SALT LAKE CITY, July 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have noise-induced hearing loss, a condition that is preventable.
CaptionCall, the leading provider of captioned telephone service, urges people of all ages to proactively protect their hearing this summer.
Any sound over 85 decibels can be damaging, especially if the exposure is over a long period, but how do you know how loud is too loud? The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) says noise is potentially damaging if:
- The noise hurts your ears.
- You must raise your voice to be understood by someone nearby.
- Your normal hearing is impacted for several hours after experiencing the noise.
- There is a buzzing or ringing sound in your ears.
“We want to remind everyone to follow best practices for good hearing health. Don’t avoid all the summertime fun. But make sure you look after your hearing health and take all necessary precautions to safeguard your hearing. You’ll be happy you did,” says CaptionCall CEO Scott Wood.
Hearing healthcare professionals recommend these tips:
- Walk away from loud noises or, if that’s not possible, plug or cover your ears with your hands.
- Turn down the volume with music, radio, and TV. Permanent damage to your ears can result from loud sound exposure for long periods of time. Limit music levels to 60 percent of maximum volume.
- Use earplugs, noise-cancelling earmuffs, or headphones at loud clubs, concerts, near loudspeakers, in traffic, at sporting events, or around guns, cannons, construction, or heavy machinery.
- Rest your ears. Remove yourself from loud noise every 15 minutes and then, after loud noise exposure, give your ears time – some suggest 18 hours – to recover without loud noise.
- After being in the water, keep your ears dry to prevent infection.
- Manage stress, which can lead to poor circulation, which can impact hearing.
“Sometimes, people don’t even realize they have experienced hearing loss because it has become their ‘normal,’” says CaptionCall Vice President of Marketing Paul Kershisnik. “Yet hearing loss, if left untreated, can have a significant impact on one’s general health and the ability to stay connected.”
Watch for signs of hearing loss, which include asking others to repeat themselves, difficulty understanding phone conversations, listening to the TV or radio at high volumes, ringing in one or both ears, and avoiding social settings. If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, reach out to a hearing health care professional to discuss hearing solutions to best suit your needs.
For more information about CaptionCall, visit www.captioncall.com or call 877-557-2227.
CaptionCall, LLC
CaptionCall is the industry leader in the provision of captioned-telephone service that is available at no-cost to anyone who has hearing loss that necessitates the use of captions to use the phone. While hearing loss affects millions of people for many different reasons – age, illness, injury, loud working conditions, and military service – it doesn’t have to limit the quality of their phone conversations. With CaptionCall, it’s easy to communicate confidently with friends, family, and colleagues.
CaptionCall uses advanced voice recognition technology, a transcription service, and human captioning agents to quickly provide written captions of what callers say on a large, easy-to-read screen. The CaptionCall phone works like a traditional telephone – callers simply dial and answer calls, as usual, and speak and listen using a phone handset. CaptionCall users see captions of what callers say.
All eligible customers receive Red Carpet Service that includes professional installation, product training, and friendly customer support, enabling people everywhere to get more from their phone conversations — and more from life.