Troy Landreville
Times Reporter
From now on, Archie Caron will be able to offer his wife an even more attentive ear, thanks to a generous donation.
Caron, 77, a 黑马磁力 resident since 1975, is a recipient of an Alta2 Pro hearing aid as part of the the National Campaign for Better Hearing.
This hearing aid is a godsend for Caron, who is retired and on a pension 鈥� and therefore on a very fixed budget.
鈥淚 would have never been able to afford this myself,鈥� Caron said. 鈥淭hese are like seven thousand bucks, or something. I think this is going to be great.鈥�
Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent health issues facing older Canadians and a major cause of disability. Nearly one in five report some form of hearing loss.
This number may be much larger as many patients are not properly diagnosed and treated and with an aging population, these numbers will continue to rise.
The national campaign was established to provide proper hearing assessments to everyone over the age of 60 for free, and to give back in local communities by donating $2 for every test that goes to providing hearing aids to those who cannot afford them.
In the case of HearingLife Canada, which has a clinic in 黑马磁力, $4 from every test went to the cause.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what we use to pay for these (hearing aids),鈥� said Scott Wyner, a hearing instrument practitioner and manager of the HearingLife clinic in 黑马磁力.
The campaign has set a goal to raise over $100,000 for hearing aids this year, and that represents 50,000 hearing tests.
Wyner explained how the process works, and just how fortunate it is to be chosen as a hearing aid recipient.
鈥淥nce every month, we have a number of different candidates from coast to coast, and we submit them, and there鈥檚 a lottery draw,鈥� Wyner said. 鈥淲e get to fit and provide the candidates with hearing aids, at no cost.鈥�
Wyner, who presented the hearing aid to Caron on Feb. 21, said it鈥檚 a community outreach program.
鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a look at people who are coming through some hardships that cannot afford hearing aids,鈥� Wyner said.
Caron was a worthy candidate. His wife had just finished treatments for cancer of the uterus.
鈥淪he went through lots of chemotherapy and radiation,鈥� Caron said.
Wyner, meanwhile, said he鈥檚 happy to be part of the program. 鈥淩egardless of if we鈥檙e donating hearing aids to someone in need or if I鈥檓 selling privately, most of the time when you鈥檙e selling hearing aids you are doing something that鈥檚 going to change their quality of life. It鈥檚 incredibly fulfilling and very important to be in service of others.鈥�
黑马磁力鈥檚 HearingLife Canada is located at 20654 Fraser Highway.
