The Lions Hearing Clinic team is highly engaged with the community, sharing its expertise, not only in the clinic rooms but mixing with the patients in their world.
This bond between patients, prospective patients and clinicians is an important part of sharing our knowledge and raising awareness in the public arena around ear and hearing health, with a particular focus on hearing loss.
The team was active at a number of expos throughout the year, including the Care and Ageing Expo, Bunbury Seniors Expo and Mandurah Seniors Expo.
At these events, our audiologists and audiometrists engaged with visitors to showcase the importance of looking after their hearing and when to seek assistance from a professional.
With hearing loss impacting over at least 25% of people aged 65 to 74, and over 50% of those over 75 years of age*, providing education to this at-risk group helps to ensure they are able to identify warning signs and know when to seek treatment.
The education sessions at events such as the Leading Age Services Australia roadshow and others with local community groups, Lions Clubs Australia and medical clinics, focus on the latest research and the link between hearing loss and depression, anxiety and even dementia.
Many of these associations are not known by the public and through education, we are able to help individuals that attend, but also provide guidance to those that are family members of people impacted by hearing loss.
Through this engagement between clinicians and the community, we are striving to improve the number of people who are aware of the importance of healthy hearing in their own lives and the need to ensure treatment is sought as soon as possible.
*Source: Stevens et al. Global and regional hearing impairment prevalence: an analysis of 42 studies in 29 countries. European Journal of Public Health, 23: 146–152.
