From HealthyHearing

Ahhh, spring! That wonderful time of year when everything is new again — and we are mysteriously compelled to engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

Unfortunately, some of the equipment we use to clean inside and out this time of year is hard on our hearing. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), individuals who are exposed to noise levels over 85 decibels (dB) for more than eight hours daily run the risk of permanently damaging their hearing. That’s why employers with noisy job environments are required to provide hearing protection for their employees.

Noise, not age is the leading cause of hearing loss. Unless you take steps now to protect to your ears, sooner or later many of you — and your children — will have difficulty understanding even ordinary speech.

Tens of millions of Americans, including 12 percent to 15 percent of school-age children, already have permanent hearing loss caused by the everyday noise that we take for granted as a fact of life.

“The sad truth is that many of us are responsible for our own hearing loss,” writes Katherine Bouton in her new book, “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You.” The cause, she explains, is “the noise we blithely subject ourselves to day after day.”

Joyce Hill Cooley, Kyle Griffin and Cynthia Bradley were recognized in the December 2013 issue of the Hearing Review as being among the best Hearing Healthcare Professionals in the nation. The determination was made by some of the industry’s top hearing healthcare professionals; a review panel chosen by the Hearing Review. Mrs. Cooley is a registered nurse, national board certified hearing instrument specialist and certified occupational hearing conservationist, Mr. Griffin is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, and Mrs. Bradley is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist; they are all employed by Miracle-Ear Center located in the different branches including Jackson Medical Center, 2387 Jackson Blvd, Jackson, MO. 1465 N. Kings highway in Cape Girardeau, MO and in the Farmington Wal-Mart. They all have years of service  in the hearing health field were mentioned in the recommendation to review board.

May is Better Hearing Month across the nation and that means we here at Miracle-Ear in Southeast Missouri are gearing up for an exciting month of educating school children about how they can keep their hearing safe.  We are kicking off our campaign with a coloring contest, open to children under the age of 10.  This contest will highlight the benefits of practicing healthy hearing in a fun and exciting setting!