Smoke alarms are essential for home safety but, for the one in six New Zealanders who live with a hearing loss, there’s a risk they cannot hear ordinary smoke alarms.
That’s why it’s not only important to check that smoke alarms are working, it’s also important to ensure you can hear them as well, says Hearing Therapy, the free national service which helps people manage living with hearing loss.
“Many people think they’ll be able to smell smoke at night, but the truth is you can’t,” says Hearing Therapy’s Tania Shearer.
“Our sense of smell switches off when we’re asleep.
“It’s especially important as people get older, when age-related hearing loss typically affects the ability to hear high frequencies like door bells and smoke alarms. This type of hearing loss can occur gradually so it often goes unnoticed.” Read more
