Free Hearing Aids to be Given to Cebu Residents

Hearing-impaired Cebuanos, numbering to 1,500, gathered at the Social Hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Tuesday hoping to avail of the free hearing aids offered by the US-based Starkey Hearing Foundation.

The Starkey Foundation, which provides hearing aids to people in need throughout the US and around the world, will be screening individuals with hearing impediments until Friday.

With the theme: “So The World May Hear,” the program is held in coordination with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.

Over 50 volunteers attended to the patients for ear examinations that will determine if their ailments are not caused by just a hardened earwax in the ear canals which usually lead to hearing loss.

“An earwax usually hardens when the person is living near the sea and does any water-related activities like fishing, diving and swimming, plus the use of Q-tips can also push the earwax deep inside the ear canal,” said Ellaine Dimayuga, Starkey’s Philippine coordinator and Education and Training manager for the Asia Pacific.

The patients will receive customized hearing aids. A representative from Starkey demonstrated to soon-to-be recipients the step-by-step process of putting the custom-made hearing earmolds into their ears.

“We also provide lifetime free repairs and batteries for the hearing aids of our patients,” said Dimayuga.

The Starkey Foundation and its volunteers will conduct ear check-ups on Wednesday at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR) in Basak, at the Mandaue Sports Complex on Thursday, and at the Danao City Civic Gym on Friday.

“We aim to spread awareness of the importance of hearing to the people and remind them to never neglect any symptoms of pain or irritation on their ears and to consult a medical professional right away,” said Dimayuga. (USJR intern Ador Menchavez/PNA)