In November, the Healthcare Issues Team met with Larry Wollencott from the Hearing Loss Association. He presented a very thorough overview of the processes underlying hearing, listed causes and risk factors for hearing loss, discussed types of hearing loss and how they present, described devices used to improve hearing, and offered practical tips to dealing with hearing loss. He went on to list the social, emotional, and economic impact of untreated hearing loss. He strongly encouraged persons who suspect that they might have some hearing loss (or who have been told by friends or family that they have) to be evaluated, noting that denial is a major barrier to treatment and early treatment leads to better outcomes. He concluded by commenting on policy and legislative issues that would improve communications access.
If you missed the meeting, a recording is available on the LWVBWC website
here.
While on the Healthcare webpage, check out the links under Volunteers Observe Government Meetings on Healthcare, the first section on the page. Learn about what actions and policies our local government is considering. Members of the Healthcare Issues Team have been attending government meetings and reporting on healthcare related issues discussed during these meetings. If you are interested, they can always use help. Email: healthcare@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org for more information.
By the time you are reading this, the December meeting will have already occurred. Thus, the next meeting of the Healthcare Issues Team will be Monday, January 19th, 10:00 to 11:30 am. It will be in person with the location to be determined. We will get together to plan for 2026. Bring your concerns about healthcare, topics you would like to see explored, your ideas for advocacy, and any other thoughts or suggestions you might have.
As always, we welcome your suggestions for topics and/or speakers or anything else you want to share.
