Hearing is a critical component of experiencing our everyday lives and fostering meaningful connections. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), about “15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.”

There are three main types of hearing loss that affect different areas of the hearing system. Conductive hearing loss affects the outer and middle ear, sensorineural hearing loss affects the inner ear, and mixed hearing loss is a mixture of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. The type of hearing loss a person has is very important, as the frequencies affected and the severity of loss significantly impacts their communication abilities and understanding of speech sounds.

Here are several tips to help maintain your hearing health:

• Don’t put sharp, small, or dirty objects in your ears
• Use hearing protection in loud environments
• Be aware that some medications can cause hearing loss
• Be careful when changing altitudes quicky (like when in an airplane). Swallow and yawn to equalize the pressure in your ears.

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If you haven’t heard yet, the undergraduate and graduate chapters of NSSLHA are merging effective fall 2022! Why are we merging?

• To maximize resources that can be shared between the undergraduate and graduate students
• To help strengthen connections among those who are interested in SLP/Audiology
• Historically, most colleges just have one chapter (and UNC used to be a joint chapter as well!)
• More executive board positions for both undergraduate and graduate students
• More graduate student feedback/input and representation
• The beauty of the merge is that we have the opportunity to reconstruct our organization – it truly is what you want it to be