The Patient Care Program brought together Myrna and Austin, her hearing dog.

1. Today’s hearing aids cost an average of $1,500 apiece. This does not include the additional audiology fees for the hearing test, ear molds, and fitting.

2. The Patient Care Program brought together Myrna and Austin, her hearing dog.

3. We are supporting a research project at the Virginia Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington that is studying how cochlear hair cells could be regenerated.

4. Some butterflies have ears on their wings.

5. The Bank’s daily operations are run by audiology student interns at the University of Washington, giving them invaluable hands-on training. They manage the inventory of donated hearing aids, match aids with patients, and arrange for re-casing and repair.

6. A Patient Care grant paid for Cassidy’s therapy at Listen and Talk.

7. We have developed an alliance of 1,000 hearing care providers who commit to providing their services — hearing test, ear molds, and fitting — at a discount. This number will continue to grow.

8. More than one-third of all hearing loss is preventable because it’s related to loud music, workplaces, recreational equipment (snowmobiles, etc.) and household items (lawnmowers, power tools, etc.).

9. A Patient Care grant provided Krissy with hearing aids.

10. Snakes have no ears at all. They “hear” through vibrations on the ground.

12. Since the program began in 2005, it has already provided more than 2,000 hearing aids to people in nearly every state across the country.

13. Research shows that a person’s ears work differently: the left is better at processing speech and the right is better at processing musical sounds and songs.

14. A Project Support grant purchased assistive listening devices for a workshop for hearing impaired children.

15. Bill Clinton - Like him or not, the former president made it OK for baby boomers to admit they need a hearing aid.

16. Sean received a bone-anchored hearing aid through the Patient Care program.

17. Sound travels at the speed of 1,130 feet per second, or 770 miles per hour.

18. Patient Care is a partnership between the Northwest Lions Foundation and regional Lions Clubs. The Foundation pays for half the cost of treatment and the sponsoring Club — or group of Clubs if the treatment is expensive — pays for the second half.

19. The grants have paid for an amazing variety of hearing treatment including a prosthetic ear, speech therapy for a deaf child, sign language classes, and a hearing dog named Austin.

20. At the middle ear, the sound waves vibrate the eardrum, which is connected to the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body: the malleus, the incus, and the stapes. (Also known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup because of their shape.)

21. A phone system accessible to deaf consumers and staff members was purchased through a Project Support grant for DEAF ACCESS Washington.

23. Crickets can hear through their legs.

24. The ears of a barn owl are at different heights on its head. This makes it easier for the bird to localize sound and catch its prey.

25. Ludwig van Beethoven – He composed classical music masterpieces long after losing his hearing at age 28.

26. Humans cannot regenerate the microscopic hair cells in their cochlea when they are damaged, but birds can.

27. Sound level the human ear can withstand without damage: 130 decibels. Sound level of an average rock concert: 150 decibels.

28. Ears are self-cleaning. Pores in the ear canal produce ear wax (officially known as cerumen) and tiny hairs, called cilia, push the wax out of the canal.

29. Shari (with her guide dog Nora) received a hearing aid through the Patient Care Program.

30. Sixty percent of people with hearing loss are of working age, between 21 and 65.

31. A sonic boom occurs when an object breaks the speed of sound. The sound waves from behind and in front of the object crash into each other and create the boom.

33. The hammer, anvil and stirrup bones are full size at birth and all three together could fit on a penny.

34. Only 10% of hearing losses can be reversed by surgery or other medical treatment…

35. ...but 90% of hearing losses can be treated with a listening device like a hearing aid.

36. The AUDIENT Program helped PCC Jim Kemp purchase hearing aids.

37. An “ear trumpet” was used by people who had difficulty hearing before the hearing aid was invented.

38. A Patient Care grant provided Treyton with hearing aids.

39. Lou Ferrigno – The star of the “Incredible Hulk” lost most of his hearing as a child due to an ear infection.

40. A human has 5 muscles in its outer ear, while a cat has 32. This means a cat can rotate its ears 180 degrees to pinpoint sounds.

41. Justin received hearing aids through the Lions Hearing Aid Bank.

42. At 115 decibels, a baby's cry is louder than a car horn.

43. The outer ear includes the part of the ear you can see, which is also called the pinna or auricle.

44. Denver received a hearing aid through the Lions Hearing Aid Bank.

45. The program focuses on individuals making less than $24,500 per year. (The income level needed to qualify varies by family size.) To learn more about AUDIENT, contact 1-877-283-4368 or visit www.audientalliance.org.

47. The ear never stops working, even when people are asleep. The ear continues to hear sounds, but the brain shuts them out.

48. For seniors, loss of balance and hearing often go hand in hand as the vestibular system degenerates with age.

49. Thirty out of every 1,000 school-age children have hearing loss.

50. Adults with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help.