Thousands of audiologists from around the nation will be in Nashville at the Music City Center from April 18 to 20 for the American Academy of Audiology's annual conference. The conference will include seminars, learning labs, exhibitors and, for the general public Songs for Sound will be on site on Friday, April 20 to provide free hearing screenings from noon to 4 p.m. (Trailer will be located just outside of Music City Center on Demonbreun Street, between 5^th and 6^th avenues.)

The conference is particularly important as growing numbers of Americans are reporting hearing loss. The National Institutes of Health reports that more than 40 million Americans, aged 20 to 69, have some type of hearing loss with approximately 10 million of those attributable to noise-induced hearing loss -- exposure to loud noise. It's estimated that approximately 28.8 million could benefit from the use of hearing aids. Age is a factor; however, there are growing numbers of younger people reporting hearing loss.

At the conference, professional audiologists will participate in learning labs and educational sessions, hear about new technologies and protocols, and receive hands-on demonstrations of new products. Working with HearX Group, the Academy will also demo the new hearing screening app, hearScreen USA, which features a referral directory of licensed audiologists.

For more information on the American Academy of Audiology or to locate an audiologist, go to www.howsyourhearing.org.