Hearing care should be available for all, yet it remains elusive for many. Part of the problem is a lack of demand for hearing care services. For example, only 20% of people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one. This is true even in countries where national insurance plans cover hearing aids.
If cost is not the primary reason, why is demand so limited? Two reasons: (1) stigma and (2) a lack of urgency about hearing health care in the medical community. This year’s World Hearing Forum Stakeholder’s Meeting at the World Health Organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland takes on these issues directly.
Thank you to the organizers for inviting me to kick off the session by sharing my hearing loss story. I hope my experiences will help illuminate some of the reasons that demand for hearing care remains low and spark a meaningful discussion of these important issues among the delegates.
What is the World Hearing Forum?
Created by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018, the World Hearing Forum (WHF) is a global network of stakeholders promoting ear and hearing care worldwide. WHF’s goals include (1) raising awareness about the need for healthy hearing, (2) educating people how to prevent hearing damage, and (3) advocating for universal access to affordable hearing treatments. Living with Hearing Loss has been a proud member of the World Hearing Forum since March 2022.
Stakeholder’s meeting goals
The main goals of this year’s stakeholders’ meeting are to:
- Discuss the importance of, barriers to, and strategies for changing people’s perceptions related to hearing loss;
- Update stakeholders on the work and initiatives of the WHO Program for ear and hearing care; and
- Identify ways to integrate hearing care into public health initiatives across the life span, including in primary care.
After the stakeholder’s meeting, the World Hearing Forum will meet separately to discuss what was learned and to begin to integrate this new knowledge into the Forum’s work plan and goals for the coming years.
My First Stakeholders Meeting
This will be my first stakeholder’s meeting at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. I am excited to connect with other hearing health advocates from around the world and to learn more about the Forum and the WHO’s many initiatives in ear and hearing care.
All of us can also help support WHF’s important work by sharing their marketing materials, tips for safe listening and brochures with your friends, family and colleagues. To learn more about the World Hearing Forum, sign up for their newsletter or join their Changemakers’s Facebook group.
Readers, what barriers do you see to hearing health care?
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I face an insurance issue when it comes to having my cochlear implant checked and programming adjustments done once a year. I get my insurance through the exchange and in my state only the most expensive insurance plans have the hospital where I need to go for programming in their network. The alternative is to travel 100 miles and see an audiologist who is not familiar with my history. It’s frustrating. It comes down to a decision of pay higher premiums or pay out of pocket for my hearing care.
That is very frustrating. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Shari, your point about the lack of urgency among the medical community about hearing health is on point. In my life I have had only one medical professional mention my hearing heath. That was when Ii was in the first grade in 1938. A school nurse thumped a tuning fork and asked if I could hear it. I passed.
And congrats on your W.H.O. gig. I am proud of you.
Sad, but true. Thanks for your good wishes Jerry!