Governor Proclaims Hearing Loss Awareness Month 2024

HEARING LOSS AWARENESS MONTH

2024

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, more than 1.2 million North Carolinians have a hearing loss, which impacts 30 percent of those ages 65 – 74, and 50 percent of those ages 75 and older; with proper hearing health care, communication access, and the abundance of resources in North Carolina, these individuals can have lives that are as meaningful and productive as anyone; and

WHEREAS, adults over the age of 50 should be screened for hearing loss as part of routine medical care; and

WHEREAS, after arthritis and hypertension, hearing loss is the third most common treatable condition for older adults, affecting 538,880 North Carolinians ages 65 and older; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina is home to nearly 800,000 veterans, among whom hearing loss and tinnitus – ringing, roaring, or buzzing sounds in the ear – are the most common service-related disabilities that permanently affect 60 percent of veterans who have returned from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, approximately 5,716 children in North Carolina have a significant hearing loss; timely screening of infants and children for hearing loss enables early access to language development, curricula, and resources, ensuring they can live full and productive lives; and

WHEREAS, untreated hearing loss is associated with poorer overall health, including cardiovascular risk, cognitive changes, diabetes, balance disorders, and depression, and can lead previously socially engaged adults to become isolated and withdrawn as their hearing loss progresses; and

WHEREAS, access to hearing aids and other hearing assistance is now greater than ever before, and consumers have the option of purchasing either prescription hearing aids through a licensed hearing healthcare professional or over-the-counter hearing aids, which are available for those 18 years and older who have a perceived mild to moderate hearing loss;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May, 2024, as “HEARING LOSS AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

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Roy Cooper

Governor

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirtieth day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.