26August2016

Hearing Awareness Week 2016

One in six Australians currently experience hearing
difficulty, and the ratio is expected to increase to one in
four by 2050.
Daveys story: I dont want to sound like a killjoy I still
get a rush if I hear or play really loud music but it is
about knowing there can be repercussions and something
like ear plugs can help stop the damage.
Kates story: Rejecting my deafness and refusing to wear
my hearing aids is not something I am particularly proud
of, but I have been trying to come to an understanding as
to why I bottled it up and denied it for so long.
Victoria said: Its amazing the things I can hear now - like
the sound of the fridge! There are lots of amazing
experiences and some hilarious ones too. I once leant too
close to the whiteboard and my head stuck to it due to the
implant's magnet, the kids were in stiches!
Michael said:
health issue,
years to act
takes only
difference.

Despite the fact that hearing loss is a serious

most Australians wait an average of seven
on their hearing loss, but a hearing check
15 minutes and could make significant

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, community, sea, and waters where we live and work. We pay our respects to
elderspast,presentandfutureandvaluethecontributionsIndigenousAustraliansmakeinoursociety.Weacknowledgethechallengefor
IndigenousleadersandfamiliestoovercometheunacceptablyhighlevelsofearhealthissuesamongfirstAustralians.

You Am I guitarist warning to young musicians

and fans
Linda Silmalis, The Daily Telegraph

Musician Davey Lane

HAVING played electric guitar every day for 20 years, musician Davey Lane says there was
a sense of inevitability about his hearing loss. However, the You Am I lead guitarist was
not expecting to have to deal with it at age 23 when he first diagnosed with the condition
tinnitus.
Now 35, Lane is among a group of rock musicians calling for better education about the
damage dangerously loud noise at live music venues can cause to hearing as part of a
major campaign to make hearing a national health priority.
Describing it as ranging from annoying to distressing, Lane said the permanent ringing in
his ears initially triggered anxiety and depression. These days, he tended to only notice it
at night when trying to sleep.
It is a constant ringing in the ears at high or low frequency, and sometimes both. Its
damage that has built up gradually, but I can actually pinpoint the moment I first noticed it
12 years ago, Lane says.
It was definitely a source of intense anxiety and depression when I first noticed it, but
over the years Ive learned to deal with it, although it still affects me occasionally.
Speaking on the eve of Hearing Awareness Week this week, Lane has joined forces with
non-profit organisation Musicians 4 Hearing as part of a national Break the Sound Barrier
campaign to make hearing health a national priority.

The World Health Organisation estimates 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk
of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones,
and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues.

You Am I lead guitarist Davey Lane (second from left) has had hearing loss since he was 22.

When I first got it, I realised there wasnt anyone raising awareness or talking about the
risks among musicians and so thats what we are trying to do now, because if you know
the risks, you can try and look after your ears. he says.

Message from Deafness Forums Jordanna Smith

and David Brady

https://vimeo.com/179439160

Victorias story
As technology advances, there are more possibilities than ever before for Australians with
hearing loss to be included in all aspects of community and business life.
For primary school teacher and Ettalong Beach NSW resident, Victoria Bird, a cochlear
implant has been life changing. She received her first pair of hearing aids shortly after
being diagnosed with hearing loss at three years of age.
"When I first started working as a teacher I
definitely had to adapt like making sure I could
hear the evacuation alarm but I was coping quite
well," said Victoria. "I previously hadn't been
considered a candidate for a cochlear implant but
then over the course of a year I started to find it
difficult to hear in the classroom and it was leaving
me pretty exhausted."
A new round of assessments found that Victoria's
hearing had deteriorated.
"It was time for an implant," said Victoria. "I had the surgery over the Christmas school
holidays and was back to work in the New Year. I didnt have high expectations as I didnt
want to be disappointed, but when my dad spoke to me I could understand what he was
saying! I said, 'Oh my goodness, I can hear the S and 'SH sounds' - I really hadnt heard
them well before.
"The surgery was a massive success. Its amazing the things I can hear now - like the
sound of the fridge! There are lots of amazing experiences and some hilarious ones too. I
once leant too close to the whiteboard and my head stuck to it due to the implant's
magnet, the kids were in stiches!
"Its been a long journey but its been worth it. The staff at SCIC Cochlear Implant
Program in Gosford have been amazing - I can contact them at any time and ask them
questions. In the classroom its made a huge difference. Previously I had to have to rush
off early to make sure that I got a seat up the front in meetings so I could lip read but now
I dont have to rush, I can sit at the back and still pick it all up!"
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program supports clients to access a range of implantable hearing
devices according to their needs. The program provides a seamless, end-to-end suite of
services, from early intervention and education; through to specialist assessment; surgical
liaison and support; and rehabilitation services, delivering care and support to people of all
ages.

