On this World Hearing Day, we must remember its fundamental importance in communication and for the well-being of society. Hearing loss takes on different aspects depending on the age group. Currently, the largest group with deafness is associated with ageing. Deafness in old age contributes to social isolation and has a major impact on mental health.
Hearing trauma definitely damages hair cells in the inner ear. It is necessary to inform and raise the population’s awareness to this fact. Much has been done at industrial level and in the workplace, with specific regulations. However, in leisure activities, the damage caused by noise is sometimes underestimated.
"In the 2018-2019 academic year, we converted this need to raise the awareness of the young population to the problem into a collaborative pedagogical project of the Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) subject. The idea was, together, to design a strategy to postpone the age when it is necessary to use a hearing aid. Basically, the aim was to make young people gain more respect for hearing so that their hearing function is preserved for more years. As we had several Erasmus students, we thought on a European scale. Young people have an extraordinary imagination and so the various groups created a lot of awareness material for both young children and high school students and teachers. They designed logos for t-shirts, posters, brochures, videos, storybooks, bookmarks, podcasts, etc.. Students went to schools and conducted awareness sessions, which were very well received. The entire project was presented at the exhibition "Em todos os Sentidos" (In all Senses), organized by the University of Lisbon, which took place at the Caleidoscope Building. This fascinating intervention by the Otorhinolaryngology students was recorded in the book ORL Students at the UL, published by the ORL University Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. This publication records much of what has been done and illustrates the energy, the imagination and the sense of responsibility of this new generation of young doctors."
Óscar Dias | FMUL Professor and ORL Doctor
