BILL NUMBER: ACR 169CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 59 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JULY 7, 2010 ADOPTED IN SENATE JULY 1, 2010 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 24, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Carter MAY 27, 2010 Relative to Hearing Aid Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 169, Carter. Hearing Aid Awareness Month. This measure would proclaim the month of June as Hearing Aid Awareness Month. 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.