“I regained my confidence socially and professionally”: Why Hearing Australia is promising to make hearing easy this World Hearing Day
When Rachel, a music teacher and professional clarinet player, first noticed changes in her hearing it was pretty daunting. “Sound is everything to a musician,” she explains.
Rachel had become increasingly aware of “difficulty in conversations, especially in crowded situations or noisy rooms. Professionally I had great difficulty hearing students speak.”
New findings from Hearing Australia’s ‘Hearing Road Test’ survey of Australians indicate that Rachel is not alone. Older Australians have become more aware of changes and symptoms of hearing loss during the last 12 – 24 months of the pandemic.
Despite this, only one in four respondents have had their hearing checked in the last year; 78% of older Australians agreed that they would be more inclined to seek help for their hearing if they knew they could trial their hearings aids at home before they made a purchase. However, most respondents didn’t know that this was possible.
For Rachel, however, it was the way her Hearing Australia audiologist Kristen was in tune with her life from the very start that made her hearing easy. From her initial hearing assessment and fitting when “Kristen’s bright and cheery personality took the stress out of the situation”, to all of the ongoing support she has since received, Rachel says that Hearing Australia makes her “feel safe and secure”.
For Kristen, an audiologist and fellow musician, that’s music to her ears: “As a musician, your hearing is a big deal and so for Rachel to entrust me with her care makes me feel very privileged.”
Fellow Hearing Australia audiologist Marc Vandenberg agrees. “Managing your hearing can improve quality of life, and Hearing Australia promises to make hearing easy,” he says. “We know that choosing a hearing aid is a personal decision and not something you can do on the spot. To help find the right solution, Australians are now able to ‘try before you buy’ on any of our hearing devices for 14 days*.
“This means you can take your device home and test drive it in your everyday life to see how it performs, when you are catching up with loved ones, going shopping or watching TV.”
This World Hearing Day, it’s time to manage your hearing your way. Test drive your hearing aids today to find your fit.
For more information and to book a hearing test, call Hearing Australia on 134 HEAR or visit hearing.com.au.
* ”Try before you buy” requires you to complete a hearing assessment (which may incur a fee) before fitting, and is subject to Hearing Australia’s "Try before you buy" conditions. Conditions apply under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. Client statements are their own, Rachel received a thank you gift for her time.
This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Hearing Australia.