Here at Anderson-Oconee Speech & Hearing, we work diligently to counteract the ongoing dilemmas surrounding hearing loss. We provide follow-up services for newborns referred to us from hospital screenings, and work to achieve success in just six months. As the only agency in Anderson County that serves hearing and speech impairments in the same center, we provide evaluations to children and adults of any age. Our mobile unit allows us to travel all across Anderson County and some the surrounding area providing pre-schools and daycares with speech and hearing evaluations. From here, therapy is provided based on the results of the evaluation. We continuously consult physicians regarding medical involvement and administration to address the needs of the child in the classroom.
Communication is the basis of our world – we must work to preserve it!
Children:
In an era where communication is essential to achieving success in all aspects of our lives, hearing loss resides as the #1 birth defect in newborns. In fact, nationally 1 in every 22 infants born experiences some degree of hearing loss while 1:1,000 cases are severe. According to recent studies, about 4,360 children under the age of 18 suffers from hearing deficits, while 3,938 of these cases appear to have significant impacts educationally. Although these hearing problems generally inhibit the abilities of students in their studies of reading and mathematics, the impact transfers to all aspects of the students academic experience. These students are found to achieve 1-4 grade levels lower than unaffected peers, and the gap in academic achievement is only expected to widen as the child progresses through school.
Adults:
Like with children, the vast need for adult assistance in regard to speech and hearing difficulties cannot be over looked. As our population grows increasingly older, and our expected life time continues to increase, we must realize hearing loss is the 3rd most common chronic condition in the older population and is not slowing down. In Anderson County alone, 13,125 people above the age of 65 suffer some degree of hearing loss, while 19,950 people between the ages of 18 & 64 experience speech, language and/or hearing problems.
As mentioned before, our primary goal at AOSH is to assist all those in the Anderson County area despite their financial abilities, and by working in correlation with
HEAR NOW and
Lend An Ear loan hearing bank
we are able to provide hearing aids at NO COST. We offer adults the opportunity to participate in personal evaluations and attend speech therapy sessions customized to their individuals needs and results. Furthermore, we offer services in cooperation with Vocational Rehabilitation to improve vocational viability, and work hand-in-hand with various home health agencies to provide personalized in-home care.
An ounce of prevention is really worth more than a pound of cure!
Hearing Programs
HEAR NOW and Lend An Ear loan hearing aid bank- provide hearing aids at no cost
Hear Now is a national non-profit program committed to assisting deaf and hard-of-hearing persons with limited financial resources who permanently reside within the United States. The work of Hear Now is supported through the contributions of many benefactors. We receive no government funding. All donations money, time, hearing aids allow the program to survive and give the gift of hearing domestically.
Hear Now collects hearing aids for recycling purposes. Any make or model, regardless of age, can be donated to the hearing aid recycling program. All donations are tax deductible and a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to all identified donors.
If you wish to donate a salvaged hearing aid or other assistive device, please securely package the donation and mail to:
Hear Now
6700 Washington Avenue South
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
1-800-648-4327
For more information, visit HEAR NOW webpage
SAFEEars!…to hear the future
In 2003, SAFEEars! became Sertoma’s National Service Project. More than 115 Sertoma clubs participated in the first year, and today there are over 200 clubs participating. Clubs participate by giving away kits at health fairs, talking to elementary schools, giving hearing screenings, and more.
The annual SAFEears! Program is conducted by the Anderson-Oconee Clinic with help from Sertoma volunteers. In May, which is National Better Hearing and Speech Month, the clinic gives free screenings, education, and donated earplugs to people in the area at malls and other public places.
SAFEEars! was developed as a way to spread information about how to protect your hearing. According to Dr. Dick Brandon, director of Anderson-Oconee Speech and Hearing, Noise pollution is the Number One cause of hearing loss in adults. We reach over 10,000 people each year and help them understand how to better protect their hearing.
For more information, visit Sertoma SAFEears! webpage