‘To hear for life, listen with care’
Safe listening is a means of maintaining good hearing across the lifespan. The world report on hearing by the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted the increasing number of people living with and at risk of hearing loss.
In the report, noise control was highlighted as one of the key interventions for preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
Advertisement
The importance of mitigating exposure to loud sounds was also stressed.
World Hearing Day
March 3rd every year is ‘World Hearing Day’ (WHD). It was instituted by the WHO and is celebrated yearly to raise awareness of ear and hearing care, as well as preventing deafness globally.
Each year, WHO decides on a theme for the celebration.
The theme for this year’s WHD celebration is: ‘To hear for life, listen with care’.
This theme focuses on the importance and means of hearing loss prevention through safe listening.
In Ghana, it appears that noise control in some environments has been overlooked.
In some of our churches, noise making is actually part of worship.
Other Trending Stories
It is quite common to hear a preacher say “Let’s make some crazy Holy Ghost noise”, “Shout unto the Lord,” among other such statements.
Nobody seems to think about the impact such loud sounds may have on one’s hearing.
Other environments known for loud noise include night clubs, mining sites and bottling companies.
At-risk population
WHO seeks to improve listening practices for young people who in particular are exposed to sounds and noisy situations by recommending a safe listening device.
The safe listening device by WHO aims at reducing the risk of hearing loss among the at-risk population.
The at-risk population includes nightclub operators and attendants, journalists and Disc Jokers (DJs).
Young children form part of the at-risk population as their hearing threshold is not as developed as adults and they are most likely to be affected by constant exposure to noisy environments such as churches, funerals and others.
Important messages to note
• There is the possibility to have good hearing across the lifespan provided there is ear and hearing care.
• There are many causes of hearing loss that can be prevented and these include the ones caused by exposure to loud sounds.
• By practising ‘safe listening’ one can reduce the risk of hearing loss caused by loud sound exposure.
• Creating awareness of standards that are evidence-based for promoting safe listening and implementing these standards are important in mitigating the risk of hearing loss in the at-risk population.
Stakeholders in the area of ear and hearing care, including governments, industries and civil society, are all encouraged by WHO to raise awareness of hearing loss.
Advertisement
They are to work to promote the adoption and implementation of the WHO’s global standard for safe listening with aim of mitigating the risk of noise-induced hearing loss.
The writers are Speech & Language Therapists.