HEARING WEEK - Impact of hearing loss

Media release – Monday, 27 February 2017
HEARING WEEK - Impact of hearing loss

11year old leapt over chairs to see granddad’s ears!

It’s never easy to put into words the miracle of sound recovered. Yet, I saw it first hand recently when my husband got hearing aids. The most poignant response was from our 11 year old granddaughter who suddenly observed at a family dinner that grandad was laughing and talking with everyone once again. She then leapt over the chairs, to flip grandad’s ear forward and delightedly announced to the room “Grandad’s wearing hearing aids”.

As his wife I was noticing that my husband was no longer engaged but, imagine how a child, such as Miss 11 years, feels watching a beloved grandparent disappear into their own world.
The benefits of having a hearing test are felt through many generations all at once!

Are you one of the 880,350 people that are affected by hearing loss?

We know the huge impact hearing loss has on families and the person with it. The feeling of exclusion, isolation, loneliness and depression are just some of the emotions families and friends can see their love ones go through.
On top of this lies another significant problem, how does hearing loss actually affect our population as a whole and our economy?
.

The new “Listen Hear! New Zealand’ report reveals the financial and social impact of hearing loss on New Zealand. The key findings are:

• hearing loss is a significant issue facing the New Zealand population as 880,350 people in New Zealand now live with some type of hearing loss, representing 18.9% of the population
• the health sector costs were estimated at $131.8 million
• the total loss of tax revenue was estimated to be $254.6 million
• hearing loss cost the New Zealand economy $957.3 million
• the net value of lost well-being and social impact were estimated at $3.9 billion
• The total cost of hearing loss was estimated at $4.9 billion

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