BILL NUMBER: ACR 169	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Carter

                        MAY 27, 2010

   Relative to Hearing Aid Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 169, as introduced, Carter. Hearing Aid Awareness Month.
   This measure would proclaim the month of June as Hearing Aid
Awareness Month.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, More than one out of every 10 Americans, or 36 million
individuals, have a hearing loss; and one-third of these are persons
over the age of 65 years; and
   WHEREAS, Over the last generation, the hearing loss population
grew at the rate of 160 percent, primarily due to the aging of
America; and
   WHEREAS, Hearing aid adoption continues to increase slowly, and
now includes one in four persons with hearing loss, yet less than one
in 10 persons with mild hearing loss and four in 10 persons with
moderate to severe hearing loss use amplification; and
   WHEREAS, Advances in hearing instrument technology allow modern
hearing aids to dramatically improve sound recognition capabilities;
and
   WHEREAS, A study by the National Council on the Aging showed that
hearing instrument users are likely to report improvements in their
physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being; and
   WHEREAS, The same study indicated that family members and friends
are more likely to notice these benefits than the actual users
themselves; and
   WHEREAS, Hearing aids differ in design, type of circuitry, size,
and amount of amplification; and
   WHEREAS, Hearing aids come in a wide variety of styles from the
compact miniature sizes that fit in the ear canal to larger body
style aids; other styles fit into the outer portion of the ear, and
still others are worn behind the ear; and
   WHEREAS, Hearing aids now function beyond amplification alone, and
new technology has made it possible for some hearing aids to reduce
unwanted background noises, amplify only specific frequencies, or
mask noises generated in the ear itself; and
   WHEREAS, Health care professionals engaged in the practice of
testing human hearing and in selecting, fitting, and dispensing
hearing aids include physicians, audiologists, and hearing instrument
specialists; and
   WHEREAS, It is beneficial to consumers to be aware of the variety
and benefits of appropriate hearing instrumentation; now, therefore,
be it
   Resolved, by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month
of June, commencing in 2010 and thereafter, as Hearing Aid Awareness
Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.