Help HLAA Win $1 Million for Hearing Loss!
Bethesda, MD: The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has joined the RevlonLOVE IS ON 2016 Million Dollar Challenge, a fundraising competition created to help charities supporting women's health raise as much money as possible for their cause. HLAA is competing for a portion of the more than $1.4 million in cash prizes from Revlon that will go toward awareness, education, support and advocacy for hearing loss. The organization that raises the most money for their cause at the end of the Challenge will receive a $1 million donation from Revlon. The six-week Challenge begins September 14 at noon and runs through October 26 at 1:59:59 p.m. Eastern time.
HLAA has titled its campaign This is Not Your Grandmother’s Hearing Loss (Or is it?) to emphasize the fact that while hearing assistive technology has come a long way, the stigma, denial, and cost associated with hearing loss are still the driving factors that prevent people from seeking help. Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the number one cause of hearing loss in the U.S., affecting more than 35 million people age 60 and older. Hearing loss is also the third most prevalent health issue in older adults, after arthritis and heart disease.
While age-related hearing loss impacts both women and men, it disproportionately affects women for a number of reasons1:
- Older age. Women are more likely to live into their 80s and beyond, when hearing loss is very common. For instance, 45 percent of people in the 80-plus age group have a disabling bilateral hearing loss (a moderate loss or more in both ears).2
- Lower income, with reduced ability to afford hearing aids and other forms of hearing health care. Older women have less savings, lower pensions, are more dependent on Social Security for their economic survival, and are more likely to live in poverty.3
- More likely to live alone, thus more vulnerable to the isolation and depression that comes with hearing loss. According to the 2010 census, 36 percent of older women lived alone, versus 19 percent of older men.3
“Education and support are central components of HLAA's mission. Thus, developing and disseminating educational programs about women’s hearing loss to the general public and health care providers aligns perfectly with our mission,” said HLAA Executive Director Barbara Kelley. “Given the increased awareness of the public health implications of hearing loss, HLAA views the current climate as an opportune time to address these issues. Winning the Revlon LOVE IS ON Million Dollar Challenge would allow us to effectively change the landscape in terms of awareness and support for women’s hearing loss issues. But we need your help in this campaign. If you have a hearing loss or know someone who does – and chances are you do – please consider a donation. No matter how big or small, every dollar helps.”
Since its inception more than 36 years ago, HLAA has become the trusted source for timely and reliable information and peer support for consumers, and has the expertise to develop programs about hearing loss, hearing protection, screening, and treatment, among others. HLAA has joined the Revlon LOVE IS ON Million Dollar Challenge to raise the money necessary to support its work to remove barriers to seeking hearing help: awareness, stigma, denial, and cost.
The Revlon LOVE IS ON 2016 Million Dollar Challenge is being hosted on CrowdRise.com, the largest crowdfunding platform for good. CrowdRise Challenges are innovative fundraising competitions for charitable organizations. Designed to build capacity, create massive engagement, leverage the power of the crowd, these Challenges provide new, meaningful funding streams for organizations in every sector.
To help the Hearing Loss Association of America win the Revlon LOVE IS ON 2016 Million Dollar Challenge, visit www.crowdrise.com/hearing-loss-association-of-america-revlon2016.
About the Hearing Loss Association of America
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), founded in 1979, opens the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, support and advocacy. HLAA produces the Walk4Hearing in 22 cities across the country, publishes the bimonthly Hearing Loss Magazine, holds annual conventions (HLAA2017 Convention is in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 22 – 25), advocates for the rights of people with hearing loss, conducts educational webinars, and has an extensive network of chapters and state organizations across the country. For more information, visit hearingloss.org.
About Crowdrise
CrowdRise is the world’s largest and fastest growing online platform dedicated exclusively to charitable fundraising. CrowdRise is used by millions of individuals, tens of thousands of charities, hundreds of companies and many of the most famous artists and athletes in the world to creatively leverage their resources and networks to unlock the power of the crowd to support positive social missions and create massive impact. For more information visit CrowdRise.
Sources:
1 Lin, Niparko and Ferruci. (2011) Arch Int Med, Table 1. Note that this table includes all-cause HL in the 60+ age group, for which the total is 38.6 million.
2 Gorman and Lin (2016) Am j Pub Health, Table 1
3 Shriver Center for Poverty Law: Older women and poverty.
Accessed at: https://www.ncdsv.org/SSNCPL_Woman-View-Older-Women-and-Poverty_3-30-2016.pdf
