Speak up! How good is your hearing?
600,000 people are estimated to be living with some form of hearing impairment in the North East
A new online game has been created to help try and raise awareness of hearing loss in the UK. An estimated 600,000 people are estimated to be living with some form of hearing impairment in the North East with experts anticipating that number to continue to rise.
January is one of the busiest times for hearing tests after individuals realise they’re struggling to understand their family over the Christmas period.
Action on Hearing Loss has researched the of the few statistics on hearing loss in the UK:
• From the total 3.7 million are of working age (16 – 64) and 6.3 million are of retirement age (65+).
• By 2031, it is estimated that there will be 14.5 million people with hearing loss in the UK.
• More than 800,000 people in the UK are severely or profoundly deaf.
• There are more than 45,000 deaf children in the UK, plus many more who experience temporary hearing loss.
• About 2 million people in the UK have hearing aids, but only 1.4 million use them regularly.
• At least 4 million people who don't have hearing aids would benefit from using them.
• On average it takes ten years for people to address their hearing loss.
It might surprise you to learn that video games are a powerful tool when it comes to battling a number of health conditions. Having already proven to help sufferers of depression, anxiety and autism, Hidden Hearing has decided to use this gaming format to aid those who may be suffering in silence about their hearing impairment.
