World Hearing Day 2019: ‘Check Your Hearing’ for free with the hearZA app
Sunday, 3 March marks World Hearing Day 2019 in partnership with the World Health Organisation. “Check Your Hearing” is this year’s theme with the purpose of drawing attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss.
Hearing loss is an often-overlooked condition. More than three million South Africans suffer from permanent, disabling hearing loss. Lead inventor of hearZA, Professor De Wet Swanepoel emphasises the far-reaching effects of hearing loss on various developmental milestones in children. He explains that it affects language, speech, socio-emotional well-being and cognitive processes that can pose threats to educational success. Furthermore, social isolation, depression and cognitive decline are often evident among adults suffering from hearing loss.
hearZA, South Africa’s very own clinically-validated hearing screening app is free-of-charge and can help South Africans identify hearing problems. The first step in their journey to better hearing.
hearZA was developed to be accessible to any South African with a smartphone (Android or iOS) and any pair of earphones regardless of income level. By detecting hearing loss at an early stage, hearZA can link people to their closest audiologist based on geolocation, in partnership with the South African Audiology Association and South African Speech, Language and Hearing Association.
“With hearZA, all South Africans have access to quality hearing care from the palm of their hand, starting with a screening of their hearing status”
- Prof De Wet Swanepoel.
In support of this year’s World Hearing Day, the hearZA app is serving as a free tool for South Africans to “Check Your Hearing” emphasising early identification and intervention. In addition, our World Hearing Day contribution includes a variety of activities on traditional radio stations, digital and social media platforms.
To date, tens of thousands have been screened, thousands have been identified with hearing loss and more than 500 have been connected with audiologists. This World Hearing Day, we aim to increase these numbers while working towards our continued vision of healthy hearing for everyone, everywhere.
Be sure to follow hearZA on social media to see what we’re up to this World Hearing Day.
For more information, please contact:
Zandereen Coetzee
Marketing Manager
012 030 0268 or 076 235 4614 or zandereen@hearxgroup.com