TDs’ and senators’ hearing to be tested in Leinster House by charity

The hearing of TDs and senators is to be tested at Leinster House by a charity for Deaf and hard of hearing people

Chime aims to highlight how the HSE provides hearing aids to medical card holders and children aged up to 18, which accounts for just 30% of people who may need them.

It said a delayed Department of Health national hearing care plan placed thousands of people at risk of dementia, depression and social isolation.

Chime says there are approximately 300,000 adults in Ireland with significant hearing loss, which, unmanaged, increases the risk of cognitive decline, depression and social isolation.

Depending on location, waiting times for audiology services can be as long as two years, with the current national waiting list standing at 28,000, with half of them children.

On Wednesday, Chime will test the hearing of TDs and Senators at Leinster House as it stresses the urgent need for the plan.

“Those dealing with hearing loss urgently require the missing clear pathway to care, and there is a critical need for a framework for the hearing aid sector, which is unregulated,” the chief executive of Chime Mark Byrne said.

A 2025 peer reviewed study by US medical journal JAMA Otolaryngology, published by the American Medical Association, found that up to 32% of dementia cases over an eight-year period could be linked to hearing loss, which it identified as the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia.

In 2021, the World Health Organisation called on governments to develop national hearing care plans.

It estimated that for every euro invested, states could expect a return of almost 16 euro over 10 years, through greater independence among deaf or hard of hearing people.

“A working group was established by the Department of Health late last year to develop a holistic model of hearing care in Ireland, including the potential to link public and private provision to maximise positive outcomes,” Mr Byrne said.

“The group was expected to bring forward a draft national hearing care plan by the end of June, but has yet to do so.

“That plan is a Government commitment in the new national human rights strategy for disabled people, 2025-2030.

“Health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, must progress the development of a national hearing care plan as a matter of urgency.”