| « Kanye West's mother dies suddenly | Viva Voce: Re-Issues, Bonus Material, and Live Shows » |
Benefit Mon Nov 12 2007
Practice Safe Listening: Signs You Have Hearing Loss
You read this blog and, therefore, you go to shows. And, more often than not, the shows are loud.
Now consider your grandparents, who probably have problems hearing what you tell them, and then imagine yourself when you get to be 80 or so years old. While growing up, your grandparents didn't have iPods, stereos, ultra big speakers at rock concerts (or rock for that matter). You experience those noises every day, and what the American Hearing Research Foundation is trying to tell us, essentially, is that we're screwed if we don't do something about it.
On Sunday, November 18, 2007, the American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF) will hold a benefit concert at the Empty Bottle to help raise awareness of noise-induced hearing loss. Proceeds from the show will help the AHRF fund research into hearing loss at universities and hospitals throughout the United States and Canada, which the Chicago-based foundation has been doing for more than 30 years with over 165 research projects under its belt. Local bands Le Concorde, The Handcuffs and The Its will perform (all have or have witnessed hearing loss). Free Earlove earplugs for the first ones in.
Admission is only $8. Click through for hearing loss facts and signs:
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Facts
* Noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative, permanent and preventable.
* Twenty-five percent of the work force in the United States is regularly exposed to potentially damaging noise
* One in every ten (28 million) Americans has hearing loss. As baby boomers reach retirement age starting in 2010, this number is expected to rapidly climb and nearly double by the year 2030.
* The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, up to 1 in 3 over age 65. Most hearing losses develop over a period of 25 to 30 years.
* Among seniors, hearing loss is the third most prevalent, but treatable disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension.
* While the vast majority of Americans (95%) with hearing loss could be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 22% (6.35 million individuals) currently use them. Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved through medical or surgical treatment.
Warning Signs
* You can’t hear someone three feet away.
* You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
* You hear a ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise.
* You have difficulty understanding speech.
