Whether engaging with loved ones, navigating a tricky situation at work, or recognizing the familiar click of the oven remaining on after a meal, much of our social connectedness, professional performance and personal safety rely on being able to hear.

Yet, hearing-related issues like hearing loss and tinnitus ⁠— or perceiving ringing, hissing, buzzing, rushing or roaring sounds in the ears ⁠— are more common than you might think. Among Canadians aged 19 to 79, a whopping 60 per cent of us live with hearing loss, tinnitus or a combination of both.

“Hearing loss is often something that’s very treatable and preventable, but there are so many people who suffer in isolation and are not able to get the help that they need because of how expensive it can be,” says Heather Ritchie, an audiologist at Neil Squire Hearing Solutions.

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Joanne is an editor based in the Kootenays. Through participating in the Retail, Accommodation, Food Service and Tourism (RAFT) program with the Kootenay Career Development Society, she recently landed a publishing company as a client.

Her duties include assessing non-fiction manuscripts for structural coherence, communicating with well-known authors, accepting edits from copy-editors, and more.

“I have bouts of tendonitis in my middle fingers, wrists, and elbows, as well as migraines. Typing and using the mouse in an un-ergonomic position inflames these tendons causing me pain and the inability to work longer hours. My migraines cause light sensitivity and the blue light from the computer screen increases this head pain,” she shares.

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Michael is the founder and general manager of a construction company in Kelowna. He had an anoxic brain injury which caused severe hearing loss, and is just returning to work.

He needed hearing aids and his audiologist referred him to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding. Michael applied and was quickly approved.

“The help to get my hearing aids funded has been a life saver. I did not have the money for hearing aids and I need them,” he shares. “I am just starting to ease my way back to work.

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Susan’s job at a school in Kelowna requires effective communication with students and teachers.

“I have hearing loss which affects my communication abilities with staff and students. I need to hear comments, instructions while directing students and reporting to teachers,” she says.

Her audiologist at Lakeside Hearing recommended she apply to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for new hearing aids. She applied and was quickly approved, receiving new Signia hearing aids.

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Mary is a stylist working at a salon in Sechelt.

“My hearing was effecting how I communicated with clients,” she explains.

Her audiologist recommended her a new set of hearing aids, and to cover the cost, he referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.

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Lynda is an executive assistant and office manager at a non-profit in Vancouver. She has virus-caused progressive hearing loss in both ears.

“I have worn hearing aids for the last 20 years. It has not been easy, but I have managed in the workplace,” she explains. “In the last three years, capacity for hearing on the phone has changed since my workplace replaced actual office phones with a software program called Teams — so when someone calls it comes through my laptop, difficult to hear.

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Edgardo works at a care home in Vancouver, ensuring the care of the seniors living there.

“With my hearing loss, I find it difficult to interact with my co-workers and residents. Especially the residents mostly in soft-spoken voices,” he explains.

His audiologist referred him to the WorkBC Assistive Technology Services program.

Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, he received funding for a new hearing aid.

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The Neil Squire Society’s latest social enterprise aims to eliminate the financial barriers that may prevent people from getting the hearing help they need.

Hearing Solutions, a Neil Squire program, is a fully equipped hearing health centre located just steps away from Gilmore Skytrain Station.

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Marcie works as a custodian at a church in Salmon Arm.

Marcie had a stroke several years ago, which has left her with hemiparesis — weakness — on her right side. This made using a traditional heavy vacuum with a cord — particularly on the stairs — difficult, and even dangerous for her. The church’s vacuums were unwieldy and awkward for her to use.

Her vocational counsellor at the Shuswap Association for Community Living referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.

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