NEWSLETTER

OF THE

NAPIER HEARING

ASSOCIATION hear here

this issue

Spring Buffet Lunch P.1

TV Headphones P.3

Help with Tinnitus P.4

When the ear has sniffles P.6

Which

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6

I S S U E

Napier Hearing Centre

Civic Court Mall

Dickens Street, Napier

(next to Café DMP)

9am - 2pm

Monday to Friday

Phone: 835 7790

www.napierhearing.org.nz

Email: naphear@xtra.co.nz

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/

napierhearing

Post to:

PO Box 4019

Marewa, Napier 4143

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

President: Brian Cottle

Treasurer: Diana Clift

Secretary: Angela Moloney

Volunteer Co-ordinator:

Ann Bain

Committee: June Chorley,

Janice Cram, Maree

Hallamore, Joy Kelly,

Jacqui Lee, Br. Joe Lamb,

Robert Vance

04

Ask the Audiologists

Join us for a question-and-answer panel discussion with independent Audiologists Lisa Thomson and Leonard Poon.

Come prepared with your questions about hearing, hearing loss and hearing aids.

Followed by a buffet lunch with sweets, tea and coffee. Purchase your tickets from the Hearing Centre by Tuesday 20 September. Transport is available - please contact the Hearing Centre on 835 7790.

THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER

S P R I N G L U N C H With special gues ts, Independent Audiologis t s

Lisa T homson & Leonard Poon

HEAVEY HALL, 92 WYCLIFFE ST NAPIER 10.30AM TICKETS $9 / $11 (NON-MEMBERS)

One of the many rewards of being involved with the Hearing Association are those occasions when we are able to find a solution to a problem one of our members is having with everyday hearing. We were recently contacted by a woman who was constantly missing phone calls because she couldn't hear the phone ringing. This was not only inconveniencing, it was also causing worry for her family and friends. Given she had no trouble hearing conversations on the phone, the expense of a new phone clearly wasn’t the answer. We were able to source a bellringer with a flashing light, for a fraction of the cost of a new phone, and she now also gets a visual cue when her phone is ringing.

If you find yourself struggling with an everyday hearing problem, do let us know. New products and applications are always being released, and if we don’t have what you need we are happy to do some investigative work. Likewise, if you come across a handy gadget which makes life easier, let us know so we can pass it on to others.

President’s Report Brian Cottle, President

Napier Hearing Association

hear here Issue 02 April 2014

Ask the Audiologists: Bring your burning questions! Our Spring Lunch on 22 September will feature a question-and-answer panel discussion with independent audiologists Leonard Poon and Lisa Thomson.

Please come along with your questions about all things hearing:

hearing loss hearing aids new developments tinnitus

A warm welcome to new members!

Gerbrect Saenger, Diane Kirk and Katarina Puna. We hope your association with Napier Hearing will be rewarding and enjoyable!

hear here Issue 04 September 2016

We are now gearing up for our annual Street Appeal on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October. We don’t receive any direct

government funding, so our own fundraising efforts are essential. If you are able to spare an hour or two to help us collect we would love to hear from you. Ann Bain our Volunteer Co-ordinator will make sure you have a time and location that suits you. If you can help, ring the Hearing Centre on 835 7790.

Also coming up on 22 September is our Spring lunch, and we are delighted that independent audiologists Lisa Thomson and Leonard Poon have agreed to join us for a panel discussion. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to ask questions about the process of getting hearing aids, adjusting to them and getting the most from them in our everyday life. I hope many of you are able to join us - tickets are available at the Hearing Centre now.

This is a fantastic

opportunity for

us to ask

questions about

the process of

getting hearing

aids

FREE Personal Listener Lending Programme

Do you know someone who struggles to hear at important appointments? Or feels left out at gatherings because they can’t hear?

Napier Hearing now has personal listening devices available for loan that provide clear, amplified sound. These devices can be worn to further enhance hearing aids, but are particularly useful for people who cannot wear a hearing aid. For more information or to book a device, phone the Hearing Centre on 835 7790.

TV Headphones Do you have trouble hearing the television? Or does your family complain you always have the volume too high? The answer could be a set of wireless headphones designed for listening to the TV.

Wireless television headphones come with a recharging station which plugs into your TV. They allow you to amplify sound as loud as you need, while allowing others to listen at a lower volume.

Napier Hearing is now working with Assistive Listening Services to offer a complete sales and home installation service, to ensure your headphones are working optimally with your TV. Richard Walsh from Assistive Listening Services has years of experience working in the field of hearing technology and has recently relocated to Napier. He has the cords, cables and converters required to connect all models of TV. Richard will visit your home to set up the headphones, and ensure you are comfortable using them.

Cost for the headphones is $175.00. If a Toslink converter is required, an extra charge of $45.00 applies. Price includes installation and all cords and cables.

