What is your child doing this summer?

School is out and your child’s summer fun begins! Time to squeeze in the favourite summer camps, have giggles around a campfire, eat yummy bbq foods, swim, and spend time with friends, cousins, and grandparents. Come August though, the attention slowly shifts back to school as all get ready to return to classrooms and classmates. In preparation, parents stampede the stores for backpacks, pencils, and clothes. One of the most important tools for learning in school however is often overlooked or forgotten … the child’s hearing ability.

Much like proper vision, adequate hearing is essential to a child’s learning and to their positive school experience. Most children undergo an infant hearing screening shortly after birth, but few undertake the recommended rechecks every five years. This is unfortunate because it is expected that 2-in-3 children will suffer at least one episode of ear problems, and 1-in-6 will have 6 or more episodes. Due to the illusiveness of hearing loss, many go unnoticed. The loss, even if mild or onesided, makes it difficult for a child to navigate their little world. And even when temporary, the difficulties can have long term impacts because they can lead to frustrations and eventual disengagement, needlessly impacting a child’s ability to thrive. In addition to academic struggles, children with hearing loss can also experience trouble socially because communication, which requires both verbal and auditory skills, is vital to social interactions and peer relationships.

Consequently, much like your child has a dentist, they should also have an audiologist. The Audiologist, the only healthcare professional qualified to assess children’s hearing abilities, can confirm your child’s hearing levels every five years as well as whenever there is a shift in attention or behaviour. The good news is that your audiologist is also able to assist your child in overcoming hearing loss if need be. Should your child have permanent hearing loss or a temporary episode of hearing loss, there is no need to suffer in the silence. Technology continually evolves. The hearing aids and cochlear implants for those with permanent hearing loss are better than ever, and now, even those with temporary hearing loss can get help. No longer do these children have to suffer through weeks of dampened hearing. They can now overcome the temporary hearing loss with the use of an effective, non-invasive product. And, with nothing in the ear canal, this product will not interfere with the treatment plan. It is simply a fantastic way for anyone suffering from either an outer or middle ear infection to regain proper hearing levels as they wait for the medications and/or time to clear the congestion.

Camps, campfires, bbqs and a session with Hearing Freedom!

So, what is your child doing this summer? …. Camps, campfires, bbqs and a session with Hearing Freedom, where their Audiologists will be happy to assess your little one’s hearing abilities!

For a comprehensive hearing evaluation, or to learn more about all the exciting new products, make sure to reach out to Hearing Freedom. It will be worth it!

Parking is free.

Home visits & Remote Care is available. Location is wheelchair friendly. For more information visit www.HearingFreedom.com tornado continues from page 1

Down the road on Umbra Place, Quincy Choi also did not pay much attention to the alerts that were coming in. He started to worry after seeing the sky turn a dark shade he’d never experienced before.

“It looked like night. Within 10 minutes we didn’t recognize the sky,” he said. “It happened before my eyes. I saw all the debris flowing down the street. I could have never imagined this would happen. It was big, heavy construc- tion material which was flying over.”

Choi said two windows in his bedroom were smashed in alongside the window of his garage. His car also received damage from falling debris.

“Someone in my house tried to open the door and couldn’t because of the pressure. It could have caused more damage,” he said.

His neighbors were not as lucky. With another tornado warning issued shortly after, construction crews worked hard to board up the holes for fear of further water damage.

Neighbours came together to help each other clean up the mess, creating piles of fencing, siding, installation, and other materials that were thrown by the wind all over. Fire crews were out doing door-to-door visits to ensure everyone was safe and that there were no gas leaks. E Bridge said gas to about 100 homes was shut off as a safety precaution.

“Over 50 police officers responded to the scene and continue to assist Ottawa Fire Services who is going door-todoor to check on members of the public and to assess damage,” said Steve Bell from the Ottawa Police said that afternoon.

At the Minto Recreation Complex, a family reunification center was opened for Barrhaven residents who were impacted by the damage. At least five families used the services offered, according to

Kim Ayotte general manager of emergency and protective services for the City of Ottawa.

The storm, which had a “large footprint” resulted in only one minor injury, said Ottawa Paramedics, and power was out for about 1,600 residents due to a fallen pole on Cambrian. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he felt many residents were breathing a sigh of relief. “It could have been much worse,” he added.

No cost estimate is known at this time. Ayotte said it was not as widespread and severe as previous storms such as the Derecho in 2022 or the previous tornadoes in 2018.

“City staff will continue to be on-site to provide property assessments and support those residents whose homes sustained damage,” Ayotte said. “I would also like to add that emergency social services will be available in the coming days at the support centre for all residents who require assistance.”

Environment Canada said exact details of the tornado were not immediately known. Wind speed and the tornadoes