Feature Stories

Heartspring Audiologists Help Raise the Walls on Habitat for Humanity Home

Heartspring Audiologists help Habitat for Humanity CHARLOTTE, NC – Carol Jared-Brown and Linda Parmiter-Jacobs of the Heartspring Hearing Center in Wichita recently demonstrated that hearing care professionals do indeed make an important difference. They joined hearing care professional volunteers from across the country to help construct a Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte, NC that will benefit a deserving family. The wall raising for the Habitat home, sponsored by leading hearing device manufacturer Oticon, Inc., took place during the annual convention of the American Audiology Association in Charlotte.

“It was exciting to see the amount of work that could be accomplished in such a short time with everyone pitching in,” said Parmiter-Jacobs. “But nothing matched the excitement we saw on the faces of the mother and her four children who were on hand for the wall raising. For them, this was an important step on the way to finally having a home of their own.”

Both ladies and other volunteers also used their time at the Habitat construction site to educate the general public about the importance of hearing protection. “As you can imagine, it gets pretty noisy with the hammering and drilling on the worksite and we wanted to use this opportunity to demonstrate the importance of hearing protection during construction or any noisy activity around the house, such as mowing the lawn or using a leaf blower,” Jared-Brown explained. “Over the course of the construction, we distributed hundreds of ear plugs and information on the importance of protecting your hearing.”

Jared-Brown and Parmiter-Jacobs pointed out that working around loud noises as well as loud rock music, even an iPod set to too loud a volume can contribute to hearing loss. “Luckily, the advanced technology digital hearing solutions now available provide a range of features to enhance speech understanding,” Parmiter-Jacobs noted. “But an important part of my work as a hearing care professional is also helping people maintain their hearing health for as long as possible.”

Hearing loss is one of the most common health problems in the United States. It is estimated that over 28 million people, one in every ten Americans, has hearing loss. Hearing care professionals, like Jared-Brown and Parmiter-Jacobs, provide a vital link to hearing health by evaluating hearing loss and helping individuals choose hearing solutions that suit their particular hearing loss.

For more information on hearing health and hearing solutions, contact the Heartspring Hearing Center at 316-634-8750 or visit www.heartspringhearing.org.

"We are grateful for the support and generosity of volunteers who are helping to ensure that needy children and their families, have a simple, decent place to live and grow," said Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon, Inc. "Such a gift is an example of their commitment to help to eradicate poverty housing while raising awareness around hearing care.