MED-EL USA announced the results of an international survey that revealed that the voices of family members or partners (67%) were the sound Americans would miss the most if they could no longer hear. Conversations with friends and loved ones (81%) were the most mentioned “everyday situation” that would be affected by hearing loss.
The survey findings illustrate the significance of hearing on families and life events: 64% of respondents said that hearing “I love you” from a partner or family member would not be the same if they couldn’t hear; this was the most mentioned life event, according to MED-EL’s survey.  Additionally, respondents indicated their baby’s first words (42%) and their baby’s first giggle (40%) were life events that would not be the same if they lost their hearing.
May is an important time for family connections, with an estimated 122 million phone calls made in the US on Mother’s Day. However, for people living with hearing loss, making that phone call—a daily occurrence that most people take for granted—can be challenging.
“MED-EL’s mission is to end hearing loss as a barrier to communication around the world,” said Raymond Gamble, CEO & President of MED-EL North America. “We recognize the role that hearing technology plays in helping to maintain vital connections among family members, on Mother’s Day and every day. If a mother or child finds that making a phone call has become difficult, we want to encourage them to get in touch with MED-EL to see if we have resources that can help.”
MED-EL HearPeer Scott Murray reflected on his emotional experience with his mother during his cochlear implant activation: “There were three people at my activation besides me, including my audiologist. My mom was there. We were going around the room and they were talking one at a time. At first, I was very confused because everything sounded discombobulated. We got to my mom and she started talking, and she sounded the most normal. And I said ‘everyone sounds strange and you sound normal.’ And she started crying right there.”
To celebrate the importance of access to sound and family connections, MED-EL USA will be giving away #MEDELmom ceramic tumblers daily from May 6-12 to people who have connected with their mothers, children, or grandchildren by sharing an inspirational post from MED-EL USA’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/medel.unitedstates.
May is also recognized as Better Hearing and Speech Month as an annual observance to raise awareness of issues surrounding hearing loss, as well as interventions that can help restore access to the world of sound.
Survey Background
An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 1,001 adults aged 18+ living in the USA from January 7-11, 2019. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.
Source: MED-EL