Laura Arnold Audiology owner Laura Arnold (left) and audiologist Samantha Lenz. Photo / David Beck
Laura Arnold Audiology owner Laura Arnold (left) and audiologist Samantha Lenz. Photo / David Beck
Hearing loss is an invisible disability which can be "very isolating", Laura Arnold Audiology owner Dr Laura Arnold says.
Laura has significant hearing loss herself and has worn hearing aids since her mid-20s.
She says for those who rely so much on lip reading and facial expressions to communicate effectively, the wearing of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic has only made life harder.
"Hearing loss runs in my family, my son was fit with hearing aids at age 18. When we communicate with each other, whether we have normal hearing or not, we listen to speech and the emotions that go with them, but we also get a tremendous amount of information by watching facial expressions and lip reading.
"With everyone wearing masks, we can't access this information and speech is degraded. The plexiglass that many businesses use is another barrier and hearing is hopeless.
"I've had to ask people to repeat themselves so many times that they look at me like I am stupid. Luckily, I am assertive enough to tell them I have a hearing loss, please speak louder, but many people are not comfortable doing this."
Today is World Hearing Day (WHD), held on March 3 each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.
Laura asks that those fortunate enough to have normal hearing be patient with those who don't.
"Some things that can help would be to get a mask program on your hearing aids. This gives additional clarity. Many times, this can be added to your app if you use your mobile phone to control your hearing aids. Wearing a pin that says 'I am hearing impaired' also helps."
This year, the theme for World Hearing Day is: To hear for life, listen with care.
Tips for wearing a mask with hearing aids. Photo / Supplied
Laura Arnold Audiology audiologist Dr Samantha Lenz says the theme applies to everyone, from babies to the elderly.
"Every year they put out a noisy toy list, which measures the decibel level of a toy, but even that doesn't always take into account how a child will use the toy. For example, they often hold toys up to their ears.
"When you have it at maximum volume, these are damaging levels."
A list of noisy toys can be found at www.sightandhearing.org.
Laura says everyone should be conscious of decibels and the long-term damage they may be doing to their hearing, whether it be when wearing headphones, playing music in the car or at a concert.
"You can be doing damage without even realising it, you may think having your music really loud in your car is cool but there are long-term implications.
"If you go to a concert, you might leave and you can tell your hearing is a bit decreased, you might have ringing in your ears - you've done some damage. You've had a temporary shift in hearing and it usually resolves within a few days, but if you have too many of these temporary shifts it can become permanent."
She says even those who have suffered from hearing loss already should be thinking about prevention.
"Sometimes they don't protect their hearing because they think 'oh well, it's already damaged'. But you can continue to do further damage and hearing aids can't fix hearing loss, they're just aids. Once you have done damage to the system, you are never going to have the same clarity.
"It's so important to protect what you have. We really want to remind the community how important and how valuable our hearing is."
For more information on hearing loss and hearing healthcare, go to www.newzealandhearing.co.nz/laura-arnold-audiology.
World Hearing Day 2022 key messages:
• It is possible to have good hearing across the life course through ear and hearing care.
• Many common causes of hearing loss can be prevented, including hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sounds.
• Safe listening can mitigate the risk of hearing loss associated with recreational sound exposure.
• The World Health Organisation calls upon governments, industry partners and civil society to raise awareness for and implement evidence-based standards that promote safe listening.
