ORONO – The University of Maine will offer something for young and old as the faculty and students of department of communication sciences and disorders and its Conley Speech, Language and Hearing Center observe Better Hearing and Speech Month.

The department will hold a Hearing Expo on April 28 at the Conley Center. The purpose of both events is to provide free educational services for members of the public and also to highlight the services offered at the Conley Speech, Language and Hearing Center in Dunn Hall, according to Susan K. Riley, clinical director.

The Conley Center offers speech-language therapy and diagnostic evaluation services in the speech-language clinic and features specialty clinics in family-based treatment and stuttering. The audiology clinic offers recommendations for improving communication, hearing screenings, comprehensive audiologic evaluations, hearing aid options, assistive listening devices and comprehensive hearing aid services.

The department’s annual Hearing Expo at the Conley Center’s audiology clinic in Dunn Hall 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, will offer free hearing screenings for adults. In addition, there will be an array of the latest in hearing aids and equipment, including alarm clocks that shake your pillow instead of ringing or buzzing, lamps that flash when the doorbell or telephone rings and a wristwatch that vibrates at a specified time.

Exhibits will include, in addition to free hearing screenings, free hearing aid cleaning and testing, and free hearing aid batteries, said Amy Booth, staff audiologist and lecturer.

Booth asks that people who intend to come to call ahead for planning and scheduling purposes. The audiology clinic can be reached at 581-2009.