Los Angeles, CA - May 6, 2008 - Throughout the month of May, the House Ear Institute is celebrating Better Hearing Month with a variety of online programs to raise awareness for hearing loss and the non-profit's mission to alleviate it through hearing science research.
Hearing loss currently affects more than 33 million Americans, and the incidence of it is on the rise.
"With hearing loss on the rise, getting people to care about their hearing health is more important than ever," said Jim Boswell, CEO of the House Ear Institute. "Hearing loss adversely affects people's basic quality of life and communications with family and friends. Better Hearing Month is an opportunity for the House Ear Institute to encourage people to get involved in advocating for people with hearing loss and better treatment options through support of the House Ear Institute's hearing science research."
Leave a Message of Hope on Our New HearBook Wall - House Ear Institute introduces its online HearBook Message Wall as a place where people can freely share a message of hope or recognize a loved one who has a hearing loss, or express support for better treatment options. People are encouraged to pass the word along to online friends, and ask them to leave a HearBook message too.
House Ear Institute Blogs - Launching with information on Neurofibromatosis Type II (NF2) - the blog is designed to provide quick updates about research topics at the House Ear Institute and patient care from the House Clinic. The blog is launching with NF2, research and patient experiences. More topics and information will become part of the blog in the coming months.
Give the Gift of Hearing - An Special Online Giving Campaign - House Ear Institute is encouraging people to join their online giving campaign to immediately benefit the institute's world-renowned hearing science research and education programs. Donations can be made directly from the www.hei.org homepage. People can also donate through House Ear Institute's Causes.com page on Facebook or our YouTube channel at YouTube.com/HouseEar.
Listen to an Online Concert for Hearing
Enjoy an Online Concert for Hearing featuring an exclusive live performance by The Redding Brothers streaming at https://www.break.com/ on Friday, May 15, at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. The concert will be available streaming at the same time on https://www.myyearbook.com/earbud. It will be available for viewing after Friday at break.com.
Benefit HEI by Shopping Your Favorite Online Stores When shopping online with any of the 550 top name retail stores registered through OneCause.com, the retailers will donate a percentage of the sale back to the House Ear Institute. Click on onecause.com. Sign up as a registered user, type in House Ear Institute as the cause, then shop your favorite name brands, e.g. Amazon, Lands End, Netflix, Staples, and more!
Be an Advocate for Teen Hearing Loss Prevention - get involved in our teen hearing loss prevention activities at www.earbud.org.
In addition to the institute's Web site at www.hei.org, updates on all the online activities during the month will be available on Twitter "@HouseEar" and on Facebook by visiting the "Ear Bud" profile page.
About the House Ear Institute
The House Ear Institute (HEI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. HEI scientists investigate the cellular and molecular causes of hearing loss and related auditory disorders as well as neurological processes pertaining to the human auditory system and the brain. Our researchers also explore technology advancements to improve auditory implants, hearing aids, diagnostic techniques and rehabilitation tools. The Institute shares its knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through its education and outreach programs. For more information about HEI please call (800) 388-8612 or visit www.hei.org.
