Providing Better Hearing For Those In Need

At the Ears4Me booth at a local health fair.

Hearing - we all know how important that basic sense can be. From being able to hear a beautiful concerto, to picking up a cry of distress from a baby, hearing enables full participation in the human world.

But what happens when your hearing ability worsens, or fails? Not often does health insurance provide for the treatment needed, especially hearing aids and hearing protection. If a person is just making the minimal income to get by, paying for expensive protections and hearing aids falls right off the budget.



That's where EARS4ME, started by Fred McClory, enters the picture. For 30 years, Mr. McClory had been experiencing progressive hearing loss, which had become profound as he entered his senior years. Then, like many others before him, he received a cochlear implant at the age of 77, about five years ago. He continued, "From having a profound hearing loss which leads to all kinds of mental and physical problems; to be able to hear again, is simply a life-changing experience. At times I still cry tears of happiness."

Ears4Me serves the Coachella Valley in California, by partnering with medical and dental clinics in the more remote areas, to provide free hearing screenings, exams, and various types of amplifiers. Every year, the organization provides free hearing screenings at local health fairs, along with separate hearing screening events, and has provided approximately 270 individuals with fitted hearing amplifiers. This year, the group intends to increase the number of hearing screening events by ten and hope to be able to fit another 150 individuals with hearing amplifiers.

Fred McClory (right) helps fit a client with a hearing amplifier.

On Jan 7, Ears4Me participated in a new health fair called Eyes And Ears in Palm Beach, held by the former mayor. That event resulted in fitting five people with hearing amplifiers, with two of them receiving two. A few days later on Jan. 10, the organization visited the Senior Center in Coachella, where six out of the nine seniors tested received one fitted hearing amplifier each, to be seen at a later time for fitting a second ear amplifier. So, the organization is off to a good start towards meeting this year's goals. With more donations, Ear4Me plans to become involved in providing services for those living at Senior Citizens Low Income Housing in Palm Beach.

Look for their logo at local hearing screening events.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://www.facebook.com/ears4me.org; this post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ears4me.org/posts/585187228346819; this article on Ears4Me: http://www.ears4me.org/copy-of-our-purpose-1; and the above link.

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