TO OBTAIN A FREE HEARING AID, PERSONS MUST FIRST BE SCREENED. SCREENING ENDS JAN. 16.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has made an appeal to persons to get their hearing tested, in order to be outfitted with a free hearing aid by the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
To obtain a free hearing aid, persons must first visit the Vieux Fort Wellness Centre or the Entrepot Health Centre to be screened. Screening ends Jan. 16.
Audiology Specialist with the Ministry of Health, Nurse Practitioner Diana King-Dornelly, explained some of the conditions which can affect one's hearing.
"There are many different causes of hearing loss. For some it's congenital, they are born with it. For others you can develop it as time goes by because of different conditions or recurrent ear infections. Different medications can cause it as well. As you get older you tend to develop hearing loss over time. Exposure to loud music, exposure to noises depending on where you work. Can also place you at risk for hearing loss. We would urge people working in those areas or who are exposed to loud noises to come in to be tested."
The Starkey Hearing Mission will outfit those persons who qualify for free hearing aids at the Phillip Marcellin grounds in Vieux Fort, on Jan. 17 and 18.
Nurse Dornelly outlined the simple procedure to qualify for a hearing aid.
"The Starkey Hearing foundation is hoping to fit at least 600 people with hearing aids, but in order to do so, people must come in and be screened. So we are urging everyone, even those who think they may have hearing loss, to come in to the Vieux Fort Health Centre or the Entrepot Health Centre to be screened, following which we will advise them accordingly."
Nurse Dornelly said anyone, regardless of age, can quality for the hearing aid.
"Actually there is no age limit, so anyone who has hearing loss can be fitted with a hearing aid. People may have hearing loss that they are not aware of, and children can suffer from hearing loss as well as older adults. So we're urging everyone to come in to be screened."
The Starkey Hearing Foundation is committed to providing free hearing aids and after care services for these devices totally free.