Experts are urging Australians to seek out help for their hearing loss, whatever their age, arguing it is the key to healthy ageing.
Speaking ahead of World Hearing Day (WHD) on March 3, hearing industry leader Ear Science Institute Australia said people were taking 7-10 years from the onset of symptoms to seek out effective interventions that could help them hear better and stay connected to the world around them.
One in six Australians have hearing loss, a condition that is being linked to cognitive decline and can make you up to five times more likely to develop dementia, therefore early intervention is critical. While nerve-related hearing loss is irreversible, it is mostly preventable.
Ear Science Institute Australia reports that more than half of people aged 60-70, the new breed of ‘young seniors,’ have hearing loss but many persevere in life untreated and therefore compromised. World Hearing Day raises awareness and highlights the importance of good hearing and ways to prevent or treat hearing loss.
The 2020 theme for WHD set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is “Hearing for life – don’t let hearing loss limit you.” Ear Science Institute Australia is the only collaborating centre in Australia for ear and hearing care with the WHO, and is excited to have Australian icon Ita Buttrose spearheading its 2020 campaign with the famous tagline ‘Ita told me’, as she urges people to go for a check-up and not let hearing loss limit their life.
