Sharpen your senses
"Hearing is quality of life, and people should be more aware of this. If we succeed in raising this awareness through Hear the World, my goal is achieved."
Dr. Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak and President of the Foundation Board of Hear the World.
Still most people barely protect their ears. They are not sufficiently aware of the consequences of noise exposure and not well informed of hearing loss and available solutions. Yet problems are widespread, as the following facts show:
1 out of 10 people in the industrialized world is hard of hearing, the equivalent of people who own a car.
As the population ages – and noise pollution in the world increases – more and more people will be unable to hear well, potentially facing social isolation.
By 2015, an estimated 700 million people will suffer from hearing loss, the equivalent of people using the internet today.
In view of these figures, Phonak is determined to take its social responsibility as a leading expert in the field seriously. The Hear the World initiative pursues the following goals:
Hear the World aims to educate the public on the importance of hearing and the impacts of hearing loss as well as the benefits of available solutions. The initiative focuses on three key areas: support, prevention and solutions.
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Support is a major step on the path to obtain a solution. Despite all the drawbacks of not being able to hear well, the average person with hearing loss waits 10 years before taking action. Not only does this reduce their quality of life, it can also result in their brain losing capacity to recognize everyday sounds, along with psychological difficulties associated with isolation. The Hear the World initiative offers target support to the people with hearing loss and their loved ones, encouraging a dialogue that can lead to a rewarding solution – which is almost always at hand.
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Prevention is key and research encouragingly proves that hearing loss is the world’s most preventable disability. We live in an extremely noisy world, with sound levels that threaten our hearing over long periods of time. Even seemingly harmless things like children’s toys and garden tools can cause significant damage. The Hear the World initiative is committed to making the public aware of these risks and teaching to avoid them – such as reducing volume levels or wearing hearing protection where appropriate.
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Solutions come in the form of high-tech hearing instruments that incorporate virtually invisible, intelligent mini-computers. These are tiny in size yet enormous in impact. Overwhelming evidence shows that the use of a hearing instrument brings major improvement to the quality of life of its users. These individuals enjoy overall health better than non-users with hearing loss, gain self-confidence, play a more active role in family, social and business activities and even have greater earning power.
Plácido Domingo and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra are the first ambassadors of Hear the World and members of the Advisory Board of the Hear the World Foundation. With their name, they make a significant contribution to reach the foundation’s targets.
