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Contents Introduction Message from the MD EDITORIAL Working in partnership – better outcomes for all of us ...................3 BETTER COMMUNICATION Acclimatisation & hearing aids .......4 Friends and relations – the other type of “hearing aid” ....................6 HEARING AIDS AND TECHNOLOGY Cochlear implants and adults.........8 Hearing better on the telephone....9 CLIENT STORIES Nearly 70 years difference but a lot in common ...................10 “I got a hearing aid and lost weight!” ........................11 Twins on Waugh path..................11 AUSTRALIAN HEARING NEWS New Hearing Centres in Perth ......12 Australian Hearing staff member on Deafness Forum Board ............12 Helping GPs to hear better .........13 National Newborn Hearing Screening Conference .................13 INDIGENOUS SERVICES Audiology Outback......................14 A visit to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands..14 A visit to Jigalong .......................15 National Hearing Strategy .............16 KIDS CORNER What sound does it make? ..........18 Making hearing aids fun .............19 A puzzling puzzle ........................19 TIPS AND SNIPPETS Deaflympics 2005 .......................20 Calls for more Deaflympians ........20 Network Ten commits to more captioning ..........................21 Disclosing a disability ...................21 Australian Deaf Games ................21 Croc Fest 2004 ............................22 Wanting to make contact ............22 A peek at the past.......................23 Victorian Poster Project on Ear Health and Hearing ................24 Cover picture: Detail of art by George Wallaby, an artist from the Emu Creek Community in the Kimberley region, Western Australia. The painting represents George‘s country, Barragoo (Lake Gregory). Photographer: Richard l‘Anson Hello everyone, The technology and advice Australian Hearing provides to our clients is significant, but it’s what people do with it in the “real world” that makes a difference to their quality of life. That’s why Working in Partnership is the theme of this issue of Hear & Now. At Australian Hearing we recognise and value the critical role that family, friends and professionals play in helping people to hear better and to reach their full potential. Support and understanding from family especially can significantly influence the success of a hearing aid fitting. So we involve them as much as possible in the rehabilitation and decision-making process. We also invest a lot of time and effort into working with the educators of our young clients, Cochlear Implant agencies, GPs and other health professionals. A significant proportion of our work goes towards delivering hearing services to our indigenous communities. While this poses constant challenges, we liaise with a range of community people and Hear&Now Editor: Sharan Westcott Assistant Editor: Marg Anderson Design & Production: CHE Editorial Office: Australian Hearing 126 Greville St Chatswood NSW 2067 Phone: 02 9412 6800 Fax: 02 9413 3362 TTY: 02 9412 6802 Email: margaret.anderson@hearing.com.au Web: www.hearing.com.au relevant agencies to make it happen. Of course, flexibility and patience are also essential to our success. Despite the setbacks, specialist audiologists at Australian Hearing find their work in this field exciting and fulfilling. You can find out about some of these challenges in this issue. I hope you enjoy this latest issue of Hear & Now. To subscribe for free, just fill in the coupon on page three. And please let us know what you think of our magazine and how we could improve it. We value our readers’ opinion and ideas. Anthea Green Managing Director, Australian Hearing Australian Hearing is the largest provider of hearing care in Australia, offering hearing assessment and the latest in digital hearing aid technology to eligible clients through a national network of hearing centres. As a Commonwealth funded Authority, our services are Government subsidised and provided exclusively to pensioner concession card holders, most veterans and Australians under 21. Australian Hearing aims to improve the opportunities and quality of life for young and older people with hearing loss by offering services which are tailored to the individual needs of each client and family. Hear & Now is produced by Australian Hearing to inform, educate and entertain our clients and those who work and live with them. Australian Hearing welcomes use of this publication. Material may be copied for the purpose of community education, provided that acknowledgment is made of the source. Enquiries, comments and suggestions are welcome and should be sent to the assistant editor, Marg Anderson, at this address. 2 AustralianHearing
Editorial From Sharan Westcott, Principal Audiologist, Australian Hearing. Working in partnership – better outcomes for us all Someone with a hearing loss is more than a pair of ears that doesn’t work properly. They live in a complex world of relationships, learning environments, work and social situations which place different demands on their hearing. Australian Hearing recognises that when it comes to our clients, hearing better is about much more than simply fitting a suitable, high quality hearing aid. Our audiologists have to find out about each client’s communication needs and life context. The choice of hearing aid has to match those needs as closely as possible*. Then it’s important that the client can actually manage the aid to get all of the benefits it can offer. This may involve simple instruction, or it may require some retraining of the brain to listen to new sounds. We also offer advice about other devices, such as amplified telephones and devices for the television, which may help in situations where their hearing aid’s ability is limited. Without exception we find the people who influence the “success” of a hearing aid are those who live and work with the person with hearing loss. This is why we like family members to come along to appointments too. When a child has a hearing loss from birth or soon after, the impact on many aspects of their life can be great, which is why the paediatric audiologists at Australian Hearing work as closely as they can with educators of the young people they see. Hearing loss can affect many aspects of a child’s life, from speech and language development to educational outcomes and self esteem. It is no simple matter to help hearing impaired children to achieve their full potential – the child needs input from people with a wide range of expertise. Australian Hearing audiologists form one part of the team that works with children and their families to help them deal with hearing loss. We may be experts in hearing, but it is the parents and carers who are the experts when it comes to their child and their unique family situation. Part of the paediatric audiologist’s role is to work with teachers to help them keep up to date with the latest in audiology and technology, as well as ensure that audiological and educational programs for each child are heading towards the same goal. Of course, this process is not just about our audiologists educating other people – one of the rewards of working closely with educators is the wealth of knowledge and experience they have to share with us. Our article Friends and Relations – the other type of “hearing aid” on page 6 explores the many significant ways others can help our clients get the most out of their hearing and their lives. We hope it encourages friends and families to think positively and creatively about the difference they can make in the lives of their hearing impaired loved ones. * See Hear & Now 2003 for more information about matching hearing aid features to benefits. Want to be on our mailing list? If you would like to subscribe to Hear & Now, complete this coupon and mail it to: The Editor ‘Hear & Now’, Australian Hearing, 126 Greville Street, Chatswood NSW 2067 Or email your details to: marketing.enquiry@hearing.com.au. Name: ............................................................................................. Address: ......................................................................................... ........................................................................................................ This subscription is free Hear&Now 3
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