Approximately 4.6 million Spaniards, that is, 10% of the population, suffer from hearing loss, deafness or hearing impairment, a functional deficit that occurs when a person loses hearing capacity to a lesser or greater degree. Despite this communication difficulty, which begins to be visible after the age of 50, only 39%, approximately 4 out of 10 affected, use hearing aids to improve their hearing.
These are the data that emerge from the EuroTrack 2023 Study on Hearing Loss and Use of Hearing Aids in Spain, a study that also reveals that the degree of penetration of the use of hearing aids among people with hearing loss in Spain has increased slightly compared to the year 2020, but it continues to be low, especially in cases of mild hearing loss, where it is only 12%.
The fewer symptoms of hearing loss there are, the more we need to act. However, according to the results of the aforementioned Eurotrack 2023 Study, promoted by the National Association of Audiologists (ANA), 60% of Spaniards with hearing problems have not adopted any type of aid to improve their hearing. Or what is the same, only 4 out of 10 affected use hearing aids. The reasons given by users are diverse: they are not comfortable, they would be embarrassed to wear a hearing aid, the hearing loss does not seem so serious, or they believe that these devices will not restore normal hearing.
“It is essential to make visible and normalize the use of hearing aids. They provide us with quality of life, promote social relations and prevent the deterioration of society’s mental health”, says Lorenzo Fiorani, General Director of Amplifon Spain.
Hearing loss also affects the youngest, in fact, a study on hearing health in our country, the I GAES Study on Hearing Health in Young People, confirms the need to raise awareness among young people about the effects of hearing loss. hearing and how to combat it and reveals three main reasons why young people do not pay attention to their hearing health: ignorance and lack of awareness (63%), underestimation of hearing problems (59%) and the rejection and social stigma that hearing loss and having to wear hearing aids (33%).
The great purpose of GAES is none other than to improve people’s quality of life, make hearing loss visible and normalize, and make the most advanced technology available to its clients. The hearing care professional is at the center of the service offered by GAES, always trying to understand and anticipate the client’s needs in order to offer them the most appropriate solution.
Without a doubt, the key to our success lies in our hearing care professionals. They and they are the real protagonists. Their attitude and ability to constantly innovate allows them to use all the information provided by each client in order to offer a fully personalized experience,” says Fiorani. “His empathy, closeness and knowledge make our great purpose possible,” says the manager. A curious fact: this profession has an unemployment rate of close to 0%.
GAES conceives its stores as spaces created “for listening”, where client and hearing care professional create a space for dialogue. For this reason, the company is betting on a new, totally innovative store format and integrated by the highest technology, characterized by having a warm and familiar climate that ensures both privacy and an immersive experience, so that the customer feels comfortable. and can express their point of view and their feelings. As of today, in Spain there are already eleven stores with these characteristics under the “Amplicare” concept.
GAES has always sought to make the most advanced technology available to its customers, such as its “Amplifon” application, which allows the control and management of the numerous functionalities of hearing devices in real time, directly from a mobile phone. Through the app, customers can control the volume, change and customize programs, view device usage statistics in real time, and much more.
“Being world leaders in the hearing care market cannot be understood without our total commitment to clients. It is important to emphasize that it is not only about attending to their needs; it also implies anticipating them. For this, we have figures such as Client Advisors, who combine their knowledge with empathy to understand each person’s situation. It’s also about being aware that each case is unique, so two people with similar forms of hearing loss may, in fact, need two different hearing solutions based on their lifestyle,” says Fiorani.
It was more than 70 years ago when GAES and Amplifon decided to join forces to create the largest national and international network of hearing centers. In Spain, GAES a brand Amplifon has more than 700 hearing centers, more than 700,000 customers who have trusted the company and a workforce of more than 2,000 people and that continues to grow in 2023. For its part, Amplifon, a global leader in the hearing aid retail market, brings together nearly 19,400 employees and collaborators worldwide and operates through a network of nearly 10,000 points of sale in 25 countries and five continents.
