It is
believed that there are more than 1 billion people worldwide who have hearing
disabilities and need hearing aids. Just like so in the Philippines where
several Filipinos suffer from various levels of hearing impairment and have
poor to no access to hearing aids since they are usually expensive. Without
access to it, they are unable to lead productive lives. Good news to our
hearing-impaired countrymen as earAccess, a Canadian company with a social
mission, announced that its ACCESS® hearing aids are now available in select
Watsons Philippines stores during its grand launch last July 27, 2018. It was
also during the grand launch where those in the area of SM Megamall have
availed of the one-minute hearing test.
earAccess
offers a complete line of hearing aids for all types of hearing losses and
fitting styles that are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by FINE
Nutrition Trading International. It has trained promoters to fit ACCESS 1 and
ACCESS 2 hearing aids.
Audra
Renyi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of earAccess Inc., is a former
investment banker who left her job on Wall Street over a decade ago to dedicate
her life to helping people with hearing loss. This is to ensure that everyone
who needs a hearing aid has access to quality product at affordable prices.
The
World Health Organization said hearing loss is an invisible disability that
affects over 466 million people worldwide. In the Philippines, over 17 million
Filipinos have hearing loss, according to the DOH National Registry. Most
people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids but the vast majority
cannot afford them at the current high prices. Recent studies from researchers
at John Hopkins University have shown that unaddressed hearing loss is
correlated with early Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline. This
suggests that the sooner hearing aids are used by people with hearing loss, the
better the chances of slowing down the aging process. For young people, it is
critical to have access to hearing aids to increase educational attainment and
earning potential.
Mrs.
Renyi is the Executive Director of World Wide Hearing Foundation International,
a non-profit organization that helps children in need get access to hearing
aids. World Wide Hearing has already donated 1,000 hearing aids to four
Filipino NGOs in Bohol, the Visayas, Manila and Davao. “When you see a child
laugh from joy the first time she hears, or you see a father break down into
tears when his son recognizes his voice for the first time, it is a magical
moment. Those are the moments we live for,” says Mrs. Renyi. She adds: “Hearing
aids are not just for older adults, they are for everyone who needs them, young
and old.”
Mrs.
Renyi says: “This cause is close to my heart. My father and aunt developed
hearing loss as children and have been wearing hearing aids for decades. When I
found out that fewer than 3% of people with hearing loss worldwide have access
to hearing aids mainly because of the prohibitive price, I was shocked. I told
myself that this is not fair, I have to change this!”
Like
Watsons Philippines, earAccess believes that there is no need for a trade-off
between quality and affordability. “We can offer both,” Mrs. Renyi said.
For
her part, Imelda Tesalona, President of FINE Nutrition Trading International
and a registered Pharmacist herself, said they are elated to be able to help in
the cause of Mrs. Renyi and earAccess to make high quality yet affordable
hearing aids available to many Filipinos. “We are happy to distribute ACCESS®
hearing aids to the Philippines, in consonance with our vision to promote only
high-quality beauty and wellness products. With Watsons stores as the main
selling platform, we know that very soon, more Filipinos with hearing concerns
will have access to hearing aids that are inexpensive yet of undeniable quality,”
she declared.
