2 weeks Ago By Sarah Berry
About one in six Australians experience hearing loss . And even mild loss can have a significant impact on our lives. Apple’s Hearing Aid and Hearing Test features are now available in Australia.
People with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia than those with normal hearing, are more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation , and have a 51 per cent higher chance of having a fall. Yet, many people with mild to moderate hearing loss never seek help. In 2021, Apple, in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the World Health Organisation, tested the hearing health of 160,000 adults.
“A number of participants had hearing loss and didn’t know it,” says Dr Rajiv Kumar, a physician-researcher who works at Apple. “That wasn’t surprising to us. But, a lot of them had hearing loss and knew it and 75 per cent of them never went on to use corrective technology.
” Why? “When we dug into why it often dealt with themes like cost or access or stigma.” Today, Apple is releasing the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features in Australia, using the AirPods Pro 2 (retail $399). People can do the Hearing Test on iPhone or iPad, but can use the Hearing Aid feature on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV or anything your AirPods can connect to.
Best suited to people who are on the lower end of the hearing loss spectrum, they are not designed to replace traditional hearing aids. However, Kate Bergeron, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering says they can assist with loud sound reduction, even for those who are not presenting with hearing loss..
