Honoring Our Service Members

This Memorial Day, we are thankful for the selfless individuals who have dedicated themselves to our country’s defense, and we honor those who have lost their lives in service. The day was originally called Decoration Day, so named for the tradition of decorating graves with wreaths, flowers, and flags commemorating those who have passed on. While the day was widely observed after the Civil War, and again after World War ll, it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971. The passing of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971 established Memorial Day as a federal holiday to be held on the last Monday of May each year.

As hearing and balance care professionals, audiologists and clinicians have a longstanding history of working with Veterans experiencing hearing loss, tinnitus, and other difficulties sustained during military service. Studies continue to be conducted with both Veterans and service members to evaluate the correlation between hearing loss and military activity (Lewis et al, 2022). In addition to hearing challenges, some veterans suffer from head injuries and blast exposure, as well as emotional and mental health and sleep disorders. Audiologists working in a VA setting see a variety of patients from all ages and this population still requires further study an investment to continue to provide exceptional care.

Let us, as audiologists, continue to tirelessly work to provide our Veterans excellent hearing health care and ensure an accessible and smooth patient experience.

References

Lewis MS, Reavis KM, Griest S, Carlson KF, Gordon J, Henry JA. (2022) The influence of tinnitus and hearing loss on the functional status of military service members and veterans. Int J Audiol 62(1): 44–52.

Papesh MA, Fowler L, Pesa SR, Frederick MT. (2023) Functional hearing difficulties in veterans: retrospective chart review of auditory processing assessments in the VA health care system. Am J Audiol 32(1): 101–18.

PBS. (2023) History of Memorial Day (accessed May 4, 2023).