Published: May 06, 2008 07:55 am            

Free hearing tests offered Tuesdays

By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Statistics show that a large and growing segment of Americans suffer some level of hearing loss. In honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month, Avada Hearing Care Centers, including the Jacksonville location, will be offering free hearing screenings during the month of May to anyone interested in getting tested.

“These free screenings are for everyone, but anyone who suspects that they are not hearing as well as they used to and people over the age of 55 are especially encouraged to get their hearing tested,” said Chris Czop, regional director of Avada. “Most physicians recommend that anyone over the age of 55 have their hearing checked annually, and since May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, it’s a good time to get it done.”

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 37.2 million adults, and an undetermined number of children, in the nation suffer from a diagnosable amount of hearing loss. Czop said that figure will increase as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age.

“Included in a screening is an examination of the ears, a case history, a word recognition test and the ‘beep and buzz’ pure-tone test. Some of the common causes of hearing loss are noise, aging, trauma, infection, certain prescription medicines which have been deemed as ototoxic and heredity — but noise is by far the biggest cause,” he said.

Czop said the hearing screening available for free in May would usually cost a patient between $85 and $90. He said hearing aids can range in price from $400 on up, depending on “the style, the technology involved and the degree of hearing loss.” Hearing aids are typically not covered by insurance.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association claims more than 30 percent of people over 65 years old have some type of hearing loss, and that 14 percent of the population between 45 and 64 have hearing loss.

“This country and our community must stop treating hearing loss as a minor problem. Research shows that when people cannot hear properly, they make less money and their ability to hear can disrupt family life,” Czop said. “The good news is that hearing loss can easily be diagnosed, and for most people, there are solutions in the form of digital and programmable hearing instruments, many of which are not visible.”

Jacksonville’s Avada center, located at 411 E. Commerce St., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays Avada has 13 locations throughout East Texas.

        

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