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Are you eager to serve your community? Sometimes we have the interest and the motivation to get involved in community service, yet we struggle to find ways to apply our skills and knowledge in a way that can benefit the most people. If you find yourself in that position, this year offers a great opportunity to get involved: World Hearing Day.
This annual event, sponsored by the World Health Organization, helps us focus on a specific dimension of hearing health needs that can go unnoticed. This year’s theme, “Hearing Care for ALL!” takes to task the many people around the world who do not receive the hearing health care they need. Whether they suffer from a lack of access due to geographical constraints or resources, some of these people cannot get the care they need. In other cases, people are simply not taking action to get treatment, even though help is right around the corner.
In both cases, you can get involved in your community to promote better hearing care in 2021. The following are a few ideas you can pursue to get involved in community service related to hearing health.
Contact Policymakers
Along with the many topics that tug on your heart and moral compass, lack of access to hearing care can take center stage on March 3rd, World Hearing Day. One of the things you can do to take action is to focus your energy on the top levels of government and policy-making.
Although many people do have access to hearing health care, others do not have the resources they need to make this purchase. In the United States, most insurers do not fully cover all types of necessary hearing loss treatment, putting the burden on the individual. If you are interested in supporting this group at the level of public policy, you might want to make a call or write an email to a government official who has the ability to expand access to hearing loss treatment.
Whether they subsidize hearing aid purchases or make hearing tests free for all seniors, the World Health Organization has lots of ideas on how to advocate for policy change.
Get Involved at an Organization
Another practical step you can take to serve your community on World Hearing Day is to get involved in a local organization, non-profit group, or senior care facility to promote better awareness of hearing loss. In conjunction with a general informational campaign, you can share the good news that treatment in the form of hearing aids can reduce many of the physical, mental, and cognitive side effects of hearing loss. One fun and effective event you can help plan and perform is a coordinated effort for hearing tests. Whether that means shuttling people to a hearing care center or audiologist or setting up a temporary testing site at a senior care center, veteran’s association, or other community organization, you can take the lead on expanding access to hearing care.
Hearing Awareness in Your Community
When we think about community service, our minds tend to go to others who are in need. Although expansive community and global support are excellent ways to make the world a better place, we can also use this reminder of World Hearing Day to take a good look within our own communities and relationships.
Perhaps someone living with you has hearing health needs that are untreated. You might have a family member who has hearing loss but could use a nudge toward getting a hearing test diagnosis. Perhaps one of your friends shows trouble joining in conversations but hasn’t taken the step to purchase aids.
If you come to realize that you would like to seek hearing care, contact us! We provide comprehensive hearing health services from hearing testing to hearing aid fittings to custom hearing protection. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.