Dear HLAA Florida Members –

In the spring of 2019, the HLAA-FL State Board conducted an on-line survey to assess the needs of HLAA members in the state of Florida.

A direct link to the survey was sent to 241 HLAA members.  122 surveys were completed.  The kink was also shared by chapter leaders, but the total number was not reported.

The majority of respondents are over age 65 with moderate or worse hearing loss.  These individuals reported need for education on:

• Understanding hearing testing and hearing loss (How to read your audiogram)
• Hearing aid technology options
• Techniques and technology to hear better in background noise

66% of respondents use Facebook

We also asked about ability to hear emergency alerts without hearing aids or cochlear implants.  

50% of respondents cannot hear their smoke detector at all

20% of respondents can only hear their smoke detector if they are in the same room.

Finally, we asked how people best learn.  The majority prefer face-to-face workshops.  Respondents also reported positive social benefit from interactions with peers at chapter meetings.

NEXT STEPS:

Due to the fact that the survey was limited to current HLAA members, we would like to explore deploying the same survey to a larger population.  The State Board will be meeting with HLAA National for guidance.  As we develop next steps, we will update this posting.

If you have any questions, please feel to contact us at hlaaflorida@yahoo.com

Thank you!