Canberra's game with no sound shatters

barrier between two worlds
By Adrienne Francis

Chloe Nash says the only thing that you are doing differently is communicating differently. (ABC
News: Adrienne Francis)

A unique game of touch football is closing the divide between the hearing and
silent worlds.
The Silent Sport Challenge began in 2011 and gives those with hearing the chance to
experience what it is like to play the game without sound. Players wear ear plugs and
instead of communicating with whistles and referees use flags to signal players.
Twenty-nine-year-old Canberra woman Chloe Nash, who was born with profound deafness,
has been playing touch since she was nine.
"The only thing that you are doing differently is communicating differently and that you just
need to break through other peoples prejudices, other peoples barriers that they are
creating for you," Ms Nash said.

Ms Nash wants hearing health and wellbeing listed as one of the 10 national health
priorities to attract and allocate funding to improve access to childhood Auslan education,
increase availability of interpreters, improve captioning services and target specialised
mental health and aged care.
"It is not just Canberra, although we are in dire need. It is all over Australia," she said.
Long-term exposure to excessive noise means the number of Australians who are deaf,
hearing impaired or hard of hearing is continuing to increase.

Game raises awareness of disability that affects millions

Photo: Primary school aged children enjoy a game of silent touch football as part of the Silent Sport
Challenge. (ABC News: Mark Moore)

Touch Football Australia CEO Colm Maguire said one in six Australians dealt with a
hearing impairment.
"It is unusual because of that lack of communication that is verbal, more looking at each
other, having to utilise different ways of communicating," he said about the game.
Mr Maguire said there was no barrier to participation whether players were hearing
impaired or not.

How I 'came out' about my hearing disability

I was born with a mild hearing loss, which is
closer to a moderate loss these days. I was
diagnosed when I was 3, yet it wasn't until I
was 10 and given my first pair of hearing
aids that I really realised I had a "problem". I
hated the idea that I had a "disability" and I
simply denied it. I was coping fine at school,
my marks were good, I had great friends - so
I didn't see the need to address this
"problem" of mine.
I got through high school and uni, talking
very little about it and rarely wearing the
four pairs of hearing aids I was given over
those ten years.
Rejecting my deafness and refusing to wear my hearing aids is not something I am
particularly proud of, but I have been trying to come to an understanding as to why I
bottled it up and denied it for so long.
I had always considered myself to be a confident young person, comfortable in my own
skin and without insecurities, but there was this part of myself that I had been ignoring.
Whenever I happened to tell someone, "Oh I have a hearing problem... Umm yeah actually
I have hearing aids... Oh but no I don't really wear them", I would tense up, my voice
would shake, and I would go red. It was a huge insecurity, yet I would brush it off, forget
about it, move on.
After I finished uni and began my career as a freelance photographer, I realised my
hearing problem was affecting my professional life. If I didn't hear things in a social
situation, it might have been slightly awkward or someone might think I'm rude; however
in the professional world, it could mean losing a job or missing out on future opportunities.
It wasn't until a bit over a year ago that all this changed. I was reading an article in a
magazine and it was about a 27-year-old woman who was deaf. She mentioned the
awkwardness of missing punchlines, the embarrassment of being a teenager and telling
boys she couldn't hear, and the satisfaction of watching a DVD with subtitles. She then
went on to explain that visual imagery has always been a huge part of her life, and that it
seemed natural for her to pursue her passion as a photographer.
Read more of Kates story at the Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifeand-relationships/how-i-came-out-about-my-hearing-disability-20160822-gqyg6k.html

