>>> A NEW REPORT BY THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAYS ONE IN
FOUR ADULTS WILL EXPERIENCE
HEARING LOSS BY 2050.
THE HEALTH ISSUE IS GROWING AND
THE PANDEMIC IS NOT HELPING.
TONIGHT I SPOKE WITH AND
AUDIOLOGIST, THE CHIEF
INNOVATION OFFICER AT STARKEY.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, WE
WILL START WITH OUR FIRST
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE W.H.O.
REPORT?
>> A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT
TAKEAWAYS IT WAS LAUNCHED ON
WORLD HEARING DAY, THE FIRST IS
THAT HEARING LOSS IS A RAPIDLY
GROWING HEALTH ISSUE.
TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE,
THE W.H.O.
ESTIMATES THAT THERE ARE
CURRENTLY 430 MILLION
INDIVIDUALS AROUND THE WORLD
WITH WHAT THEY CONSIDER TO BE A
DISABLING AMOUNT OF HEARING
LOSS.
THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO MORE
THAN DOUBLE MORE THAN 20 MORE
THAN 2050.
AND IT'S ESTIMATED THAT AT
LEAST 2 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE
SOME DEGREE OF HEARING LOSS BY
2050.
THE SECOND TAKE-HOME I WOULD
SAY IS THAT HEARING HEALTH
RESOURCES ARE NOT ALWAYS EASILY
ACCESSIBLE IN ALL COMMUNITIES.
AND THAT LACK OF RESOURCES IS
GLARING.
THE VAST MAJORITY HAVE LESS
THAN ONE ENT PER MILLION
PEOPLE.
ONE AUDIOLOGIST PER MILLION
PEOPLE.
AND TO SPEECH LANGUAGE
TEACHERS, AND THEN THE FINAL
TAKE-HOME IS THAT WE NEED
GLOBAL SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS
THIS ISSUE.
I'VE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO
WORK WITH THE STARKEY
FOUNDATION, AND ONE KEY WE'VE
LOOKED AT BECAUSE OF THE
SHORTAGES AND THE SHEER NUMBER
OF INDIVIDUALS IN MANY CASES
THAT ARE IN THOSE LOW AND
MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES, THEY
NEED TO USE A COMMUNITY-BASED
MODEL TO REALLY FIND
SCALABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO THOSE WERE MY HIGH-LEVEL
TAKE HOMES FROM THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPORT.
>> YOU MENTIONED THIS, AND I
THINK THIS IS COMMON SENSE, IF
I AM LISTENING TO MUSIC WAY TOO
LOUD IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON
MY ABILITY TO HEAR.
BUT WEARING EARBUDS AND
HEADPHONES IS SOMETHING THAT
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT
MORE, WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS
THAT HAD?
>> IT'S HAD A HUGE IMPACT, WE
ARE BUILT TO HEAR ALL DAY
EVERYDAY, HEARING IS ONE OF
THOSE SENSES THAT NEVER SHUTS
OFF.
EVEN WHEN WE GO TO SLEEP AT
NIGHT YOUR EARS ARE READY FOR
ACTION.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO NOT
OVEREXPOSE YOUR EARS TO SOUND
PRESSURE.
OR CHARLIE, AS YOU MENTIONED,
ZOOM CALLS AND JUST LISTENING
TO MUSIC IN A LITTLE BIT OF
PRIVACY FROM COMMOTION, THE
ISSUE IS TECHNOLOGY.
EVEN ON YOUR SMART PHONE, THEY
WILL ACTUALLY REPORT THE SOUND
LEVELS YOU ARE EXPOSED TO ON A
DAILY BASIS.
THE LOUDER THOSE ARE, THE
GREATER THE RISK OF NOISE
EXPOSURE.
AND ALSO, THE SOUND THAT THEY
ARE MEASURING THROUGH YOUR
HEADPHONES, THE CLOSER THAT
NUMBER GETS TO 85 DB, THE MORE
LIKELY IT IS THAT YOU MAY
SUFFER SOME NOISE DAMAGE,
UNINTENTIONALLY.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
PARENTS AND CHILDREN, WHEN MY
DAUGHTER WAS GROWING UP, I USED
TO SAY IF YOU STAND AND ARM
LENGTHS AWAY AND COULD SING
ALONG TO A SONG YOUR CHILD IS
LISTENING TO, NOW, THAT RULE
DOES NOT APPLY ANYMORE.
WHEN I TELL PARENTS TO DO IS TO
USE THE HEADPHONES YOUR CHILD
IS ACTUALLY USING, PUT THEM ON
AND LISTEN.
IF IT'S TOO LOUD FOR YOU, IT IS
TOO LOUD FOR THEM.
YOU CAN SET PARENTAL CONTROLS
ON ANDROID PHONES AND IPHONES
SO IT WON'T EXCEED A LEVEL YOU
DEEM UNCOMFORTABLE.
AND YOU CAN ALSO CHECK TO SEE
THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL SOUND
LEVELS YOUR CHILD IS LISTENING
TO.
SO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT
SUBJECTING THEMSELVES OR YOU
ARE NOT SUBJECTING YOURSELF TO
NOISE DAMAGE.
>> SO THE USE OF HEADPHONES AND
OUR ABILITY TO HEAR DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
BUT HAVE THERE BEEN ANY
CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC AND HOW THAT MIGHT
IMPACT OUR HEARING?
>> I THINK A LOT OF US HAVE
FOUND THAT THE USE OF FACE
MASKS HAVE REALLY BEEN
CHALLENGING THE INABILITY TO
READ LIPS IS REALLY DIFFICULT
WHEN WEARING A FACE MASK.
AND THEN THE SOUND IS REDUCED
AND MUFFLED.
SO THAT MAKES COMMUNICATION
MORE DIFFICULT.
AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT EAT
WEARING HEARING AIDS, THEY CAN
BECOME VERY CHALLENGING, ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GO ON A ZOOM
CALLS, THE LIGHTING AND SO A
SYMPTOM OF ALL OF THAT, HAS BEEN
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND FACE
MASKS HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFICULT
TO COMMUNICATE.
>> ANYTHING YOU'D RECOMMEND FOR
SOMEONE WHO IS STARTING TO
REALIZE THAT MAYBE THEY ARE
HAVING A SOME HEARING ISSUES?
>> MANY OF US HAVE STARTED TO
SEE, FOR THE REASONS WE'VE
DISCUSSED, ZOOM CALLS,
ENCOUNTERING PEOPLE WITH FACE
MASKS, IF YOU NOTICE YOU ARE
HAVING DIFFICULTY DURING THE
PANDEMIC IS RELATIVELY
STRAIGHTFORWARD, GO SEE AN
AUDIOLOGIST TO GET YOUR HEARING
TESTED.
IT'S EASY TO DO,
STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND EVEN IF
YOU HAVE MILD HEARING LOSS
RIGHT NOW, IT'S A GOOD BASE.
BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE
THE TIME OR YOU ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT GOING INTO A HEALTHCARE
ENVIRONMENT, BUT IF YOU
HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T HEARING
TEST ONLINE@STARKEY.COM.
>> YOU'VE GIVEN US SOME
INFORMATION, AND AN EARFUL, PUN
INTENDED.
MAYBE WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS
ISSUE THAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T