500 persons benefit from free hearing aids

Some 500 persons including children and the elderly received free hearing aid devices from the prestige Starkey Hearing Foundation.

The distribution took place at the Sophia Exhibition Centre on Tuesday morning (June 13, 2017) and was graced with the presence of the First Lady, Sandra Granger.

Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, William Austin underscored the importance of the ability to hear. He noted that “as hearing is processed, we need to process about a million words a year to keep the brain functioning well. It’s like brain food…So people who go with neglecting hearing have cognitive decline, they start slowing down, they can’t keep up, they don’t understand easily.”

He further explained the drive behind the organisation’s mission.

“It’s our art, it’s our skill. If we don’t do this for our fellow man, for our community then what good are we? Imagine, if your art was being a concert pianist but you never had an audience of you never could pay for anyone then what good is your art? Our art is helping people with hearing. These patients make us important,” he stated.

According to Austin, “they bring significance and meaning to our lives and by caring about them we nurture their spirits as well as their hearing.”

For more than 50 years, Austin has been providing the gift of hearing to people in need around the world.

Austin said he realized his true calling earlier in life as one way he could have a lasting impact on the world.

He officially founded Starkey Hearing Foundation in 1984.