A joint partnership between the British Tinnitus Association, the American Tinnitus Association and Better Hearing Australia, this is the first time that focus on this condition has been addressed in Australia under a network of collective medical and allied health organisations.

Tinnitus is the often debilitating presence of sound in the ears or head with no known source. It may be a ring, buzz, whistle, hiss, hum or cicada like sound. This constant irritation can lead to depression, cause anxiety and greatly affect lives.

There is no medical or surgical solution for tinnitus, but there are successful strategies to help you manage it.
Did you know?

• Tinnitus can happen at any age.
• Tinnitus affects 1 in 10 Australians – that’s over 2,000,000 of us.
• Anxiety and depression can be associated with tinnitus.
• Tinnitus doesn’t discriminate and can affect people from all walks of life.

The Jervis Bay Hearing centre is committed to helping those that suffer with this condition, and will be posting about Tinnitus all week to raise awareness.

For more information or to donate to Better Hearing Australia (VIC) visit: www.betterhearing.org.au

When you make your reservation, make sure to ask if a hearing-accessible room is available. If none are available on the dates you’re traveling, you may want to look for a different hotel.
What makes a hotel room hearing accessible? It varies, but generally these types of rooms have:

• A telephone that allows guests to communicate via text or typing, such as a TTY phone and/or a phone with added amplification
• Sensors that shake the bed and/or flash a light to alert guests that someone has rung the doorbell, or is calling on the phone. These types of alerts are also required for emergencies. Alarm clocks also must provide some sort of non-auditory signal, as well.
• A TV with closed captioning
• Signage indicating assistive listening devices are available
  

A day or two ahead of time, make a packing list so you don’t forget any of your hearing device essentials. A checklist of the basics include:

• Hearing aid storage case/drying container
  
• Small hearing aid dehumidifier
• Hearing aid splash protectors or wind sleeves, if your plans include active outdoor activities, such as camping and hiking
• Adapter for your charger if you’re traveling abroad
• Extra batteries
• Cleaning kit
• Assistive listening devices
• Hearing aid accessories
  

Before you leave town, you may want to check in with your hearing healthcare professional. These sorts of visits are often free or require a small office visit fee. Ask them to check your hearing devices to make sure they are clean and working properly. Tell them where you are going and what types of listening environments you anticipate. Together you can determine what adjustments, if any, need to be made to your devices so you can hear effectively while you’re away from home.

If you’re planning to fill up the tank and hit the highway, buckle up, of course! You won’t have to pass through security or worry about hearing last-minute gate changes, but you may have other challenges. Here are some suggestions, and be sure to check out our in-depth piece on driving with hearing loss:

• Ask your hearing healthcare professional about purchasing an assistive listening device that will improve your ability to hear conversations with fellow travelers while in the car.
• Consider purchasing an extra wide rear-view mirror so you can see more of your surroundings. Because you may not hear cars approach or honk, this is an added layer of safety.
• If you frequently take road trips with passengers, look into having an induction loop installed. This electronic device will allow you to better hear and understand your radio, cell phone and conversation from other passengers. (Induction loops are also found in some airports and travel hubs like train stations.)
• If you rely on texting or emailing for conversations, don’t compromise safety. Pull to the side of the road to send or receive these messages or ask one of your passengers to act as your reader and scribe.
  

Taking a plane, train or bus? Regardless of which mode of transportation you choose, you will likely find yourself in some pretty noisy, even chaotic, environments. Be sure to keep the following in mind:

• You do not have to remove your hearing aids when going through airport security. 
• For any transportation, check relevant websites or call ahead to ask about services for those with hearing loss. Many facilities require at least two weeks’ advance notice for sign language interpretation, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time if this is a service you require.
• Some travel hubs have induction loop systems to allow people with hearing loss to hear announcements more clearly. 
• Pack necessary travel documents in an easy-to-reach place.
• Sign up for travel alerts via text messaging, which can be useful if announcements are garbled.
  

If your hearing aids start giving you trouble while you’re traveling, our troubleshooting guide can help you problem-solve on the fly. If case of emergency, you also can always research local hearing clinics and get their help and advice.

