Better Speech and Hearing Month

Awareness is the key to improving communication

The month of May is packed with celebrations like ‘May the 4th be with you’ and Cinco de Mayo. In Colorado, May means no more snow and the start of biking, shorts and outdoor BBQ’s. In the world of medicine, May celebrates nurses, trauma care, mental health providers and better hearing and speech. For the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, Better Hearing and Speech Month is an opportunity to bring awareness about communication disorders and how audiologists and speech pathologists can help. 

Communication is something that we use daily and often take for granted unless we suddenly lose our ability to speak or hear everything clearly. Speech pathologists have the privilege of helping adults and children speak and use language to communicate meaning. Speaking to others and being understood can simply achieve basic needs or convey something more complex like love and appreciation. Speech pathologists can help with remembering what you want to say, coming up with the correct word and producing it clearly. Audiologists help adults and children hear messages from others. Successful communication requires speaking and hearing or the result is often frustration and confusion. 

Speech pathologists and audiologists at Denver Health are excited to help with your speech and hearing needs. If you have concerns about your speech or hearing, discuss them with your doctor who can determine if a referral to speech therapy or audiology is appropriate.