Campaign for Better Hearing

Description

Hidden Hearing is a company dedicated to giving back to the local community. In 2018, the Campaign for Better Hearing was launched. The Campaign for Better Hearing focuses on making hearing care accessible for all. Along with ensuring that 60,000 free hearing tests are provided nationally annually, the Campaign also has a Giveback Program. The Program helps people with hearing loss to access state-of-the-art hearing technology free of charge. Each year, Hidden Hearing asks those who need hearing aids to place their nominations into a Gift of Hearing contest. 5 lucky winners are then chosen to receive the Gift of Hearing. These winners are fitted with state-of-the-art Oticon hearing aids. The high-tech, rechargeable hearing devices are equipped with the very latest technological features – such as Bluetooth connectivity and in-ear sound streaming. There is also a complimentary remote care app available with the aids for all their hearing concerns. To date, Hidden Hearing has given over € 250,000 worth free hearing aids to those who need them most.

Aim of Initiative

At Hidden Hearing, we’re very aware that 1 in 12 people will suffer from some form of hearing loss during their lifetime, with that number set to rise to 1 in 4 people by 2050 according to the WHO. Currently in Ireland, 50% of over 75-year olds have problems with their hearing. We want to change that!

While our orgaisation offers the solution to hearing problems through hearing aids, our parent company Demant is one of the biggest hearing hearing healthcare and audio technology groups in the world. Because we have so much insider knowledge on hearing, we want to encourage safe listening so that people can enjoy all the sounds they love for longer. We are currently educating a younger audience about how they can use early intervention and prevention techniques to safeguard their hearing through our Love Your Ears and We’re All Ears campaigns but our biggest campaign of all is our Campaign for Better Hearing which has been running since 2018 and promotes healthy hearing for all.

In cases where a hearing loss has already developed and early intervention and prevention won’t work, we have our Campaign for Better Hearing. We provide free hearing tests and full hearing evaluations to people aged 50+. We conduct 60,000 free hearing tests annually. In cases where people can’t afford hearing aids, they can nominate themselves for the Gift of Hearing where we give back 50,000 worth of free hearing aids to those who need them most annually.

Who is it aimed at

Our Campaign for Better Hearing is aimed at people aged 50+ to help them to put hearing on their health check agenda.

3 Steps critical to success

1. We needed to spread awareness of our campaign by building dedicated web pages and social channels and by using a combination of press, social and video to get people interested in the campaign. We also provide regular wellness talks in the local community to Age Friendly groups such as Active Retirement, Age Action, Women’s and Men’s Shed Groups and various other local groups who would like to learn more about hearing health. Free screenings are conducted at many of these events. We also conduct 2000 free hearing and wax screenings annually at the Ploughing Championships. Many of the people screened are older and from rural towns so it’s a great opportunity for them to get a check that they’d otherwise put off.
2. Down through the years, we have supported out Campaign for Better Hearing by issuing relevant press releases and advertorials and by running tv and radio ads. These tend to have been around our Gift of Hearing recipients who have ranged in age from 16-95. This spreads awareness of our campaign and gets people to nominate those who need help with their hearing.
3. We have constantly added new layers to our Campaign for Better Hearing to keep it relevant and to spread the message further. Last year, we went live with our Love Your Ears campaign to spread awareness for early intervention and prevention and this year, we have launched We’re All Ears – which highlights our free hearing tests and aftercare offerings. Hidden Hearing also want people to get more from their PRSI contribution by making sure that they’re getting the right hearing aid for them.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Getting people to wear hearing aids and reducing the stigma around hearing aids and wearables. The tide is turning on this but there is still a way to go with this.
2. Getting people to go for a hearing test. On average, it takes a person between 7 and 10 years to get help for suspected hearing loss. People are happy to live in denial for that long.
3. Educating people on how to protect their hearing is crucial. Hidden Hearing have invested lots of time and money into awareness and research pieces. Hearing loss is linked to so many other illnesses that it is vital to provide informative content to the public. In doing so, we can potentially help people to stave off illnesses like dementia. Recent Lancet reports have clearly indicated a link between early onset dementia and hearing loss. The good news is that hearing loss is a modifiable risk-factor and by safeguarding your hearing, you could also be protecting your brain health too!

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. We have provided 250,000 euro worth of free state-of-the-art Oticon hearing aids to those who need them most through our Gift of Hearing Giveback Programme.
2. We have Wellness Talks running in several areas in conjunction with several groups such as Active Retirement, Age Action. Shed Talks and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland which are spreading awareness on the subjects that matter and bringing a sense of community back to a group who had a very difficult time during Covid. We’re ramping up our outreach to ensure that everyone is included. Hearing loss can make people isolated themselves. We want to help them before that becomes the case.
3. 60,000 free hearing tests are conducted at Hidden Hearing annually. We’re improving this figure year on year through our Campaign for Better Hearing Initiative. We’re helping more people to hear better which is the best outcome we could get and the awareness around hearing loss prevention is growing which is great to see.