Triton Hearing is raising awareness of the impact of untreated hearing loss in New Zealand. Throughout March Kiwis across the country can participate in the Great Big Hearing Check 2022.
The month-long initiative is being promoted to highlight NZ Hearing Awareness month and the World Health Organisation's World Hearing Day on 3 March 2022. This year the WHO focus is on raising awareness on how to prevent hearing loss through safe listening practices and the use of hearing protection.
Nearly 500,000 people are currently struggling with untreated hearing loss*, that's more than half of all people with hearing loss in New Zealand. Ground-breaking research by the NZ Hearing Industry Association shows that hearing loss affects one in six New Zealanders and by 2050 it will affect one in four.
These alarming findings, and their impacts on so many New Zealanders, are a major reason Triton Hearing created the Great Big Hearing Check campaign.
"We see a lot of people with noise-induced hearing loss in New Zealand. Because we have an extensive farming community, a large trades sector and a sizeable manufacturing industry, a lot of Kiwis work in environments where they are regularly exposed to noise and their hearing loss goes undetected," Craig Lett Triton Hearing's Head of Audiology & Innovation says.
"While there's more awareness now of the need to use personal protective equipment, the issue is that people can be quite lax around using the hearing protection for a short-duration activity. For example, they might say: "I'm not putting my hearing protection on just to put a nail in the wall," says Mr Lett. "But it's that repetitive exposure over time that chips away at your hearing and accelerates your hearing loss."
Untreated hearing loss can have a significant impact on quality of life – not only for the individual but also their partner and family – and ultimately result in greater permanent damage.
"Most people don't get their hearing checked until 7 years after they first noticed a hearing loss. Often, it's such a gradual decline that it goes unnoticed by the individual, so like getting your eyes tested, getting your hearing checked annually - even just as a precautionary measure, is a great step in looking after your hearing."
Hearing loss is increasingly being identified as a risk for a range of long-term impacts, from social isolation and depression to the onset of dementia. "The brain is often under a lot of pressure trying to understand what someone is saying, and hearing loss can have a negative impact on memory if it goes undetected. Healthy ageing is a goal we should all aspire to. We know early intervention with hearing loss has a key part to play in ensuring we live life to the fullest", says Mr Lett.
To support NZ Hearing Awareness month in March, Farmlands, Unichem and Life Pharmacies, MTA, Waikato-Tainui and Triton Hearing are getting behind the Great Big Hearing Check, encouraging all New Zealanders to get their hearing checked for free.
If the hearing check indicates a potential hearing loss, Triton Hearing will provide a full diagnostic hearing assessment with an audiologist, free of charge at one of their 70 locations throughout New Zealand.
For every hearing check completed, Triton Hearing will also donate $1 to National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing to support the amazing work they do and help to identify and treat Kiwi kids with hearing loss. Last year 1,300 children were screened and 286 were identified as having hearing loss.
"We're thrilled to be part of the Great Hearing Check and a huge thank you to Triton for their amazing support of the Foundation," Says Natasha Gallardo, Chief Executive.
Last year more than 10,000 New Zealanders took part in the Great Big Hearing Check with $10,000 donated to the National Foundation for Deaf & Hard of Hearing, and Triton Hearing is hoping that 2022 will be the biggest year yet!
For more information go to www.greatbighearingcheck.co.nz