World Hearing Day 2023
Caption: World Hearing Day stall on South Lawn at the University of Melbourne Parville campus, Friday 3rd of March 2023
On Friday 3rd of March, after weeks of organising, HEARglobe’s Engagement and Advocacy group celebrated their first World Hearing Day (WHD) event with the students and staff of the University of Melbourne. We were welcomed by an abundance of students curious to learn about their ear health, as well as University guests including the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS), Professor Mike McGuckin!
What is WHD about?
World Hearing Day officially takes place on the 3rd of March every year. The aim of the day is to help raise awareness around hearing loss and to help encourage ear health across the globe. Every year a theme is selected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with this year’s theme being, “Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality!”
Caption: Group photo with Professor Mike McGuckin (Deputy Dean of the Faculty of MDHS), Associate Professor Dani Tomlin (Head of Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology), Dr Kelley Graydon (Audiology Course Coordinator), Tracy Cunico and Angela Chittem from Hearing Australia’s First Nations Service Team, Chris Waterworth (HEARglobe coordinator and lecturer), and some students from our HEARglobe team!
Our event
Our event consisted of a stall located on our university’s South Lawn at the Parkville main campus, where we aimed to spread awareness on hearing and ear health. The stall consisted of three main stations.
The first involved video otoscopy which was conducted by second year Audiology students and allowed students to have a look inside their ears and learn about wax management. So many students were surprised to learn that they should not clean their ears with q-tips, and that the ear has a natural mechanism to clear wax on its own.
Ear tip: if you have earwax near the rim of your ear canal, use a towel to wipe the area after showering! There are also over-the-counter wax softeners that can be used if you have stubborn wax blocking your ears.
Caption: Otoscopy station performed by 2nd Year Master of Clinical Audiology students.
There was also an information station that provided students with knowledge concerning noise level and protection, tinnitus, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and services available to them. We were also joined by our lovely guest speakers: Tracy Cunico (Culture and Capability Lead Victoria/Tasmania) and Angela Chittem (Clinical Community Advisor) from Hearing Australia’s First Nations Service Team. Both Tracy and Angela informed students about their services, including the HAPEE program, which provides free diagnostic hearing assessments and follow-up treatment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from 0-6 years who do not yet attend school full-time. Tracy and Angela also shared insight into working with local communities and how to be culturally safe. Together with the audiology students, they also explored what barriers First Nations people face with hearing loss and what could be done to reduce this.
Did you know that extended exposure at 85dB can cause hearing damage? Not only that, but it only takes two minutes of being exposed to sounds at 110dB before damage to hearing can occur. That’s two minutes of attending a rock concert!
Finally, our last station involved handouts regarding noise protection, ear plugs courtesy of Hearing Australia, and ear lollies to thank students for engaging and participating in WHD. We hope you were also able to celebrate WHD, and if not, be sure to join us next year!
