Monique Hammond, Registered Pharmacist
Monique is a registered pharmacist with over 30 years of hospital and retail experience. Monique lost her hearing in one ear from a loud band at a church fundraiser and had to quit her job at the University of Minnesota Hospital. She did years of research and wrote a Book - What Did You Say? An Unexpected Journey into the World of Hearing Loss.
She was appointed by the Governor to the Commission of Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (MNCDHH) and served two terms as vice-chair. She speaks regularly to Rotary Clubs (140 presentations and counting..) as well as to other community groups.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, 1 in 5 Americans aged 12 and over has hearing loss enough to affect daily communication. Numbers are on the rise in every age sector. Monique’s mission is to keep people of all ages hearing better and longer.
Monique explained the effects of hearing loss on quality of life: social, emotional, professional, financial and long-term, such as ties to dementia.
She spoke about the various causes of hearing loss but focused especially on Noise-induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) – the # 2 cause of hearing loss worldwide. NIHL leads to inner ear and hearing nerve damage due to repeated and prolonged exposures to excessively strong sound pressure waves.
The symptoms of hearing loss – dullness and fulness of the ears, not understanding speech in noisy environments, everybody mumbling, etc. As well, she mentioned Tinnitus, the buzzing and ringing in the ears that in 90% of cases is related to hearing damage and existing hearing loss. Having to scream over noise is a sure danger sign.
Hearing damage is permanent. Our ears do not heal. Hearing aids can only help the parts of the ear that are not damaged, so for many people, hearing aids are not a perfect solution.
Prevention is the key, such as the correct use of ear protection. She calls on parents to teach their children and to be better role models themselves.
She debunked the myth that ears “get used to loud sound”. They do not, they simply become deafer to it and perhaps sustain permanent damage.
Smartphone Sound Meter apps help, but make sure the app is specific to the smartphone platform (Android or IOS).
Monique calls on Rotarians to help spread the word in their families and communities because all of this comes under the mantra of “Service Above Self.”
For children and adults, any suspected hearing issues call for a diagnostic professional hearing test. It is the only way to find out about the type, location and extent of the loss, which determines the most appropriate hearing assistance.
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