If you lose part of your vision, you will notice it. If you lose part of your hearing, everyone else will notice it.

After reading about Douglas Grant’s hearing problem on Sunday, I thought about Carol White, another employee at Avada Audiology & Hearing Care, and the conversation that we had about two months ago of her desire to reach and to talk to more seniors about hearing loss and the help that they could get through her agency if they thought that they might have a hearing problem. White is a patient care coordinator and Becky Israel, the audiologist who performed Grant’s testing, is a practitioner at the hearing center. Before I inform you about the good services that this center offers, I would like to share some hearing facts with you that White shared with me.

Hearing loss affects 28 million Americans, 10 percent of the U.S. population, 35 to 40 percent of people over 65 years of age and 50 percent over 74, and one of every four households. However, only six million Americans wear hearing aids.

Research results show that hearing loss has a negative impact on physical health, emotional health and mental acuity. Hearing loss can be attributed to hereditary factors, accidents and illnesses, high fevers, medication side effects, noise exposure and aging.

Poor hearing can contribute to anger, frustration, depression, introverted behavior, paranoid feelings, self-criticism, decreased earning power, and decreased group-social activity.

Some people may acknowledge their loss, but believe that they can successfully compensate their hearing loss by reading lips, asking others to repeat, indirectly make others repeat, or may ask their significant other to translate. Some may not acknowledge their loss and blame others by making the following statements: “They mumble, they don’t face me, they talk too softly or there’s background noise.”

White is just one of those who offers hope to help you to face up to your problem to get the help that you may need.

White herself wears a hearing aid in each ear and said that she cried when she realized how much she had missed in sound when her hearing was restored. That is one reason that she is very interested in everyone who may need them, to get them as soon as possible.

She is willing to talk to any group of people about hearing loss and to schedule free hearing screenings on an individual or group basis. The screening will take only 10 minutes and will determine if your ears are clean, if a hearing loss is present, or if you need further testing,

If she meets a disabled group of people, she will bring a portable-testing machine with her to perform hearing tests. If anyone in that group has some hearing loss, she will schedule a time for them to come to the office for further testing, at no charge. Groups for testing need to make arrangements so that proper time to perform tests can be blocked off. For those who go to the audiology office for testing and the results prove that they will need to wear a hearing aid, if they purchase it from that office, they can reap several benefits. Those benefits will include the following: You will not have to ever pay for batteries, cleaning, service appointments, or adjustments.

The company that you purchase the hearing aid from through Avada Audiology & Hearing Care will offer a one-year warranty. After that period ends, the audiology center will give you additional years with an extended-warranty plan.

Other reputable companies may have similar, or even more lucrative benefits. You just need to find out.

Hearing aids are expensive, therefore, you may purchase them on your credit card, by check or make arrangements for monthly payments that the audiology center will arrange. An order can’t be sent off until at least half of the total is paid. However, the free services offered by the hearing center are worth the effort in purchasing a hearing aid if you need one.

In my opinion I think that this is a very good program. That is why I contacted Betty Whitney, senior coordinator for presentations such as these at my church East End Baptist, to make arrangements with White to talk about this program. She will do so at noon on May 30.

If you would like to make an appointment for White to come to your group, she can be reached at 934-8797.

The center is located at 610 W. Constance Road in the Forest Hill Medical Center.

Wall is a former News-Herald reporter and regular contributor to the Town Square page.