad’s passion. He sees an average of 40 concerts each year (with earplugs, of course), and his CD and record collection totals over 3,000. I want him, and individuals at risk of hearing loss, to preserve their ability to enjoy what they love to the fullest.
For more on the “Hear Well. Stay Vital.” awareness campaign and free shareable resources, see hearwellstayvital.org.
