| Department Of Human Services | www.australia.gov.au | |
|
| Department Of Human Services | www.australia.gov.au | |
|
Almost 100,000 calls have been made by Australians to check their hearing using the telephone service Telscreen (TM), but many of those who failed said that their poor hearing "is not bad enough to do anything about".
The results have fuelled concerns among experts that many people continue to suffer in silence rather than take further action to improve their hearing.
Research commissioned by Australian Hearing surveyed 305 adults nationally who had undertaken - and failed in at least one ear - the telephone hearing test Telscreen (TM), which was launched in September 2007.
Of those who acknowledged they failed the hearing check, 54% took no further action. Only 23% of those who did take further action by consulting hearing or medical professionals actually decided to obtain hearing aids.
These new findings were launched at Parliament House today by Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig, Minister for Human Services, as part of Hearing Awareness Week, an initiative coordinated by the Deafness Forum of Australia.
"Given that one in six Australian adults suffer from some kind of hearing loss, this new research points to potentially hundreds of thousands of people being complacent or possibly in denial about their hearing problems," Senator Ludwig said.
"People who are concerned about their hearing should contact an Australian Hearing centre," he said.
According to Professor Harvey Dillon, from the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), the research could signify an entrenched health issue with far-reaching public and social implications in Australia.
"We need to remind Australians that being proactive about their hearing does not stop with a hearing test over the telephone. This important step should be followed up with a formal hearing test," Professor Dillon said.
"Hearing loss can have a negative impact on relationships and mental health, and the earlier people take action, the better the outcome for them is likely to be," Professor Dillon said.
According to Australian Hearing's recent report, Is Australia Listening? Attitudes to hearing loss, four in five Australians reportedly know someone with a hearing impairment and nearly half of those say that it causes difficulties in terms of their interactions.
Despite the problems associated with hearing loss, the results from the Telscreen (TM) survey indicate that many Australians are, in fact, not listening.
Janette Thorburn, Principal Audiologist at Australian Hearing recommends that callers who fail Telscreen (TM) contact Australian Hearing for a full assessment.
"Many of the callers who failed the test are eligible for free and subsidised hearing services from Australian Hearing, including the latest digital hearing devices," she said.
Australian Hearing is a government agency that provides hearing services to eligible aged pensioners, veterans, Indigenous Australians over the age of 55 years and Australians under the age of 21 years.
The toll-free number for Telscreen (TM) is 1800 826 500. Your nearest Australian Hearing centre can be contacted on 131 797.
Copyright Statement |
Disclaimer |
Privacy Policy |
Freedom of Information | Copyright 2010 Australian Hearing
Australian Hearing is a quality certified organisation (AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008)