May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Our goal is to encourage the community to address hearing health care issues that may have become more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic by completing a comprehensive exam with an Audiologist.
We understand folks might be apprehensive about addressing their hearing health care needs post-pandemic but hearing loss and other communication disorders can affect people at any age. Mild hearing loss might have gone unnoticed until masks became commonplace and sounds became more muffled in recent years. We are continuing to take extra steps to protect our patients as the pandemic evolves, including extra cleaning protocol and masks in the office. With the summer quickly approaching and social events on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to get a baseline hearing test, adjust existing hearing aids or even get custom hearing protection for concerts.
Founded in 1927 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Better Hearing and Speech Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about hearing and speech problems. Early identification and intervention for hearing loss is the reason we’re encouraging individuals to think about their own hearing and get it checked out. Many people live with unidentified hearing loss, often failing to realize that they are missing certain sounds and words. Some folks have been pretty isolated for a couple of years as a result of COVID, so they may start noticing hearing changes as they participate more in social events. Tinnitus concerns have come up more frequently (research is ongoing about whether there may be a connection to COVID or vaccines). The general recommendation is for folks who are experiencing tinnitus to get a hearing test as it is commonly found alongside hearing loss.
“The use of masks and social distancing has made communication difficult for everyone, but it’s especially difficult for those with untreated hearing loss who were struggling even before the new protocols,” said Dr. Jennifer Sowards, Audiologist and Founder of Florence Hearing Health Care.
The practice aims to educate the community about hearing health care, including the signs of hearing loss and the available treatment options that can improve the quality of life for those who experience it, as well as encourage adults to get a baseline hearing test and to protect the hearing they do have. FHHC works with their clients to meet them where they are in their hearing health care journey.