
Hearing aids: how getting your ears checked can help end the silence
One day, it required a tilt of the head at dinner to catch a drift of conversation to the left. Craning my neck, I'd pick up every fifth word or so, enough to get the gist of an exchange.
And then, as I settled into my 40s, it came to a point where I could bluff it no more.
I'd sit down at a work function and immediately say sorry to the person to my left. 'I won't be able to hear a word,' I would explain, embarrassed and apologetic.
I began to turn down social invitations I would have jumped at just a year or two earlier.
I had been aware of the persistent ringing in my ears for at least a decade at that stage. I figured it might have been there all the time, and assumed others had the same inner alarm bell ringing. Today, I know it is tinnitus.
I was mindful of my seating, my place at a table. Subconsciously, I was positioning myself to see people's faces, specifically their mouths. Without realising it, I was lip-reading to get through conversations.
This realisation came with a bolt in 2020, when suddenly mouths were covered, literally overnight, by face masks to protect us from covid.
Still, though, I persevered. I didn't count myself as a candidate for hearing aids.
I'm almost, but not quite yet, 50. And in hearing terms, thankfully, I'm considered to be a bit of a spring chicken.
I had had a few hearing tests and outpatient clinic appointments in my late 30s, when I could still cobble together a conversation to my left.
The deterioration, though, couldn't be ignored when I found myself unable to hear my kids at breakfast.
School runs were punctuated by my consistent refrain: 'What?' I would repeat the word over and over, gesturing with great animation and frustration to my left ear.
The TV volume was a source of contention — too low for me, too loud for them. It seemed to worsen with each season of Dancing with the Stars.
The kids had had enough. Understandably. Annoyed at having to repeat everything twice, sometimes three times, they were the ones in the end who forced me to get my hearing checked.
And how right they were.
Hearing test reveals the truth
I meet Emer O'Reilly at Blackberry Hearing in Douglas, Cork.
Established 10 years ago, the company has 60 clinics nationwide.
I explain how my hearing began to dip in my late 20s to early 30s, a few years after I finished chemotherapy for lymphoma. I outline the family history — my brother's deafness would be classed as profound.
There's no definitive way to tell my root cause, O'Reilly says.
A hearing test shows me to be a step away from profound in my left ear. My right ear, meanwhile, as I guessed, was in good shape. I grasp the positives, but O'Reilly tells me I am a definite candidate for hearing aids.
The test itself is simple — you press a button when you hear a sound, often through crackling, swishing wind noises. I'm instantly aware of my sensitivities to certain frequencies in my left ear.
The Widex SmartRIC 330 hearing aids, available through Blackberry Hearing.
I am shown a range of hearing aid options, and in the end, I opt for the Widex SmartRIC 330. I am given them for a six-week trial.
If I am happy with them, the cost is €4,798 — a €1,000 hearing aid grant from the Department of Social Protection is available to offset some of the costs.
They are small and discreet — six weeks later, no one has noticed them, unless I point them out. My hair is also shoulder-length, which easily conceals them.
They are set at 50% capacity to ease me in. O'Reilly warns me it will be overwhelming at first. And this is no lie. I emerge into the crowds in Douglas Court Shopping Centre, and it reminds me of that moment in The Wizard of Oz when everything turns technicolour.
I can hear my water bottle swishing in my bag. I hear a woman across the aisle discussing coleslaw options for lunch. My voice sounds loud, harsh, and booming. I ring my husband, I can hear a bird singing in the background as he talks. The radio is sharp, crystal clear.
On a return visit to Blackberry Hearing a week later, the audio is increased to full. The aids are connected to my phone, and I leave with a kit to sync my TV.
It means my calls are connected directly to my hearing aids, and the TV is also looped to them. I am all but bionic.
This visit is almost as big a game-changer as the last one. The TV is no longer a trigger for eye rolling at home. We can all watch it together, at a volume we can agree on.
I go to the cinema, as well as the opera, and it feels beautiful. In the car, I listen to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
Aspects of the song, I realise, are relayed from the left or right speaker, while others are centred.
