Today marks World Hearing Day, with this year’s theme “Changing mindset: Empowering yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all!” – and locally, Macau Deaf Association (MDA) Director Nerissa Lau Sut Man told the media yesterday that her group currently looks after about 800 people, adding that over the last three years there has been more than a double-digit increase in the number of people with hearing impairment, a condition which ranks second among locals’ disabilities.
The Macau Deaf Association has co-organised its annual awareness-raising campaign on ear and hearing care, holding the kick-off ceremony yesterday in Flower City Park in Taipa.
Delivering a speech during the ceremony, Lau quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO) as noting that as of 2021, the number of people experiencing hearing loss worldwide had exceeded 1.5 billion, or about 20 percent of the world’s population, predicting that by 2050, the number of people with hearing loss could surge by 1.5 times to 2.5 billion, or about 25 percent of the world’s population, with 700 million, or about 10 percent of the world’s population, requiring professional therapeutic intervention.
Macau Deaf Association (MDA) Director Nerissa Lau Sut Man delivers a speech during yesterday’s kick-off ceremony of the awareness-raising campaign on ear and hearing care, in Flower City Park in Taipa. – Photos: Yuki Lei
A hearing-impaired child wearing an hearing aid attends yesterday’s ceremony.
According to Lau, individuals with hearing impairments can be categorised into various groups, each with distinct needs. Citing data from the Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) disability assessment, she noted that hearing disability ranks second among all local disabilities, with over 5,000 cases. “However, these 5,000 or so do not represent the total number of more than 10,000,” she said.
Lau elaborated that the needs of hearing-impaired groups in Macau are “diversified”, with those who are born deaf primarily relying on sign language for communication, while individuals fitted with hearing aids after birth often use spoken language as their main means of communication. However, she was quick to add that the current policy in Macau relies solely on the data from the government’s disability assessment registrations, which, she said, do not account for hidden cases of individuals who have not yet applied for financial assistance.
“Referring to information from the World Health Organisation, one in five people will experience a hearing problem in their life. In Macau…in our daily interactions, we encounter many cases of individuals who, despite not being registered [for disability assessment], do have hearing problems. Thus, the [government’s] data should be viewed as just a reference point,” Lau stressed, adding that the actual number of people with hearing problems in Macau is likely to be higher than the official statistics.
On community screening, Lau praised the effective implementation of newborn hearing screening in Macau, “but only for newborns”. Citing the WHO, she emphasised that childhood, kindergarten, adolescence, and even old age are critical periods in the developmental process, “‘but in Macau we have not included these screenings in our health care for the time being”.
Lau also highlighted the association’s current service targets, noting that the number of people with acquired hearing loss, including industrial hearing loss and age-related hearing deterioration, has been rising in recent years. She suggested that, in addition to incorporating hearing screenings for various age groups into the public healthcare system, the government should also develop a strategy for universal ear care education, particularly for young people, who often use mobile phones to listen to music and play video games that generate significant noise.
In addition, according to Lau, Macau currently lacks a government-supported audiological service centre, resulting in many hearing-impaired people choosing not to use hearing aids due to lack of support even though they have the financial means to purchase them.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, she also urged the government to establish a big data platform on hearing health to accurately gauge the demand, while also, by referencing to WHO indicators, examining whether the city’s current noise management aligns with international standards.
Lau emphasised the potential for hearing problems to trigger other health conditions: “I think many problems need to be tackled in an integrated manner. We call on the [government] to incorporate these recommendations into the next phase of its 10-year plan for the local elderly and rehabilitation, and to implement them hopefully next year”.
The association’s campaign will continue today from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Lok Yeung Fa Yuen Building sitting-out area in Fai Chi Kei district, where the “Hearing and Ear Health Express Station (耳聽健康快車站)” will be set up to provide hearing screening services for residents.
