Preserving Life with Sound for our Community with Hearing Safety Education

Carolynne Riley from

We are a registered charity that has been operating in Hawke’s Bay for over 50 years offering
unbiased information, advice and support on hearing related issues as well as education on protection against noise induced hearing loss.

OUR MISSION:
To educate our community that noise induced hearing loss is 100% preventable and provide them with
the knowledge they need to protect their hearing. To also be known as the first point of call for anyone in our community affected by hearing loss and seeking information, advice & support.

HEARING LOSS IS AN INVISIBLE DISABILITY THAT CAN AFFECT ANYONE AT ANY AGE:
A recent study reported that 18.9% of the New Zealand population have a hearing loss. Research also suggests that hearing loss can more often than not be attributed to damage from noise rather than age. For children hearing loss can be detrimental to their education and their social development, for adults it can be isolating and embarrassing. We often hear that people with hearing loss feel unsupported and misunderstood, that is why we are here. Our goal is to offer early intervention for noise induced hearing loss, by equipping children, educators and parents with the knowledge they need to protect their hearing. We aim to see a reduction of noise induced hearing loss in future generations. Our programs are in high demand and we hear some fantastic feedback about how the recipients retain and utilise the information
they learn from the presentations and that they often share it with their family & friends.

FREE COMMUNITY EDUCATION ON PREVENTION OF NOISE INDUCED HEARING LOSS & GENERAL HEARING RELATED ISSUES:
For over 6 years now Hastings Hearing has employed a Hearing Educator to give free presentations to preschools, schools, educators, community groups and any other organisations interested in learning how to prevent noise induced hearing loss. These presentations are fun, interactive and memorable and are adjusted to be appropriate for the group it is being delivered too. Our presentations are a form of early intervention and equip participants with the knowledge they need to prevent this invisible disability from affecting them and their families. For the year 2018 our Hearing Educator delivered 142 presentations to local ELC's, Kindergartens, schools, tertiary groups, educators and community groups with a total of 2,234 participants. These figures have increased year on year since we started offering the programs.

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