October is National Audiology Awareness Month

Over 38 million American adults have some degree of hearing loss, over 10% of the US population

The statistics are shocking and even more so knowing that over half of those 38 million Americans are under the age of 65. Often times the challenge comes with identifying the signs of hearing loss. Sometimes it’s not a matter of knowing that you have hearing loss, but rather understanding what you can do to address it.

In support of National Audiology Month this October, we have partnered with Dr. Kim Lower of Jefferson Surgical Clinic’s Audiology Department to highlight the importance of getting our hearing tested regularly and working with an audiologist to to address it.

WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Have you stopped going to restaurants and social gatherings? Do you keep to yourself when in noisy environments? If you answered yes, you may have a hearing problem. Some tell signs of hearing loss are: trouble hearing conversation in a noisy environment such as restaurants, difficulty or inability to hear people talking to you without looking at them, and/or a constant pain or ringing in your ears. On average, most Americans don’t know how to recognize the first signs of hearing loss or which health professional is qualified to diagnose and treat the condition. If you think you may have a hearing loss, you need to see an audiologist.

An audiologist is a licensed and clinically experienced health-care professional who specializes in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating people with hearing loss and balance disorders. The first step in treatment of a hearing problem is to get your hearing evaluated by an audiologist. A hearing evaluation will determine the degree of hearing loss you have and what can be done. Although most hearing loss is permanent, an audiologist can determine the best treatment, which may include hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and hearing rehabilitation.

In response to the growing number of Americans suffering from hearing loss, we are encouraging our fans to have their hearing evaluated by an audiologist. While there are many to choose from, we at 5 Points Music recommend contacting Jefferson Surgical Clinic’s Dr. Kim Lower. audiologists have a variety of specialties to include, but not limited to:

• Diagnostics and Hearing Evaluations
• Treatment & management of hearing and balance disorders
• Hearing aids and assisted listening devices

All month long, we will be offering tips and insights into hearing loss, while further exploring how our role as a music venue is impacted by this global health issue. Part of this includes the launching of our Sound Venues initiative, in which we aim to provide music venues with resources and strategies that help reduce the risk of hearing loss for attendees, staff, and artists.