The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

15| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 15,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca It is estimated that 46% of people aged 45 to 87 have some degree of hearing loss1, but most do not seek treatment right away. In fact, the average person with hearing loss will wait ten years before seeking help2. This is because at the beginning stages of hearing loss people often find they can "get by" without help, however as the problem worsens this becomes increasingly harder to do. For some people this loss of clarity is only a problem at noisy restaurants or in the car, but for others it makes listening a struggle throughout the entire day. By studying people who have difficulty hearing in noise or with television, we hope to identify key factors impacting these difficulties and further understand their influence on the treatment process. Major university hearing study seeks participants. Connect Hearing, with hearing researcher Professor Kathy Pichora-Fuller at the University of Toronto, seeks participants who are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids for a hearing study investigating factors that can influence better hearing. All participants will have a hearing test provided at no charge. Qualifying participants may also receive a demonstration of the latest hearing technology.The data collected from this study will be used to further our understanding of hearing loss and improve life- changing hearing healthcare across Canada. Why participate in the hearing study? Hearing problems typically result from damage to the ear and researchers have spent decades trying to understand the biology behind hearing loss. More importantly, researchers now realize the * Pichora-Fuller, M. K. (2016). How social psychological factors may modulate auditory and cognitive functioning during listening. Ear and Hearing, 37, 92S-100S. † Study participants must be over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids. No fees and no purchase necessary. Registered under the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC. VAC,WCB accepted. 1. Cruickshanks, K. L.,Wiley, T. L., Tweed, T. S., Klein, B. E. K., Klein, R, Mares-Perlman, J. A., & Nondahl, D. M. (1998). Prevalence of Hearing Loss in Older Adults in Beaver Dam,Wisconsin: The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 148 (9), 879-886. 2. National Institutes of Health. (2010). If you are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids, you can register to be a part of this major new hearing study† by calling: 1.888.242.4892 or visiting connecthearing.ca/hearing-study. need to better understand how hearing loss affects your everyday life*. In this newhearing study,Professor Pichora-Fuller and her team are trying to find out how people learn to live with hearing loss and how new solutions could help these people take action sooner and live life more fully. I talk to my dog. A lot. De- spite a lack of talent when it comes to ventriloquism, Lu- cy talks back, too. I'll let you draw whatever conclusions you want from this little rev- elation. I also talk to a lot of other dog owners. The message I've been getting of late is that they want to be respon- sible, bylaw-abiding citi- zens, but there just aren't enough off-leash options here in Waterloo. As a result, many are re- sorting to secret locations in and around town where they let their dogs roam free. They'll often arrange to meet up with other dog owners at these spots so their dogs can play together. Some folks are so protec- tive of their secret leash-free areas that they've refused to reveal the location when I asked. I've mentioned before that an extensive report about dog parks was pre- sented to city council in 2015. It explores two alterna- tives to a fenced dog park, such as we have at Bechtel Park here in Waterloo, that merit consideration. The first is a designated off-leash area that, al- though unfenced, is re- served exclusively for the purpose of letting dogs roam free with their own- ers. Signs alert anyone en- tering the area that they may encounter a free-range fido. You'll find this type of dog park in Guelph. Another alternative involves the use of select sports fields around town as off-leash areas for dogs provided the field is not be- ing used for the sport for which it was designated. I see some possibility for frustration with this model, perhaps even conflict, as it implies that an owner would have to leash their dog and leave the minute anyone showed up to use the field for its applicable sport. It would also be easy for lines to become blurred re- garding right of use. What would happen, for example, if someone showed up to play frisbee at a field typi- cally used for soccer? Would they still have right of use over an off-leash dog? I'd like to propose that some parks and sports fields in Waterloo be desig- nated as off-leash dog areas at specific times when the park is least likely to be used for other activities. Not every park in town would be suitable for off- leash activity, I realize. Some are too close to resi- dential areas, where noise could become a problem. I'm the first to admit that it wasn't until I adopted Lu- cy six months ago that local issues pertaining to dogs even got on my radar. After all, we do tend to be more aware of, and more passion- ate about, causes that di- rectly affect ourselves and those close to us. It's worth keeping in mind that dog parks don't just benefit dogs. They al- so benefit the health and well-being of people by pro- viding an opportunity to ex- ercise and socialize with those who share a common interest. - A freelance writer based in Waterloo, Penny Walford can be reached at penny.walford @hotmail.com. OPINION Could sports fields not in use provide an off-leash solution? PENNY WALFORD Column Dog owners want an off-leash area. Sports fields could be the solution, writes Penny Walford Penny Walford's four legged frined Lucy waits to be let into the dog park. Some of the rules of the park are posted in the foreground. Penny Walford Photo I'd like to propose that some parks and sports fields in Waterloo be designated as off-leash dog areas at specific times when the park is least likely to be used for other activities.