When searching for a spot for lunch, seek out food stands and cafes with outdoor seating and quiet corners. Excess noise and loud interior spaces make it difficult to hear and focus on the conversation with the ones you love. Having an eye for ear-friendly locales can cut back on the stress and mental exhaustion it takes to decipher multiple sounds at once.

If you’re traveling internationally where the people speak an unfamiliar language, communication is difficult enough without factoring in your hearing loss. There are a number of things you can do to facilitate communication, including:

• Downloading a translator app on your smartphone or keeping a translation dictionary in your bag
• Alerting the travel personnel ahead of time about your hearing loss, so they can help point you in the right direction when you arrive
• Seeking out translator and hearing loss services ahead of time online
  

Being your own advocate can make a huge difference in the quality of your vacation. If you take a little time to research your trip before you go, you’ll save time, feel more confident and be better equipped to enjoy the adventure.
Also, your hearing aid professional or audiologist can provide you with more tips on what to consider before traveling the open skies, rails or roads.

(Source: healthyhearing.com)

The four most common issues hearing aid wearers experience are:

• My hearing aids aren't producing any sound (or my hearing aids are "dead")
• My hearing aids aren't loud enough
• My hearing aids sound "funny" or distorted
  
• My hearing aids are "whistling" or producing feedback

Troubleshooting steps for these common issues are highlighted below and in the downloadable checklist. We ordered the checklists with the simplest fixes at the top. If you're not able to fix your hearing aids yourself, you may need to come into the hearing Centre to find out what to do to get your hearing aids repaired.

(Source: healthyhearing.com)

Hearing impairment has long been accepted as a fact of life for the aging population.  However, scientists have long observed that other animals -- namely birds, frogs, and fish -- have been shown to have the ability to regenerate lost sensory hair cells.

"It's funny, but mammals are the oddballs in the animal kingdom when it comes to cochlear regeneration," said Jingyuan Zhang, Ph.D., with the University of Rochester Department of Biology and a co-author of the study. "We're the only vertebrates that can't do it."

Research conducted in the lab of Patricia White, Ph.D., in 2012 identified a family of receptors -- called epidermal growth factor (EGF) -- When triggered, these cells proliferate and foster the generation of new sensory hair cells. She speculated that this signaling pathway could potentially be manipulated to produce a similar result in mammals.

"In mice, the cochlea expresses EGF receptors throughout the animal's life, but they apparently never drive regeneration of hair cells," said White. "Perhaps during mammalian evolution, there have been changes in the expression of intracellular regulators of EGF receptor family signaling. Those regulators could have altered the outcome of signaling, blocking regeneration. Our research is focused on finding a way switch the pathway temporarily, in order to promote both regeneration of hair cells and their integration with nerve cells, both of which are critical for hearing."

In the new study, the team tested the theory that signaling from the EGF family of receptors could play a role in cochlear regeneration in mammals. The researchers focused on a specific receptor called ERBB2 which is found in cochlear support cells.

The researchers found that activating the ERBB2 pathway triggered a cascading series of cellular events by which cochlear support cells began to proliferate and start the process of activating other neighboring stem cells to become new sensory hair cells. Furthermore, it appears that this process not only could impact the regeneration of sensory hair cells, but also support their integration with nerve cells.

"The process of repairing hearing is a complex problem and requires a series of cellular events," said White. "You have to regenerate sensory hair cells and these cells have to function properly and connect with the necessary network of neurons. This research demonstrates a signaling pathway that can be activated by different methods and could represent a new approach to cochlear regeneration and, ultimately, restoration of hearing."

For most people, the holiday season kicks off at the end of November. The days are longer, there's warmth in the air and whole neighborhoods compete to shine brightly after dark. Whatever you celebrate — Christmas, Hanukkah, Summer Solstice, Kwanzaa or the New Year — this time of the year is filled with opportunities to eat rich foods, take part in traditions and gather with family and friends.

What sounds are you missing?

