by Carolina Klotz, on behalf of all Hearing Health Forum EU members
On June 6, 2024, the Hearing Health Forum EU (HHFEU) proudly announced its Manifesto advocating for the European Commission to initiate a European Hearing Health Strategy. This initiative is in collaboration with expert partners in the areas of hearing, ageing, mental health, and disability. Hearing health and the effects of untreated hearing loss are significantly underrated in the EU and globally.
Silent Crisis: Prioritising Hearing Health
Currently, hearing health policies across EU member states are rare, increasing the detrimental health and socio-economic effects of untreated hearing loss. This not only affects individuals’ physical and mental well-being but also puts a heavy financial burden on member states. Launching a European Hearing Health Strategy, as urged by the HHFEU in the Policy Manifesto, would be a crucial step towards mitigating the impact of untreated hearing loss while contributing to improved health and quality of life in Europe’s ageing population.
The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 to be the Decade of Healthy Ageing. Hearing plays an integral role in maintaining a high quality of life in advanced age. Untreated hearing loss is a key modifiable risk factor for the development of cognitive decline, with associated with a higher risk of dementia, mental health issues such as depression, and more frequent falls. This makes appropriate intervention by means of screening and access to corrective measures such as hearing aids or implants indispensable.
HEAR Pillars: Building a Comprehensive Hearing Health Strategy
To make a European Health Union fit for all persons with hearing loss, HHFEU is calling on the European Commission to launch a comprehensive European Hearing Health Strategy, which:
- Focuses on raising hearing loss awareness and appropriate treatment options while at the same time reducing the stigma associated with hearing loss.
- Ensures that effective strategies are implemented at the national level to prevent and detect hearing loss. This includes—but is not limited to—hearing screenings to facilitate earlier detection of paediatric hearing problems and regular adult hearing screenings.
- Increases and facilitates access to hearing healthcare, interventions, treatment options, and rehabilitation for persons living with hearing loss. Treatment options include a range of hearing devices, from hearing aids to hearing implants. Access to rehabilitation, such as speech and language therapy, enhances the benefits of technology.
- Further supports research and the collection of data to facilitate evidence-based policymaking.
Adopting a European Hearing Health Strategy will bring together existing policy resources and build momentum to uphold the European Pillar of Social Rights and the implementation of the European Disability Strategy 2021-2030 with a hearing loss-inclusive perspective. The launch of a European Hearing Health Strategy supports the European economy with a positive return on investment for health intervention, allows the EU to lead by example, and benefits people with hearing loss as well as society in the EU’s member states.
Your Signature Matters
To read and endorse the Manifesto, visit hearinghealth.eu/hearing-manifesto. Follow the HHFEU’s LinkedIn page to not miss any updates or content related to the Policy Manifesto on Hearing.
