Download Hearing Check Kiosk on LRH Campus Identifies Level of Hearing Loss

NEWS RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
JENNIFER GUSTAFSON
(712) 336-8799 (W)
(712) 339-5754 (C)
[email protected]
HEARING CHECK KIOSK ON LRH CAMPUS IDENTIFIES LEVEL
OF HEARING LOSS
The free hearing check takes less than 5 minutes
Spirit Lake, IA (May 1, 2015) - According to the National Institutes of Health, one in eight people in the United
States aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations. About two
percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55
to 64. Nearly 25 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50 percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling
hearing loss. Despite these facts, among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from
hearing aids, fewer than one in three has ever used them. Even fewer adults aged 20 to 69 who could benefit
from wearing hearing aids have ever used them.
Lakes Regional Healthcare (LRH) and Precision Hearing Center hope to raise awareness of hearing loss among
residents and visitors in our community by hosting a hearing check kiosk during May, which is also National
Better Hearing Month. A portable hearing check kiosk will be stationed at various parts of the LRH campus,
including the Lakes Family Practice, Outpatient Center, Spirit Lake Medical Center, and ER waiting rooms.
Individuals can check their hearing by themselves at the kiosk, and it is free of charge. Results are sent to
Precision Hearing Center in Spirit Lake, where hearing specialists will mail out an individual report or call to
set up an appointment to have a hearing test, based on the option chosen at the kiosk. The check takes about five
minutes to take and simply involves putting on headphones and touching the iPad screen located in the kiosk.
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