The Jamaica Association for the Deaf Hearing Services (JADHS) Department is raising awareness about hearing healthcare and partnering with private and public-sector organisations to assess their staff at a reduced cost. Organisations are presently offered a group discount package based on the number of staff being tested. This is a special offer that ends in September 2022.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide or one in four persons will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050.
It adds that at least 700 million of these people will require access to ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation services unless action is taken. If left untreated, these problems can affect how individuals function at home, school and work.
Director, Business Development Division of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), Deniese Badroe, said that exposure to noise, whether occupational or recreational, is the leading preventable cause of hearing loss and can pose a serious threat to one’s physical and psychological well-being. She is encouraging individuals to get their hearing assessed by calling the JADHS and making an appointment.
Parents and guardians are being urged to get their children assessed, especially those who are not reacting normally to sounds, are inattentive in class, are not startled by noise, have speech delays, and have trouble developing correct speech sounds and locating the source of sound or voices.
The JADHS Department is a social enterprise owned by and operated under the auspices of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf. It provides audiological services to the public, including a wide range of diagnostic hearing assessments and health education and the supply of hearing accessories for adults and children.
Organisations can register for a wellness package that best suits their needs by calling 876-926-7001 or emailing hearingservices@jamdeaf.org.jm.