We have a demonstration set of headphones at the Hearing Centre - if you think they might be the answer, drop in and try them out!

Batteries: Taradale Agent

Batteries are available from the Hearing Centre, or from our suburban agent.

Please phone before visiting to make sure he is home:

Don Wilson, 15A Eaton Street, Taradale, Ph: 844 0055

Assistive Hearing Services

Richard Walsh Phone: 021 103 1773 E: hearingassisthb@hotmail.com

We are very grateful for

the support of these

organisations whose

generosity makes it

possible for the Napier

Hearing Association to

offer support services and

programmes for people

living with hearing loss.

TAMATEA

Spirit of Napier

Hearing Aid batteries only $7 to

members for six quality batteries.

Here are some ways of helping you deal with your tinnitus:

Sound Therapy General term for the use of sound as a therapy, in a number of ways: to interfere with tinnitus, to mask it. to assist relaxation. to change the brain’s over-attention away from the tinnitus, on to normal sound, and training it to do

that, which can lead to adaptation. With complete adaptation, tinnitus is not heard, unless you actively listen to it.

Masking “Why is it that buzzing in the ears cease if one makes a sound? Is it because a greater sound drives out the less?” (Attributed to Aristotle) Tinnitus is at its worst in a quiet room, when you are listening to your tinnitus. In a room with some noise in it, you may not notice the tinnitus because you are concentrating on the other sounds. Specific masking sounds can work better than others, eg a fire sound, or a waterfall sound, depending on the sound of the tinnitus.

Masking makes the hearing system too busy to listen to tinnitus, unless it is focused back onto the tinnitus. Sound can interfere with tinnitus, so long as it is the right sound, and at a comfortable level.

Informational Masking Putting informational sound into the brain. It doesn’t have to be a specific sound, but it does have to be interesting, so that your brain wants to concentrate on it.

Relaxation Music or other sounds that we like and find really relaxing. There is no one piece of music that is generally better than another. For example, in a study Grant did, they found Vivaldi’s Four Seasons - Spring worked really well for almost everyone. But one person in the study found that this music made their tinnitus much worse. This piece had been played at their partner’s funeral. This shows the importance of parts of the brain, including memory, in the tinnitus.

Attention If we focus our attention on tinnitus, either deliberately, or unintended, due to factors such as our personality, memories and emotions, and how stressed we are, we will hear tinnitus at the expense

Continued...

hear here Issue 04 September 2016

Tinnitus, hearing loss & hearing aids

Part 2 of our summary of Dr Grant Searchfield’s talk at our Autumn Lunch.

Tinnitus, Hearing Loss and Hearing aids, continued

of other sounds. We can use auditory training to make the person ignore the tinnitus. You can’t control tinnitus by will and determination – this will just make it worse. But we can train the brain to ignore it.

Adaptation If we do train our brain in this way, over time the tinnitus will fade into the background, and we may achieve total adaptation. It takes quite a long time. The earlier we can capture the tinnitus, the quicker we can push it away. But the brain can be trained even if we’re an old dog. Grant’s team undertook a trial of hearing aids with sound therapy. It was found that the longer that people persisted with these, the better their tinnitus became. This was probably a combination of masking and adaptation, with changes happening in the brain over time.

New Things Most people hear their tinnitus somewhere in their head. But where in their head they hear it is very individual. Grant’s team has developed a technique using 3D sound to make the masking sound cover the location of the tinnitus, improving the effect of the masking. Research is continuing.

A usual masking sound made through a hearing aid is a hissing type sound. Nature sounds are now also available through hearing aids, such as a cathedral in the Vatican, waterfalls, running water, rain. Grant’s team has found that while both sounds – the hissing sound and the nature sounds worked, the nature sounds continued to improve the tinnitus and were more successful over time.

On The Horizon Other things are currently being researched, but not yet available. One of these is trans-cranial current stimulation. This is a battery connected to wires and placed on the head, with a very low-level current. When placed on the head above places which may be causing tinnitus, the tinnitus can be turned off for about a day, in about 30% of people. This is not yet useful enough, but if Grant and his team can identify the part of the brain that they are deactifying, they can come up with treatments that can target this part of the brain, and turn the tinnitus off for longer.

Work is continuing with drugs to try and improve the effects of sound therapy. This is likened to going to the gym, and giving the brain a performance enhancing drug, so that it can train harder. Other ongoing research involves trialling drugs that try and make the tinnitus go away.

There are now a number of things on the horizon which may be very much like cures. In NZ there are 2 centres, at Auckland and Otago which are at the forefront of international tinnitus research. If something was developed you can rest assured that NZ will be one of the first countries to hear about it. Grant and his team also run a tinnitus clinic at Auckland University. You are welcome to email Grant with questions at g.searchfield@auckland.ac.nz.