As I experience the stereo panning for the first time in a couple of decades, it is immersive and surprisingly emotional.
Campaign call
As I settle into life with hearing aids, I have just one question. Why did I wait so long to get them? When I needed glasses for night driving, I strolled into an optician without a second thought. So what was my hang-up about hearing aids?
Matt Gleeson, managing director of Blackberry Hearing, understands my hesitation about getting hearing aids. In his experience, people generally wait up to seven years to seek help.
'There is a lack of awareness, a lack of understanding of what hearing aids are now compared to before,' he says, referencing the advances in technology and design.
Gleeson talks about the impact hearing loss can have on people's lives, the isolation it can lead to. He is speaking from experience — he set up Blackberry Hearing when he saw how difficult it was for his grandfather to access hearing aids for his grandmother when her hearing began to fade.
'He didn't find the process transparent or affordable,' says Gleeson. He set out to change that, and takes solace in knowing that he is 'doing good for people'.
Chime is the national charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Founded 60 years ago, it offers services that include care, technology, and advice.
The majority of its funding comes from the HSE; the remaining support is sourced from grants, government departments, and our social enterprises.
Its CEO, Danielle McLaughlin, also talks of the stigma around hearing aids. It often stems from their association with ageing and disability. And then there are the optics.
Glasses today can be funky and fashionable, while hearing aids are often wrongly assumed to be bulky and noticeable.
McLaughlin also believes the lack of a national hearing care plan could be the root cause.
'People put off going for a hearing test,' she says.
'They are quicker to have their eyesight checked than their hearing. And people wait until their hearing gets quite bad before considering getting a hearing aid. This is why Chime believes that a national campaign is required to educate the public about the risks of untreated hearing loss and the benefits of seeking treatment early. It is one of the key areas we are campaigning for, along with the campaign for a National Hearing Care Plan.'
We are used to eye tests — hearing exams less so. They are simply not built into regular check-ups.
McLaughlin points out that Ireland has a high level of unaddressed hearing loss — yet we prescribe hearing loss at less than half the rate of the British per head of population.
According to the HSE, eight per cent of the adult population has a significant hearing loss and needs audiological intervention — that's 300,000 people in Ireland. However, only one in five people with significant hearing loss has hearing aids.
'Chime has been campaigning for several years to improve the level of take-up of hearing aids amongst the population,' says McLaughlin.
The charity's 2022 survey showed that many people put off going for a hearing test, with 86% of respondents agreeing that people were quicker to have their eyesight checked than their hearing.
Almost nine in 10 agreed that people wait until their hearing loss becomes quite severe before considering a hearing aid.
But it's wrong to wait, says Chime audiologist Sarah O'Sullivan.
'The longer a person avoids addressing their hearing loss, the more challenging it will become to adapt to living with hearing aids. It really is a case of the sooner the better,' she says.
'Hearing aids work to stimulate the auditory processing of the brain that becomes idle without stimulation. Introducing hearing aids at a later stage of hearing loss often means poorer results for any individual.'
Untreated hearing loss can 'chip away' at a person's identity and social connections, she adds.
'Having difficulty following the thread of a conversation, enjoying yourself at a wedding or in a restaurant, or staying involved and linked in with family and friends in your everyday life, can lead to a deterioration in an individual's sense of self.
'Untreated hearing loss can have very serious impacts on a person's wellbeing and in their key relationships, which can result in avoidance, isolation, and depression.'
A life transformed
A 2011 US study, published in JAMA Neurology, found that the rate of cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss compared to their hearing peers was double for those with mild hearing loss, three times for those with moderate hearing loss, and five times for those with severe hearing loss.
In 2020, a Lancet commission of global experts in dementia estimated that 8% of dementia cases could be prevented by early treatment of hearing loss.
There is strong evidence that this increased risk is largely eliminated through the early fitting of hearing aids.
