Acts of Kindness

Did you know only 16% of doctors routinely screen for hearing loss?

Did you know every other person over age 50 has difficulty understanding?

Did you know 65% of those with hearing loss are under age 65?

Did you know the incidence of hearing loss has doubled over the last 30 years?

Did you know the number one cause of hearing loss is exposure to excessive noise?

Did you know at least 20% of the population suffers from tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ears?

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The HHC Advantage

Acts of Kindness

Monifa J. Thomas

When Ronna Fisher found out that hearing loss is the No. 1 disability among American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Chicago audiologist decided to do something to help.

So, through the end of June, she's offering free high-tech earplugs to Chicago area soldiers and National Guard volunteers who expect to be deployed to either of the two war zones.

The custom-fit earplugs usually cost $60 each. They'll allow soldiers to hear normally while filtering out loud noises -- such as roadside bomb blasts -- that might cause permanent hearing loss, says Fisher, founder of Hearing Health Centers in Chicago, Naperville and Elmhurst.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, nearly 70,000 of the more than 1.3 million soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are collecting disability for tinnitus -- a buzzing or ringing in the ears that has no known cure.

For more information or to schedule a fitting, call Hearing Health Center at (312) 263-7171.