Organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the event promotes hearing care across the globe and provides a wonderful opportunity for hearing practices to promote the value of hearing and the vital services provided to local communities.
A WHO spokesman said: “This year’s event will draw attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss. Many people live with unidentified hearing loss, often failing to realise they are missing out on certain sounds and words. Checking one’s hearing would be the first step towards addressing the issue.”
The key messages for this event include:
- all people should check their hearing from time to time, especially those who are at a higher risk of hearing loss such as adults over 50, those working in noisy places, those listening to music at high volumes for long periods of time and those experiencing ear problems;
- services for early identification and intervention should be made available through the health system.
On World Hearing Day, WHO will also launch a free app – called HearWHO – that allows people to check their hearing. The HearWHO app will be used to raise awareness about the importance of hearing, encourage people to check their hearing regularly and to practice safe listening.
If you’re holding an event to mark World Hearing Day, you can register it on the WHO website at www.who.int/deafness/world-hearing-day/2019/en