In conjunction with Better Speech and Hearing Month, Sonus and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have launched a video public service announcement (PSA) to inform individuals about the link between hearing loss and diabetes.
The connection between hearing loss and diabetes stems from several research studies, including a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, stating that hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those who do not have diabetes.
To drive home the point that many may miss the connection, the PSA features a young, tattooed woman who appears to be a hipster who plays guitar and bike rides. But at the end of the video, she goes to her office and puts on a doctor’s coat. The tagline: "Sometimes things are not what they seem, and the same goes for our health." The PSA ends with statistics on the hearing loss-diabetes connection.
The goal of the PSA is to inform the large percentage of Americans diagnosed with diabetes to get checked for hearing loss during yearly physical exams.
Michele Fusco, senior vice president of Medical Operations at Amplifon, the parent company to Sonus, said in the press statement, "The reality is that even the medical community is often unaware of the connection between diabetes and hearing loss. In fact, according to BetterHearing.org, less than 15% of physicians ask their patients about hearing problems. Our goal with this PSA is to ‘flag’ a common, undiagnosed problem so consumers can be proactive, and ask their doctor or audiologist for a routine hearing test."
Fusco is also a contributor to Hearing Review’s "Expert Insight" column on hearing care private practice solutions.
The video is posted below and can be shared with patients and hearing advocates.
SOURCE: Sonus
