We can often be very casual with our hearing health, taking it for granted. Never before, however, have there been so many ways to destroy your hearing and possibly miss out on participation in society.

To discuss this, Lejeunecast caught up with Heba Hamdan and Katrina Ripagalos at Attune Audiology in Bella Vista, NSW to discuss many issues relating to hearing loss. They have a great sound proof room for conducting formal audiometry testing which is slightly better than the one I have become accustomed to!

Even more reason to support this podcast! Please find Lejeunecast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/lejeunecast

According to www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au , one in six Australians is hearing impaired, Deaf or has an ear disorder. Most commonly, hearing loss happens with age or is caused by loud noises.

Damage to your hearing is often a gradual process - the effects of noise exposure are permanent. What is excessive noise? When you must raise your voice to be able to speak to someone at an arm's length.

Some of the early warning signs are: you can hear but not understand; you find it hard to hear in noisy situations or groups of people; you think people mumble; you need turn the TV up louder than others or, you don't always hear the doorbell or the phone.

In one study funded by Australian Hearing, most Australians take an average of 7 years to take action on hearing loss.* 

* Acceptability, benefit, and costs of early screening for hearing disability (2007): a study of potential screening tests and models. Davis A1, Smith P, Ferguson M, Stephens D, Gianopoulos I, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17927921.