Tinnitus Tunes: Special Offer for Napier Hearing Members

Grant’s faculty has an online tinnitus website www.tinnitustunes.com. This includes information on how to get to sleep, create good work habits, de-stress, sound therapy, sounds for relaxing, and training for the brain. Tinnitus Tunes is available on a subscription basis, but you can look at parts of the site without paying.

As a special offer to Napier Hearing Members, Tinnitus Tunes are offering a 15% discount on the joining fee.

If you are interested in subscribing to the website, visit www.tinnitustunes.com and use the promotion code naphear27, and get a 15% discount on the joining fee.

hear here Issue 02 April 2014

Otitis Media:

when the ear has sniffles

Metron Telephone Bellringer with Flashing Light

Never miss a phone

call again with this

visual indicator that

the phone is ringing!

The Metron ringer with

flashing light plugs into

your phone jack with a

double adaptor.

Increases the ring

volume 2 - 3 times

Lights flash to

indicate incoming call

Members Price: $34.00

NEW

One of the most obvious signs of a common cold or flu is a stuffy or runny nose. What is not so obvious is that the ear can also have the sniff les!

Commonly referred to as “middle ear infection”, Otitis media is the inflammation of the middle ear. The middle ear is defined as the area between the eardrum and the inner ear. It consists of the eardrum, the hollow cavity behind it with thre small middle ear bones (ossicles) and the Eustachian tube.

Otitis media typically follows an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold. After a few days of a stuffy or runny nose the ears can become affected. The mucous membrane lining in the middle ear becomes inflamed and the Eustachian tube closes up. A blocked Eustachian tube affects the air circulation in the middle ear causing a buildup of negative pressure in the middle ear. This sets up a vaccuum and in some cases, if the vacuum does not resolve, the inflamed mucous membrane begins to secrete fluid.

Signs and symptoms: Symptoms range from very mild to severe. In its most mild form symptoms include the feeling of congestion in the ears, discomfort or a “popping” sensation. These symptoms usually resolve once the cold is gone. In more severe cases symptoms include hearing loss, earache or pain, dizziness, high fever, ear discharge, nausea and tinnitus. In some cases the eardrum cannot withstand the pressure from the build-up of fluid and tears - this is commonly known as a perforated eardrum. Although it sounds serious, it actually has the positive effect that the fluid can flow out through the outer ear, and brings relief from the pain plus the general symptoms of illness.

Prevention and treatment: Otitis media is considered a complication of upper respiratory infections and therefore prevention is to reduce the risk factors associated with these infections. Limit exposure to others who are sick and cigarette smoke and wash hands frequently. Diet and allergies can also have an impact on the incidence of otitis media. In many cases the incidence of acute otitis media will resolve on its own accord within 3-4 days with the help of prescribed ear drops, over the counter decongestants and analgesics. To prevent acute otitis media from becoming chronic, antibiotics are sometimes required. Following a course of antibiotics, otitis media normally clears up in 2-3 weeks.

The outcome – should I be concerned? Otitis media is a very common medical condition. The majority of cases are mild and either resolve on their own or are easily treated. Generally speaking the middle ear has a strong self-healing ability and complications are very rare. Even so, the “silent” nature of otitis media can have long term effects. Keep in mind that a runny nose may also lead to an ear with the sniffles, and consult your GP if you are concerned.

Extract from “When the Ear has Sniffles” at www.hear-the-world.com

hear here Issue 04 September 2016

Our Winter Grocery

Hamper Raffle was drawn

by member R. Coates

on 19 August.

Congratulations to winner

D. Jeffares, with ticket no.

Green D13.

The raffle raised a record

$937.00 - thank you to

everyone who supported

us with raffle sales and

ticket purchases,

especially those of you

who braved the bitter

August weather to help

with supermarket sales

days!

Grocery Raffle Winner

Centre Happenings New Accessibility Map for Napier Diana is a member of the Napier Disability Group, and is currently busy helping to design a new disability map for Napier. One of the first jobs is working out what needs to go on the map. Disabled toilets, accessible parks — what would YOU like to see on the map, and what would your friends visiting Napier like to see? Do you have any ideas relating to hearing help? Please put on your thinking hats, and get in touch with your ideas.

Citizen’s Advice Bureau Talk We were delighted to host Liz Nelson from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau at our recent Winter Lunch. We found it fascinating to hear about the variety of work they do, and their commitment to providing effective help and advice. Their highly trained volunteers take the time to listen and equip you with information, options and support to fit your needs. Services and assistance include legal advice, Justice of the Peace services, budgeting, emergency food assistance, and help with employment and consumer issues. Phone CAB on 835 9664 for further information and assistance.

Dr Grant Searchfield returns to Hawkes Bay! Dr Searchfield is Associate Professor in Audiology at the University of Auckland. Following the huge demand to hear Dr Searchfield talk about tinnitus at our Autumn Lunch, Hastings Hearing have invited him back to speak. We encourage any of you who missed out to book your tickets early!