One in six Australians currently experience hearing difficulty, and the ratio is expected to
increase to one in four by 2050.
The age old theory of use it or lose it applies to hearing as well, National Hearing Care
Managing Director, Michael Smith said.
An increasing number of studies show that individuals with hearing loss who identify and
treat the issue early are more likely to adapt quickly to the increased sound they will hear
with a hearing aid. The longer hearing loss is left untreated the harder it can be to retrain
the brain to recognise sounds that become available with a hearing device. People with
untreated hearing loss can be faced with serious consequences, ranging from
disadvantages at work, relationship problems and social isolation, Mr Smith said.
Reduced hearing has also been linked to stress, depression, withdrawal from social
situations and even dementia.
Despite the fact that hearing loss is a serious health issue, most Australians wait an
average of seven years to act on their hearing loss, but a hearing check takes only 15
minutes and could make significant difference.

http://info.thewest.com.au/westadvertising/feature/20160819/menu.html

NACCHO Aboriginal Health #HearingAwarenessWeek

Importance of ear health for our mob

Apunipima audiologist Kristen Tregenza, works across eleven remote Cape York
communities identifying hearing issues, had a message for all ages this Hearing Awareness
Week.
Hearing is all about connection, Kristen said. Hearing enables us to connect and
communicate whether youre in school, a family or a workplace. This Hearing Awareness
Week please cherish your hearing and take steps to protect it.
Littlies: Kids need to hear to learn how to talk, behave, learn and communicate. Kids are
most susceptible to ear infections (which, if left untreated can cause permanent hearing
loss) between the ages of nought to four. Kristens advice for parents of littlies:
Never smoke around children as smoke damages the lining of little ears
Teach your children to wash their hands and blow their nose to minimise risk of
infections
Whenever you take your child to the health centre, no matter what for, ask the them
to check your childs ears
Fill your childs ears with stories, words, poetry and songs
Teenagers: Kristen is seeing many teenagers with first stage hearing loss due to playing
music too loudly through headphones. Kristens advice for teenagers:
If your ears ring after the music has stopped, your music was too loud.
Either turn the sound down a bit, or listen for a shorter period.
Experiment to see how loud you can have it without causing ringing in your ears
Adults: Adults can experience hearing issues for a range of reasons from industrial noise
to undiagnosed issues earlier in life. Kristens advice for adults:
Take it seriously we need to cherish the hearing. Look after the hearing you have
and manage what you dont
Head to your local health centre and ask for a hearing check

Deafness Forum of Australia chairman David Brady on ABC TV during Hearing

Awareness Week.

New Australian
launched

Hearing

support

service

The Minister for Human Services, Hon Alan Tudge MP, launched an interactive new
hearing support service in Melbourne as part of Hearing Awareness Week.
Hearing Help is an initiative of Australian Hearing which allows people to complete a
hearing test online and access impartial hearing advice and support from hearing
clinicians.
A new website and helpline allows individuals to call or webchat with Australian Hearing
clinicians from the comfort of their own homes.
After speaking with a hearing expert through the webchat or helpline, eligible
individuals can visit their local GP to obtain a referral for a thorough hearing assessment
at an Australian Hearing centre.
People can browse the website for resources, ask for help through the online chat
functionality, or pick up the phone to speak directly with a hearing specialist.

Launching Hearing Help at the Australian Hearing Centre in Box Hill with the Federal
Member for Chisholm, Julia Banks MP, Minister Tudge said the new service was created
to break down the barriers that face many Australians with hearing loss.
With Hearing Help, Australian Hearing has made hearing advice accessible and
convenient for all Australians.
Hearing Help is another example of how were using technology to ensure broader
access to government services and save time for busy people.
One in six Australians currently experiences some sort of hearing loss, and this figure is
expected to grow to one in four by 2050, so its important to get clear advice and
support if you or a loved one are having issues with hearing.
Hearing Help was launched as part of Hearing Awareness Week, raising awareness of
hearing loss and encouraging people to have their hearing checked.
In addition to the free phone and web chat support, Hearing Help is backed by a new
resource hub, which includes a free hearing test. Australians can call a fully qualified
hearing specialist on freecall 1800 740 301 or visit the Hearing Help website.
To celebrate Hearing Awareness Week, Australian Hearing is urging all Australians to
take the online test today at http://www.hearinghelp.com.au/

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