Boost your hearing health with care!
2025 World Hearing Day’s theme, "Changing mindsets: empower yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all!" encourages proactive steps for hearing health.
Your hearing health can help determine your well-being. Studies show that untreated hearing loss increases cognitive effort in noisy environments[1], making communication challenging and leading to fatigue[2]. Your hearing ability also has a significant influence on maintaining posture and balance[3], and hearing well can improve social interaction, family connection[4] and workplace productivity[5]. By embracing hearing health, rehabilitation and aids, you can boost your quality of life, strengthen connections, and keep your mind sharp, paving the way for a healthier, happier you[6]! Take simple steps towards better hearing health, and learn how you can embrace your hearing care below.
Start a conversation about hearing health
When should you start a conversation about hearing loss? If you notice signs like your loved one complaining of muffled sounds, having difficulty following conversations, or frequently requesting people to repeat themselves, you might want to consider gently bringing it up.
Click to watch this video to recognize signs of hearing loss.
How to lead a conversation about hearing health
Starting a conversation about hearing loss can feel challenging, but your support is crucial!
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Setting the stage
- Create a welcoming environment by choosing a quiet, private space where your loved one can hear you clearly.
- Find the right moment to sit down and talk openly, showing that you genuinely care.
- Lead by example: first actively take care of your hearing health. Regularly check your hearing with an audiologist – or take the first step by taking a hearing test here.
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Cultivating a supportive dialogue
- Speak clearly and ensure they can see your face, which helps them feel engaged and understood.
- Highlight that hearing loss can affect social connections and emotional well-being.
- Encourage your loved one to embrace better hearing; your support can spark a positive transformation!
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Have your facts ready
- Share how untreated hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal, learn more here.
- Address common myths, like the idea that hearing loss is just part of aging—early intervention is key to maintaining a vibrant life! While hearing aids won’t restore normal hearing, they help rediscover sounds and enhance conversations. Learn more about hearing loss here.
- Explain today’s discreet hearing aids resemble trendy headphones - modern hearing aids are sleek and stylish, making them more appealing than ever.
- Utilize downloadable resources.
Find innovative hearing health solutions
While many people associate hearing health primarily with understanding speech and participating in conversations[7], it’s crucial for communication and emotional well-being.
At Sonova, we lead the way in hearing technology, introducing innovations like Bluetooth connectivity and AI-driven fittings. Our latest device, the Phonak Audéo™ Sphere Infinio, uses real-time AI to enhance speech understanding in challenging settings, allowing users to fully engage in conversations[8][9].
If you or someone you know is facing hearing challenges, explore these advanced solutions here. Take the first step here towards better hearing health today!
References:
[*]Vercammen, C., Ferguson, M., Kramer, S.E., Meis, M., Singh, G., Timmer, B., Gagné, J.-P., Goy., H., Hickson, L., Holube, I., Launer, S., Lemke, U., Naylor, G., Picou, E., Scherpiet, S., Weinstein, B., & Pelosi, A. (2020). Well-Hearing is Well-Being: A Phonak Position Statement. Hearing Review, 27, 18 -22.
[1] World Health Organization. (2021). World report on hearing. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/339913. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
[2] Holman, J. A., Drummond, A., Hughes, S. E., & Naylor, G. (2019). Hearing impairment and daily-life fatigue: a qualitative study. International Journal of Audiology. 58(7), 408–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2019.1597284
[3] Agmon, M., Lavie, L., & Doumas, M. (2017a). The association between hearing loss, postural control, and mobility in older adults: A systematic review. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 28(6), 575-588. doi:10.3766/jaaa.16044
[4] Shukla, A., Harper, M., Pedersen, E., Goman, A., Suen, J. J., Price, C., … Reed, N. S. (2020). Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 162(5), 622–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820910377.
[5] Nachtegaal, J., Festen, J. M., & Kramer, S. E. (2012). Hearing ability in working life and its relationship with sick leave and self-reported work productivity. Ear and hearing, 33(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0b013e318228033e
[6]Vercammen, C., Bott, A., & Saunders, G. H. (2021). Hearing health in the broader context of healthy living and well-being: changing the narrative. International Journal of Audiology, 60(sup2), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2021.1905893
[7]The World Health Organization (WHO). World Report on Hearing. 2021. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240020481. Last accessed: February 2025
[8]Real-time AI means that the AI DNN (Deep Neural Network) has been trained on sound samples to separate speech from background noise by processing the audio signal in real-time. This approach is fundamentally different from the use of AI for sound or acoustic scene classification, which is used in current hearing aids in the market. The real-time AI signal processing is performed by the DEEPSONIC™ chip, which is included in the Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio platform together with the Phonak ERA™ chip.
[9]Wright, A., Seitz-Paquette, K., Kühnel, V., Latzel, M., Keller, M., Miller, A., Hobi, S., & Launer, S. (2024). Improving speech understanding and listening effort for complex environments with a novel noise reduction system [Scientific Poster]. Phonak Field Study News. https://www.phonak.com/evidence