With one in six Australians currently suffering from hearing loss1, there is growing demand for hearing aids and Hearing Assistance Dogs in Australia.
Specsavers Audiology is proud to have joined forces with Adelaide based, Australian Lions Hearing Dogs, who provide Hearing Assistance Dogs far and wide across Australia. With a common goal to make a difference to the lives of Australians living with hearing loss, the major sponsorship will enable Australian Lions Hearing Dogs to expand their National Training Centre and will mean that many more people living with hearing loss will receive much needed support from Hearing Assistance Dogs.
Specsavers Audiology General Manager says the partnership highlights Specsavers’ commitment to reducing the impact hearing loss has in Australia.
“We are very proud to be able to support some incredible community programs, including the Lions Recycle for Sight program. Now that we offer Audiology services in more than half of our stores, it’s great that we can also sponsor the fantastic work that Lions Hearing Dogs do in supporting people with hearing loss. We know that it can be very isolating to live with hearing loss, and Lions Hearing Assistance Dogs make such a huge difference by providing both safety and companionship, so we are just so excited to be involved in helping to expand the program,” says Darrel Magna, General Manager at Specsavers Audiology.
Australian Lions Hearing Dogs CEO David Horne says that the Specsavers contribution is much needed as the number of people living with profound hearing loss continues to increase.
“Severe or profound hearing loss is a major concern in Australia, with over 400,000 people suffering in silence. Unfortunately, this number is on the rise,”
“Australian Lions Hearing Dogs sources, trains and places Hearing Assistance Dogs with deaf or hard of hearing people all around Australia. We are the only Australian organization accredited by Assistance Dogs International to carry out such work. To be partnering with Specsavers Audiology, one of Australia’s leading national providers of hearing services, is a very exciting step for us.”
“Australian Lions Hearing Dogs currently has a waiting list of up to two years. We need to expand so we can support more hard of hearing people across Australia. Specsavers Audiology’s sponsorship support will help Australian Lions Hearing Dogs expand our facility in Adelaide in coming years,” says David Horne.
References:
1 Hear us inquiry into hearing health in Australia Page 37, 2.17 Access Economics, 2006, p. 34.
For more information and to support Australian Lions Hearing Dogs visit: https://lionshearingdogs.com.au