Where: Jireh Hall, St Johns Church, Frederick St Hastings When: Wednesday 26 October, 1:00pm Cost: $10.00 per person. Includes Afternoon Tea. Tickets: limited tickets available from Napier Hearing, phone: 835 7790.

Badges:

I have a

hearing loss

Hearing loss is the

“invisible disability”.

Some people find

wearing a badge helpful

to remind people to

speak clearly and be

aware of background

noises and distractions.

Available from the

Hearing Centre for $12

(members price).

Street Appeal: We need You! The appearance of Spring also brings the Napier Hearing Annual Street Appeal. This year the Appeal is on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October, and we really need your help to make it a success.

We will be collecting at sites throughout Napier city and suburbs. All our sites will have a table and a chair to sit at while you collect.

If you are able to spare some time to collect we would love to hear from you - just an hour or two can make a huge difference! Please contact Ann, Angela or Diana at the Hearing Centre on 835 7790 if you are able to help.

Services available at the Hearing Centre:

FREE to Members

Independent

information and

advice

Funding

information

Communication

strategies

Wax checks

Hearing Aid

cleaning and

drying

Hearing Tests

Free trials of

equipment

Discounted

Prices for

Members

Hearing Aid

batteries

Amplified

phones, TV

headphones

personal

listeners and

other devices

hear here Issue 04 September 2016

Ring Ring The phone is a vital tool for keeping in touch with family and friends, but for people with hearing loss, it can also be a source of frustration. Not hearing the phone ring or finding it difficult to hear what is being said are common complaints.

We have been very busy at Napier Hearing expanding our range of telephones, so that we hope we now have a phone to fit every need.

What do YOU need in a phone? Type of Phone Would you like a traditional corded phone, attached to the phone line? Or, would you prefer a cordless, portable phone that you can carry around with you and then recharge? How about a combo of the two, or a portable phone with an extra handset?

Extra Volume Of course, it needs to be nice and loud, but would you also like a BOOST button to make it louder, or a SPEAKERPHONE to really do the trick?

Sight Assistance Do you need nice BIG buttons to help your eyesight?

Photos for Memory Help How’s your memory for phone numbers? Would you like pictures of your family on the phone, so you can press the button with their photo to quickly call them?

Answerphone How about an easy to use answerphone, with a SLOW playback feature for those people who leave gabbled messages?

Emergency or Gardening Help For peace of mind, would you like an around-the-neck pendant that you can press to contact family or friends in an emergency? This can also be used as a remote phone answerer, eg when out in the garden.

Please see our Telephone Insert for more information about the phones available from the Hearing Centre, and come in and try out our new, expanded range! Members can also try these out at home.

Uniden SSE35 Digital Cordless Phone Features include extra loud audio control with BOOST option and extra loud ringer, hands-free speakerphone, a large display screen with easy-to-read buttons and an integrated answering machine with a Slow Playback Function. Hearing Aid compatible.

$119.00 $114.00 Members

Also available as SSE35 + 1 with extra handset: $209.00 $199.00 Members

Uniden SSE37 + 1 Digital Phone Corded phone with additional cordless handset. Features include extra loud audio control with BOOST option and extra loud ringer, hands-free speakerphone, a large display screen with easy-to-read buttons and an integrated answering machine with a Slow Playback Function. Hearing Aid compatible.

$209.00 $199.00 Members

Oricom Care 100 Amplified Corded Phone Large, high-contrast buttons with an extra loud ringer, tone control and bright flashing ringer alert. Hearing aid compatible. 2-year warranty.

$129.00 $119.00 Members

Oricom Care 80 Corded Phone Amplified big-button phone with an extra loud ringer. Six large picture memory buttons for easy dialling. Bright visual ringer alert, BOOST function and hearing aid compatible. 2-year warranty.

$ 129.00 $ 119.00 Members

Oricom Care 170 Corded Phone with Pendant Amplified big-button telephone with talking caller ID, amplified receiver and extra loud ring. Flashing ring indicator and high quality hands-free speakerphone. Hearing Aid compatible. Includes personal remote pendant which will call your nominated contact person when activated, and can also be used to answer the phone.

$ 229.00 $ 219.00 Members

Captel Captioned Phone This captioned phone allows you to listen and read captions of what the other person says. CapTel connects to the internet and displays captions of your conversation. Requires broadband internet connection.

$323.00 Ring CapTel NZ: 0800 227 835

Napier Hearing

Amplified Telephones

Napier Hearing Civic Court, Dickens Street, Napier 4110 PO Box 4019, Marewa, 4143 Phone: 06 835 7790 E: naphear.office@xtra.co.nz www.napierhearing.org.nz

Telephone Insert