Cost is, of course, a barrier, but following a change to the hearing aid grant available through the Department of Social Protection, an additional 7,000 people got free hearing aids in 2021.
The HSE provides audiology services to medical card holders and children, and there are record waiting lists — more than 25,000 people are waiting for a first appointment.
Approximately 70% of hearing aids are provided through private providers.
According to Chime, a national hearing care plan would ensure that people with hearing loss could access quality audiology services in a timely manner, irrespective of whether they accessed hearing care through the HSE or private providers.
Chime has made a submission to the Hearing Care Plan Working Group, jointly chaired by the Department of Health and the HSE.
A report with initial recommendations is due by the end of this summer for consideration in Budget 2026.
In the meantime, O'Reilly keeps checking in from Blackberry, and I tell her, six weeks in, the hearing aids are working seamlessly.
On a very odd morning, when I forget my hearing aids, there is a tap on the shoulder, and my kids draw me close, reminding me to pop them in.
They don't need to repeat themselves, over and over, anymore. Our mornings, and my life, are transformed.

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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Hearing aids: how getting your ears checked can help end the silence
The hearing loss had been gradual. One day, it required a tilt of the head at dinner to catch a drift of conversation to the left. Craning my neck, I'd pick up every fifth word or so, enough to get the gist of an exchange. And then, as I settled into my 40s, it came to a point where I could bluff it no more. I'd sit down at a work function and immediately say sorry to the person to my left. 'I won't be able to hear a word,' I would explain, embarrassed and apologetic. I began to turn down social invitations I would have jumped at just a year or two earlier. I had been aware of the persistent ringing in my ears for at least a decade at that stage. I figured it might have been there all the time, and assumed others had the same inner alarm bell ringing. Today, I know it is tinnitus. I was mindful of my seating, my place at a table. Subconsciously, I was positioning myself to see people's faces, specifically their mouths. Without realising it, I was lip-reading to get through conversations. This realisation came with a bolt in 2020, when suddenly mouths were covered, literally overnight, by face masks to protect us from covid. Still, though, I persevered. I didn't count myself as a candidate for hearing aids. I'm almost, but not quite yet, 50. And in hearing terms, thankfully, I'm considered to be a bit of a spring chicken. I had had a few hearing tests and outpatient clinic appointments in my late 30s, when I could still cobble together a conversation to my left. The deterioration, though, couldn't be ignored when I found myself unable to hear my kids at breakfast. School runs were punctuated by my consistent refrain: 'What?' I would repeat the word over and over, gesturing with great animation and frustration to my left ear. The TV volume was a source of contention — too low for me, too loud for them. It seemed to worsen with each season of Dancing with the Stars. The kids had had enough. Understandably. Annoyed at having to repeat everything twice, sometimes three times, they were the ones in the end who forced me to get my hearing checked. And how right they were. Hearing test reveals the truth I meet Emer O'Reilly at Blackberry Hearing in Douglas, Cork. Established 10 years ago, the company has 60 clinics nationwide. I explain how my hearing began to dip in my late 20s to early 30s, a few years after I finished chemotherapy for lymphoma. I outline the family history — my brother's deafness would be classed as profound. There's no definitive way to tell my root cause, O'Reilly says. A hearing test shows me to be a step away from profound in my left ear. My right ear, meanwhile, as I guessed, was in good shape. I grasp the positives, but O'Reilly tells me I am a definite candidate for hearing aids. The test itself is simple — you press a button when you hear a sound, often through crackling, swishing wind noises. I'm instantly aware of my sensitivities to certain frequencies in my left ear. The Widex SmartRIC 330 hearing aids, available through Blackberry Hearing. I am shown a range of hearing aid options, and in the end, I opt for the Widex SmartRIC 330. I am given them for a six-week trial. If I am happy with them, the cost is €4,798 — a €1,000 hearing aid grant from the Department of Social Protection is available to offset some of the costs. They are small and discreet — six weeks later, no one has noticed them, unless I point them out. My hair is also shoulder-length, which easily conceals them. They are set at 50% capacity to ease me in. O'Reilly warns me it will be overwhelming at first. And