• Amplifon confirms its focus on the importance of safe listening as WHO highlights the increase of young adults living with and at risk of developing hearing loss
• In America, 45 million people suffer from some form of hearing loss¹
• The Miracle-Ear Foundation has donated more than 21,000 hearing aids to 11,000 people

On World Hearing Day 2022, Amplifon strengthens its commitment to the treatment and prevention of hearing loss by joining the World Health Organization (WHO) “To Hear For Life, Listen With Care” global campaign.

Through this year’s campaign, WHO will focus on the importance of safe listening as a means of maintaining good hearing throughout a person’s life, emphasizing the important message that hearing care – combined with safer exposure to loud sounds – can mitigate the risk of developing hearing loss. For these reasons, WHO calls upon governments, industry partners and civil society to raise awareness for and implement evidence-based standards that promote safe listening.

While 1.1 billion young people are currently at risk of permanent hearing loss from listening to music at loud volumes over prolonged periods of time², investments in hearing care are key to tackling these issues: WHO reports that, over 10 years, every $1 invested in care and prevention promises a return of nearly $16³. Moreover, WHO estimates 2.5 billion people worldwide will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050.

To meet this looming demand, in the Americas, Amplifon is at the forefront of training the next generation of hearing care professionals, who sit at the heart of a customer’s journey – providing vital information, tailor-made personalized solutions, and human care throughout the process. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, the demand for hearing care professionals will grow 10 percent in the next 10 years. Amplifon Americas currently employs nearly 2,500 hearing care professionals and provides almost 40,000 hours of training each year.

Many of those same hearing care professionals are also actively involved in the Miracle-Ear Foundation, which has invested in communities across the country for more than 30 years, dedicating its efforts to delivering life-changing services and bringing the gift of sound to an increasing number of people in need each year. Most recently, that support took the form of two Miracle Missions, supporting hard hit communities in Alabama and Kentucky by providing free hearing exams and hearing aids to those in need. All told, thanks to the support of Miracle-Ear franchise owners and donors across the country, since its founding in 1990, the Miracle-Ear Foundation has donated more than 21,000 hearing aids to children and adults nationwide.

“The Miracle-Ear Foundation has done amazing work broadening access and providing care to those most in need in our communities, changing more than 11,000 lives at no cost to them,” says Alessandro Bonacina, Executive Vice President of Amplifon Americas. “But we still have more to do to educate the public about the importance of protecting their hearing and treating their hearing loss with care and urgency. We need to continue to spread the message that hearing care is necessary, valuable, and effective, and the first part of that journey should start by seeing a qualified hearing care professional.”

In line with its Sustainability Plan, Amplifon aims to continue promoting social inclusion and spreading greater awareness about hearing-loss prevention, hearing well-being, responsible listening, and the impact of noise pollution.

About Amplifon Americas

Amplifon Americas, a division of Amplifon Group, is a leading provider of hearing health care solutions in the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Amplifon Americas is made up of more than 1,000 direct employees dedicated to serving the diverse needs of its customers through several unique and independent brands: Miracle-Ear, with more than 1,500 locations nationwide, Amplifon Hearing Health Care, with more than 6,000 clinics across the country, and Amplifon Canada, with more than 70 locations. Together, its mission is to empower people with hearing loss to rediscover all the emotions of sound. Amplifon Americas strives to improve lives, relationships, and communities through a powerful combination of leading-edge technology and high-quality care.

¹ CDC, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

² World Report On Hearing - WHO, March 3rd, 2021

³ Ibid.

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