Overseas NGO to afford 100 Guyanese custom hearing aids

Jun 11, 2016 News

– to train audiology staff from Guyana, 10 other countries

More than 100 Guyanese with hearing impairments will be eligible for hearing aids and custom ear moulds compliments of the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
The Starkey Hearing Foundation, a non-profit organisation that gives the gift of hearing to people in need in the United States and around the world is set to fit 100 Guyanese children and adults with custom hearing aids. The activity is slated to occur between Monday and Wednesday.
According to information out of the Ministry of Public Health, the Foundation members indicated their desire to work in Guyana after visiting the country in February 2016, a period during which they met with officials to consider possible collaborations.
The Ministry revealed, yesterday, that the adults and children who will benefit from the Foundation’s support will also be eligible for follow-up services. The Foundation members will also offer patients support to use and properly care for their hearing aids as well as provide additional batteries and replacement of hearing aids and ear moulds as needed.
It was revealed by the Ministry yesterday too that the Foundation will also train and educate local and foreign audiology technicians to mould and fit digital hearing aids to the hearing impaired and properly record data for analysis.
A training team consisting of 15 persons along with a five-member support team will during this first mission be training 17 Guyanese as Audiology Staff from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Ten.
Foreign audiology staff from the USA, Mexico, El Salvador, Jamaica, St. Kitts/Nevis, US and UK Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Haiti and Dominican Republic will also be trained.
Starkey partners with governmental organizations, schools and NGOs to promote hearing health awareness, identify patients in need of hearing health services and sustain proper use of hearing devices.
Incorporating volunteers from the hearing health community, they recruit, train and inspire local volunteers in order to ensure the long-term success of the programme. Their aim is to empower local residents to create ownership over local hearing health services.
Starkey Hearing Foundation, a public charity founded by William F. Austin, gives the gift of hearing to people in need in the US and around the world. Disabling hearing loss affects more than 360 million people, including 32 million children, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that improve lives and promote understanding.
The Foundation focuses on hearing health missions, education and recycling, as well as grants to mission-aligned organizations. They have helped 500,000 patients with more than 1.8 million hearing aids in 100 countries.

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