this is no lie. I emerge into the crowds in Douglas Court Shopping Centre, and it reminds me of that moment in The Wizard of Oz when everything turns technicolour. I can hear my water bottle swishing in my bag. I hear a woman across the aisle discussing coleslaw options for lunch. My voice sounds loud, harsh, and booming. I ring my husband, I can hear a bird singing in the background as he talks. The radio is sharp, crystal clear. On a return visit to Blackberry Hearing a week later, the audio is increased to full. The aids are connected to my phone, and I leave with a kit to sync my TV. It means my calls are connected directly to my hearing aids, and the TV is also looped to them. I am all but bionic. This visit is almost as big a game-changer as the last one. The TV is no longer a trigger for eye rolling at home. We can all watch it together, at a volume we can agree on. I go to the cinema, as well as the opera, and it feels beautiful. In the car, I listen to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Aspects of the song, I realise, are relayed from the left or right speaker, while others are centred. As I experience the stereo panning for the first time in a couple of decades, it is immersive and surprisingly emotional. Campaign call As I settle into life with hearing aids, I have just one question. Why did I wait so long to get them? When I needed glasses for night driving, I strolled into an optician without a second thought. So what was my hang-up about hearing aids? Matt Gleeson, managing director of Blackberry Hearing, understands my hesitation about getting hearing aids. In his experience, people generally wait up to seven years to seek help. 'There is a lack of awareness, a lack of understanding of what hearing aids are now compared to before,' he says, referencing the advances in technology and design. Gleeson talks about the impact hearing loss can have on people's lives, the isolation it can lead to. He is speaking from experience — he set up Blackberry Hearing when he saw how difficult it was for his grandfather to access hearing aids for his grandmother when her hearing began to fade. 'He didn't find the process transparent or affordable,' says Gleeson. He set out to change that, and takes solace in knowing that he is 'doing good for people'. Chime is the national charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Founded 60 years ago, it offers services that include care, technology, and advice. The majority of its funding comes from the HSE; the remaining support is sourced from grants, government departments, and our social enterprises. Its CEO, Danielle McLaughlin, also talks of the stigma around hearing aids. It often stems from their association with ageing and disability. And then there are the optics. Glasses today can be funky and fashionable, while hearing aids are often wrongly assumed to be bulky and noticeable. McLaughlin also believes the lack of a national hearing care plan could be the root cause. 'People put off going for a hearing test,' she says. 'They are quicker to have their eyesight checked than their hearing. And people wait until their hearing gets quite bad before considering getting a hearing aid. This is why Chime believes that a national campaign is required to educate the public about the risks of untreated hearing loss and the benefits of seeking treatment early. It is one of the key areas we are campaigning for, along with the campaign for a National Hearing Care Plan.' We are used to eye tests — hearing exams less so. They are simply not built into regular check-ups. McLaughlin points out that Ireland has a high level of unaddressed hearing loss — yet we prescribe hearing loss at less than half the rate of the British per head of population. According to the HSE, eight per cent of the adult population has a significant hearing loss and needs audiological intervention — that's 300,000 people in Ireland. However, only one in five people with significant hearing loss has hearing aids. 'Chime has been campaigning for several years to improve the level of take-up of hearing aids amongst the population,' says McLaughlin. The charity's 2022 survey showed that many people put off going for a hearing test, with 86% of respondents agreeing that people were quicker to have their eyesight checked than their hearing. Almost nine in 10 agreed that people wait until their hearing loss becomes quite severe before considering a hearing aid. But it's wrong to wait, says Chime audiologist Sarah O'Sullivan. 'The longer a person avoids addressing their hearing loss, the more challenging it will become to adapt to living with hearing aids. It really is a case of the sooner the better,' she says. 'Hearing aids work to stimulate the auditory processing of the brain that becomes idle without stimulation. Introducing hearing aids at a later stage of hearing loss often means poorer results for any individual.' Untreated hearing loss can 'chip away' at a person's identity and social connections, she adds. 