Friday 3 March marks World Hearing Day 2023, an event thrown every year to promote ear & hearing care. Organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Hearing Day pushes a series of key messages, and 2023 is no different. Here’s what’s happening this year and why it matters…

As an independent family owned hearing care company, we actively support World Hearing Day. It’s a key date in our calendar, and we make no apologies when we say that we ride the coattails of this event in our quest to raise awareness of ear and hearing care.

This year, World Hearing Day is pushing several key themes, including:

• Advocating for the integration of ear and hearing care within primary care
• Raising awareness in communities about the importance of ear and hearing care to encourage people to seek help if they are experiencing hearing loss.

Why World Hearing Day matters

It’s estimated that 466 million people live with disabling hearing loss, according to the WHO. 80% of those people live in low- and middle-income countries, where access to support is limited.

Hearing loss is challenging for anyone, but arguably even more so for children. Globally, 34  million children have deafness or hearing loss. Many of the causes are preventable. In children, 60% of hearing loss issues can be prevented through public health strategies.

That’s why World Hearing Day matters. It’s an opportunity to encourage governments to integrate ear and hearing care into training programmes for healthcare providers at a primary level.

Plus, it’s a chance to call attention of primary level healthcare providers towards better meeting the needs of people with hearing loss and ear diseases.

Equally, World Hearing Day is used to inform people about the importance of ear and hearing care and how they can find the support they need.

The need to access ear and hearing care services is becoming increasingly crucial, with the number of people experiencing hearing loss expected to rise in the coming decades.

Why? Changing population demographics, increased exposure to factors that damage hearing – for example, recreational noise – and rising cases of untreated ear conditions like otosclerosis are causing hearing health to deteriorate.

World Hearing Day is the largest global awareness campaign around when it comes to ear and hearing care. It’s the call to action healthcare providers and hearing loss sufferers need to deal with hearing issues head on.

Encouraging healthy ear and hearing care practices

As a community-based hearing care company, we heed the call of World Hearing Day to encourage behavioural changes towards hearing loss. We are healthy hearing ambassadors supporting the cause, and we’re on a mission to reduce deafness in the regions we serve.

Our Hear in Hagley, Hear in Wombourne and Hear in Rubery clinics offer free hearing assessments to anyone, making ear care services accessible to everyone. Plus, using our services gives you access to a lifetime of aftercare, meaning that your hearing health is in safe hands for the rest of your life.

We’re committed to making a difference to hearing health. Jo Miller, Managing Director and Audiologist for our Hear in Hagley clinic has opened branches across the West Midlands to make sure that no one has to settle for inadequate hearing care.

Meanwhile, Jo and daughter Sophie Miller – who runs our Hear in Wombourne clinic – along with audiology specialist Chris Cartwright, have personally invested in the hearing care profession by helping to establish the Audiology Academy.

Help us raise awareness

Get involved in World Hearing Day by making use of fantastic campaign materials. Get yours and make a difference to hearing health, today.