As hearing loss strikes a louder chord,
Chicago Hearing Society can help

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

CHICAGO, IL (April 21, 2006) – Hearing loss is on the rise in America, and that upsurge is creating a growing need for hearing-related services. The month of May is designated Better Hearing and Speech Month, putting an enhanced focus on the incidence of and treatment for these health issues. According to the American Speech and Hearing Association, 42 million Americans experience some kind of speech, voice, language or hearing impairment, 28 million suffer a hearing loss and 14 million have a speech or language disorder. Concerns about hearing loss loom ever larger as baby boomers will reach retirement age starting in 2010. The number of people with hearing loss is expected to double by the year 2032. Younger people are also more at risk: Now, 13 percent of 6-19 year olds have hearing loss from an overexposure to noise.

“As a society, we sometimes forget that communication is at the core of who we are. Without it, we become lonely, isolated and depressed,” says Nicole Wyzinski, manager of the Audiology Clinic at Chicago Hearing Society, a division of Anixter Center, one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Chicago Hearing Society serves the greater Chicago area and beyond.

Chicago Hearing Society – a nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing – offers state-of-the art audiology services. Chicago Hearing Society was founded in 1916. Its audiology clinic provides diagnostic services for people with hearing loss as well as services for the prevention of hearing loss. A wide range of hearing aids and assistive devices are available through Chicago Hearing Society, located at 2001 N. Clybourn Avenue in Chicago. Audiologists trained at the doctoral level practice at the at the forefront of technology. During May, Chicago Hearing Society will offer free hearing screenings in honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

In performing hearing examinations, audiologists consider how hearing loss is impacting all aspects of an individual’s life and provide an array of services to help reduce the impact of hearing loss.

“Every one should have a baseline hearing test at least once in her adult life,” says Wyzinski,
who earned her clinical doctorate in audiology at the Arizona School of Health Sciences. “If an individual has experienced a known hearing loss, dizziness, ringing in the ears or history of ear infections, he or she should have an annual hearing test.”

Many people who use hearing aids comment that their hearing aids are not working, but in truth, it’s more likely that their hearing has changed. Audiologists can reassess people’s hearing and then modify their hearing aids accordingly. Most people are accustomed to visiting their dentists and eye doctors annually. Along the same lines, if someone has a hearing loss, he or she should schedule a hearing test regularly.

To make an appointment for a free screening or for other services, contact Chicago Hearing Society at (773)-248-9121 ext. 322 A free online screening test is available through the organization’s Website at www.chicagohearingsociety.org.

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Chicago Hearing Society is a division of Anixter Center, one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the region and the 13th-largest charitable organization in Chicago according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Chicago Hearing Society’s mission is to empower deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people to communicate with each other, thereby lessening the isolation which separates them. The mission of Anixter Center is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community. Anixter Center is a leading provider of high-quality vocational, residential and educational options, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and health care. Anixter Center is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to be full and equal members of the community. More than 5,000 individuals a year are served through 70 programs at 35 locations throughout the Chicago area.

Note to reporters and editors: for more information about Anixter Center, please visit our media room at http://www.anixter.org/mediaroom/index.htm.