'Having difficulty following the thread of a conversation, enjoying yourself at a wedding or in a restaurant, or staying involved and linked in with family and friends in your everyday life, can lead to a deterioration in an individual's sense of self. 'Untreated hearing loss can have very serious impacts on a person's wellbeing and in their key relationships, which can result in avoidance, isolation, and depression.' A life transformed A 2011 US study, published in JAMA Neurology, found that the rate of cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss compared to their hearing peers was double for those with mild hearing loss, three times for those with moderate hearing loss, and five times for those with severe hearing loss. In 2020, a Lancet commission of global experts in dementia estimated that 8% of dementia cases could be prevented by early treatment of hearing loss. There is strong evidence that this increased risk is largely eliminated through the early fitting of hearing aids. Cost is, of course, a barrier, but following a change to the hearing aid grant available through the Department of Social Protection, an additional 7,000 people got free hearing aids in 2021. The HSE provides audiology services to medical card holders and children, and there are record waiting lists — more than 25,000 people are waiting for a first appointment. Approximately 70% of hearing aids are provided through private providers. According to Chime, a national hearing care plan would ensure that people with hearing loss could access quality audiology services in a timely manner, irrespective of whether they accessed hearing care through the HSE or private providers. Chime has made a submission to the Hearing Care Plan Working Group, jointly chaired by the Department of Health and the HSE. A report with initial recommendations is due by the end of this summer for consideration in Budget 2026. In the meantime, O'Reilly keeps checking in from Blackberry, and I tell her, six weeks in, the hearing aids are working seamlessly. On a very odd morning, when I forget my hearing aids, there is a tap on the shoulder, and my kids draw me close, reminding me to pop them in. They don't need to repeat themselves, over and over, anymore. Our mornings, and my life, are transformed.


The Irish Sun
04-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
I've been to the Olympics but ‘opportunity of a lifetime' RTE show was best thing I've ever done, popular star admits
JACK Woolley may have competed at the Olympic Games — but taking part in Dancing With The Stars is 'the best thing he's ever done'. 4 Jack Woolley said taking part in DWTS is 'the best thing' he's ever done Credit: Sportsfile 4 He is now living and training in Madrid Credit: Reuters 4 Jack dedicated some of his dances to Kellie Harrington Credit: Getty But for Jack, reaching the final of DWTS meant more than any medal in the martial art. He said: 'When the opportunity of going on 'I need something else to focus on because I'd spent my whole life just doing the one thing. And it kind of became the be all and end all. 'I wasn't Jack Woolley anymore. I was Jack Woolley, the Taekwondo athlete 24-7. And I wasn't able to be myself. So I used the TV show to kind of show my true self and get myself back. Read more in DWTS 'The goal for me was to be authentic for the people at home, because yeah, the 'I was able to go out and show my personality, I think it got a lot of attention. 'People were coming up to me in the streets being like, oh, your story about this, or when you were talking about your 'And it was just an opportunity of a lifetime. Personally, I know I've been to the Olympics and everything, but for me, it was probably the best thing I've ever done.' Most read in News TV The show also helped Jack to learn to love Taekwondo again, and he is now living and training in Madrid to prepare for his next big challenges, including the Olympic Games in He added: 'Sometimes you lose yourself in high level sports, especially at Olympic level. It can be lonely. DWTS contestants jet off on holiday together 'But once I have allowed myself to be more open to having a team environment and just enjoying the sport again, it's really helped me improve.' Jack was speaking at the launch of VHI's Health and Wellbeing Fund, which will give grants of a total of €85,000 to youth groups around the country who help young people with anxiety and building their resilience. The applications are open until June 11 and you can apply on the website GLITTERBALL STARS - ALL THE DWTS WINNERS SERIES ONE - 2017: Former Kerry footballer Aidan O'Mahony beat the odds to be SERIES TWO - 2018: Singer Jake Carter - the younger brother of country crooner Nathan - was just 19 when he SERIES THREE - 2019: Popular presenter Mairead Ronan SERIES FOUR - 2020: The 2020 series finale SERIES FIVE - 2022: Returning to screens in 2022 after a SERIES SIX - 2023: RTE 2FM star Carl Mullan was left stunned back in 2023 when he SERIES SEVEN - 2024: Paralympian Jason Smyth 4 Jack was one of the top performers on DWTS Credit: Shutterstock


