Vital preventive care will be brought directly to rural and underserved communities thanks to a new nationwide health initiative between Hidden Hearing and the Irish Heart Foundation, launched at the National Ploughing Championships.
The collaboration brings together the expertise of both organisations to deliver free hearing health and heart health checks to communities, using both organisations’ Mobile Health Units.
Each year, the Irish Heart Foundation’s Mobile Health Unit delivers up to 10,000 free blood pressure checks, as well as pulse checks, along with lifestyle advice nationwide. With 67% of people over 50 in Ireland living with high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks, the need for early detection has never been greater.
Kindly supported by Hidden Hearing, the initiative will expand the reach of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Mobile Health Unit, while adding free earwax checks and video otoscopy to check ear health from Hidden Hearing specialists, to towns and villages nationwide.
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
The link between the heart and hearing is closer than you might think. Poor circulation can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, leading to permanent hearing loss and symptoms like tinnitus. Early detection is key, and simple, regular checks can make all the difference.
Members of the public will be able to drop in, with no appointment needed, for a free hearing health check provided by Hidden Hearing, alongside a free blood pressure check and heart health consultation from the Irish Heart Foundation’s nurses, at the Health Units visiting their localities over the coming weeks and months.
The initiative was launched by broadcaster and Hidden Hearing ambassador, Marty Morrissey, who said that “Ireland’s strength has always been in our communities”.
“This initiative brings vital health services right to the heart of those communities. By offering free checks in towns and villages across the country, the Irish Heart Foundation and Hidden Hearing are making sure that no one is left behind when it comes to their health.”
The Irish Heart Foundation’s Mobile Health Unit will also visit a number of Hidden Hearing clinics over the coming months, where services will include free hearing checks from Hidden Hearing specialists; free blood pressure and pulse checks from the Irish Heart Foundation nurses, as well as lifestyle and health advice to support long-term wellbeing
For the upcoming schedule of the Mobile Health Unit’s visits keep an eye out on Hidden Hearing’s and the Irish Heart Foundation’s social media pages.
