“Alarming” rate of hearing loss in NZ

One in six Kiwis experience hearing loss according to research by the New Zealand Hearing Industry Association.

And a 2021 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) says this number is expected to rise to one in four - or around 1.2 million - by 2050.

“These are alarming findings,” says Lesleigh Smith, Head of Audiology at Triton Hearing. “Hearing loss can have a significant impact on quality of life, not only for the individual but also their partner and family.”

Smith says the impact of this on so many New Zealanders is the reason Triton Hearing created the Great Big Hearing Check which runs throughout March to support of New Zealand Hearing Awareness Month MTA, Farmlands, Unichem and Life Pharmacies, WaikatoTainui and Triton Hearing are getting behind the Great Big Hearing Check by encouraging all New Zealanders to get their hearing checked for free.

“There are so many misconceptions that stop people doing something about their hearing loss,” Smith says. “So, getting your hearing checked annually even just as a precautionary measure, is an important step in looking after your hearing. Joining the Great Big Hearing Check is a great way to do it.”

Smith says hearing loss is increasingly being identified as a risk for a range of long-term impacts, from social isolation and depression to the onset of dementia and can go unnoticed because it is often a gradual decline. “But this means the brain is often under a lot of pressure trying to understand what someone is saying, causing exhaustion, frustration, and isolation.”

“Healthy ageing is something we should all strive for, and we know that early intervention with hearing loss can help us live our lives to the fullest,” she says.

Triton Hearing client Glenn Brooks says hearing loss is something that creeps up on people regardless of age or past

“It took me personally by surprise. I rocked up to a machine in a chemist shop one day took the test and that was my introduction into realising I had a hearing problem,” he says. The month-long initiative is being promoted to highlight New Zealand Hearing Awareness month and is an official event of the WHO’s, World Hearing Day on 3 March. This year the WHO is focusing on the prevention of hearing loss through safe listening practices and promoting ear and hearing care. If the free online hearing check indicates a potential hearing loss, Triton Hearing is offering a free diagnostic hearing assessment with an audiologist at one of their 63 locations throughout New Zealand.

Book your free hearing check-up at Triton Hearing and if your hearing needs a bit of a tune-up, MTA Members, employees, and their families save an extra 10% on hearing devices and hearing protection.

For every hearing check completed during March, Triton Hearing will donate $1 to the National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing help identify and treat Kiwi kids with hearing loss. Last year nearly 4,000 children were screened with 967 identified as having an abnormal result.

Since it began in 2019, nearly 30,000 New Zealanders have participated in the Great Big Hearing Check, resulting in thousands of dollars being donated to National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

For more information: www.greatbighearingcheck.co.nz

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