Irish Independent
01-06-2025
- Irish Independent
How the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund is tackling anxiety and powering youth resilience in Ireland
As the world around us continues to change, young people are met with exciting new opportunities but also complex new challenges. One of the most pressing is the rise in anxiety and mental health issues among young people today. Good health in childhood lays the foundation for confidence, stability, and strong decision-making in adulthood, but today's children are facing growing threats to their wellbeing, and the challenges they face are far-reaching. Across Ireland, youth organisations are creating safe spaces where young people can feel supported, seen and empowered to prioritise their mental and physical health. Their work is vital but also requires time, compassion and most critically, funding. Thankfully, the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund is on a mission to support the programmes making a meaningful difference in the lives of young people. Tackling anxiety one project at a time Recent research by the Irish Youth Foundation revealed that 75pc of youth workers regularly observe anxiety in the young people they support, while lack of funding remains their biggest challenge. In 2021, the Irish Youth Foundation released a study which showed that a majority of the 6000 people on a waiting list to see a psychologist were children. Health officials have since reported a four- to six-fold increase in referrals of children under 12 for mental health evaluations through GPs. Since 2020, Vhi, in partnership with the Irish Youth Foundation, has been helping youth organisations through the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund, supporting initiatives that focus on tackling anxiety and strengthening resilience in young people across Ireland. Lifechanging support from the grassroots This year's campaign ambassador, Jack Woolley, knows the importance of resilience better than most. The two-time Olympian and Dancing with the Stars contestant has been open about his own experience managing anxiety and staying mentally strong in the face of challenges, both on and off the competition stage. 'Growing up, my community and local youth groups played a huge role in supporting my Olympic dream, and they have encouraged me through all the highs and lows of my career so far,' Jack said. 'I've seen first-hand how important it is to maintain a healthy mind and body to reach your full potential. Vhi is providing vital funding to youth groups around Ireland who help young people to manage symptoms of anxiety and build resilience, and I'd encourage all youth groups to check it out and apply.' Since its launch, the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund has supported 44 youth-led projects in counties including Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, Limerick and Donegal, reaching over 6,000 young people directly and over 200,000 indirectly through wider community impact. For 2025, Vhi is making €85,000 in funding available to non-profit and youth organisations working in these counties. The goal: to support projects that empower young people to build resilience and manage anxiety with a focus on early intervention and prevention. Sarah Edmonds, CEO of the Irish Youth Foundation, explained the importance of having the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund available as a resource saying, 'Young people are increasingly exposed to situations which create anxiety, and they often do not have access to necessary supports which can help improve resilience. 'The impact of the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund since 2020 has been inspiring and I am looking forward to seeing similar results in 2025. I would encourage all organisations working in the youth sector to apply.' Brian Walsh, CEO of Vhi Group, also emphasised the fund's long-term vision: 'Now in its fifth year, the fund demonstrates our firm commitment to support programmes that are making a meaningful difference in the lives of young people. By investing in community-based projects that tackle anxiety and build resilience, we are fostering a healthier and more sustainable future.' The Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund is a lifeline for non-profits and youth groups doing this crucial work. If you're part of a youth-focused organisation with a vision for helping young people navigate anxiety and build resilience, now is the time to apply. The impact of the Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund since 2020 has been inspiring and Vhi is looking forward to seeing similar results in 2025. Vhi is encouraging all organisations working in the youth sector to apply. For more information, or to make an application, visit Applications are now open and will close at midnight on Wednesday, 11th June 2025.