Thinking about our Veterans during Better Hearing and Speech Month

A reality of war is that there’s no turning down the volume, and one of the most-widespread injuries for Veterans has been hearing loss and other auditory complications. The sounds of ordinance, jet engines and other equipment can add to the hearing problems that combat creates. “Polytrauma,” a new word in the medical lexicon, describes the multiple injuries from explosions that create multiple problems, including significant hearing and speech related injuries.

This May is the 90^th anniversary of Better Hearing and Speech Month, first observed in 1927. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage the 46 million Americans with some sort of communication impairment, including our Veterans, to take action. It’s also a time to consider the professional contributions you can make in Audiology & Speech Pathology Services in the VA.

It’s a major goal of VA to aggressively research and respond to speech and auditory problems that our Veterans experience. Of course, we also provide Veterans with comprehensive clinical and rehabilitative services for hearing, tinnitus, balance, speech, language, and voice. Supporting the professional development of audiologists and speech pathologists is also an important part of this effort.

Speech and hearing problems impact Veterans of every era. VA has many professional opportunities to assist these Veterans while building your skills in a state-of-the-art clinical setting. Please take a moment to explore the professional possibilities today.