Charity Lewis, a PhD student in the School of Aging Studies, recently served as a panelist for the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing's audiology panel. The panelists included research audiologists and educators, and the event was open to the public via Zoom.
Held in celebration of National Audiology Awareness Month, the discussion focused on the disparities in hearing healthcare and covered topics such as audiology awareness, auditory processing disorder, cochlear implants, educational audiology, and over-the-counter hearing aids.
Lewis's research interests include healthcare utilization in Black/African American older adults, age-related hearing loss, and the correlation between religion and healthcare outcomes in older adults.
"As a future gerontologist, I am passionate about advocating for ways to improve the quality of life of older adults, which includes healthy hearing," Lewis said.
According to Lewis, Black people are less likely to utilize hearing aids than other ethnic/racial groups, and untreated hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.
"Through my participation in the panel, I hope to spread awareness of the importance of hearing healthcare and to inform healthcare providers of the lack of hearing aid utilization in Black individuals," said Lewis.