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Chime raise awareness for Deafness and Hearing Loss in Limerick 

Chime, The National Charity for Deafness and Hearing Loss, took to the streets of Limerick recently to raise awareness of hearing loss

Chime raise awareness for Deafness and Hearing Loss in Limerick 

Chime, The National Charity for Deafness and Hearing Loss, took to the streets of Limerick recently to raise awareness of hearing loss and to discover what the public’s favourite sound is while considering how they would feel if they could no longer hear that sound. According to Chime’s research, over 30% of people in Limerick, aged between 18-30 years, count listening to their favourite song or podcast as one of their favourite sounds to hear every day, compared with only 10% of adults aged over 50 citing music as their most loved sound.

Music isn’t the only sound that Limerick locals enjoy hearing every day. Sounds of nature including bird’s singing and the sound of heavy rain against the window were cited as favourites by 44% of adults surveyed. When it came to how the people of Limerick would feel if they were unable to hear their favourite sound again, almost half (48%) said that they would feel “sad” and “isolated from the world”. According to the Census 2016, over 11,500 Limerick adults have significant hearing loss, with only 20% of these people taking action. This means that over 9,000 people in Limerick are currently struggling with hearing loss in their everyday life. 


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Speaking on Chime’s hearing awareness campaign, Mark Byrne, CEO of Chime said, “From our recent research, we discovered that listening to music is favoured very highly among the 18-30-year-old age group in Limerick. People often equate hearing loss with old age, but more and more young people are presenting with hearing loss which is primarily caused by exposure to loud noises. To try to prevent damage to your hearing, at any age, we would recommend listening to music for 60 minutes maximum at 60% volume.  Hearing loss can happen gradually so you may not notice it at first but keeping the volume at a safe level can help prevent any future issues.”

He continued, “We are encouraging the people of Limerick to pop into our centre for a free hearing test with one of our audiologists. We provide advice on how to live with and manage hearing loss for you and your family. We also have a dedicated information line (1800 256 257) for anyone that would like advice, support and care.”

Chime

For over fifty years, Chime has championed for equal rights, greater accessibility and opportunities for individuals with deafness and hearing loss.

For over fifty years, Chime has championed for equal rights, greater accessibility and opportunities for individuals with deafness and hearing loss. They envision a society with no limits for anyone living with deafness or hearing loss. They are on a mission to limit the impact of deafness and hearing loss through promoting accessibility, creating communities and enabling personal choice and community participation.

 To contact please call our Hearing Loss Information line on 1800 256 257.

For more information on chime click here

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.