The holidays are also a time when people with untreated hearing loss miss out on a lot of the most wonderful seasonal sounds, including:

• The joyful laughter and excitement of the kids as they open their holiday gifts.
• The excited announcers of televised sporting events, like the Summer cricket & tennis.
• The lyrical melody of favorite seasonal music. There's no better time to play your favourite Christmas carols.
• Sharing memories of past holidays with other family members.
• Holiday banter over the dinner table.
• Updates from loved ones who only gather for these special annual events.

If you've been considering getting a hearing test to see if you may need hearing aids, there is still time to do it before Christmas is here. It takes a bit of time and a few visits to your hearing care professional but you will soon have your new hearing aids working to their fullest potential. You'll be thankful you didn't go longer without hearing well, and you'll be delighted by the holiday sounds you forgot you were missing.


Tips for better holiday listening

Whether you wear hearing aids or not, there are many things you can do to ease communication during gatherings with your family and friends. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your hearing ability this holiday season:

• Choose the best seat at the dinner table. If you have better hearing in one ear, make sure to position yourself so you can hear with that ear.
• Make sure the TV and music are off — it will be difficult enough for you to hear over several conversations. Sit by someone you can lipread, or by someone who understands your hearing loss and doesn't mind filling you in if you miss a detail or punchline.
• If there's someone you really want to pull into a conversation, ask him or her to step into a more private space with good lighting so you can chat and hear more easily.
• Give yourself a hearing break! Head to a quiet spot, like a bedroom or the bathroom, and let your ears enjoy a few minutes of quiet time.

If you already wear hearing aids and/or assistive listening devices, be sure to stock up on batteries and visit us at the Jervis Bay Hearing Centre for a check and cleaning before the holidays so you're prepared. If you own hearing aids but they live in a drawer most of the time, the holidays are a great time to pull them out and put them on — wouldn't you like to hear those joyful "thank-yous" that get shouted across the room?

(Source: healthyhearing.com)

Tall or short, active or subdued, scruffy or carefully coiffed, dogs most definitely make good companions. But for some, our furry, four-legged friends are much more than house pets, they are actual lifesavers, providing service for individuals with a wide range of disabilities including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

There are three categories of assistance dogs: hearing, guide and service. Hearing dogs help hearing-impaired individuals live independently and confidently. Guide dogs give that same assistance to blind individuals. Service dogs are trained to assist their owners with physical or psychiatric disabilities.
Accredited assistance dogs programs are available worldwide in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America. According to a 2017 abstract published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, 4,314 assistance dogs were placed in 2013 and 2014 alone to provide guide, mobility, autism, hearing, psychiatric, diabetic and seizure services in North America. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), certified assistance dogs are permitted to accompany their owners into public and private venues in the United States.


What do hearing assistance dogs do?

First used in 1960, hearing assistance dogs are trained to alert people to household and other sounds, such as alarm clocks, doorbells, kitchen timers, fire or burglar alarms, or telephones. While at home, the dogs alert their partner by making physical contact, such as a nudge to the arm or leg, and then directing the person to the source of the sound.
Some organizations like Dogs for Better Lives (formerly Dogs for the Deaf) also train the hearing dogs to accompany their owner into public places. Although the dogs aren't trained to respond to sirens or approaching cars, their owners can be alerted to what the dogs are paying attention to and react accordingly.
"After we train them for 4-6 months, we try to match them up with an owner as best we can," Kelly Gonzalez, former Development Director for Dogs for Better Lives, said. "If there's someone on our waiting list who goes bowling, then we take the dog into the bowling alley. If we have a very active dog, we're not going to place them with someone who sits at home all the time. We want to make sure upfront we won't have to take the dog back."


Who can benefit from a hearing dog?

Because hearing loss affects the ability to communicate, hearing-impaired individuals often experience loneliness, isolation, depression and frustration. Untreated hearing loss can also negatively affect emotional stability, an overall sense of control and participation in social activities.
"One of the biggest things a hearing dog can give someone is confidence and a sense of security that they don't have otherwise," Gonzalez said.
Not everyone with hearing loss qualifies, however. “You must be severely to profoundly deaf or hard of hearing to qualify for one of our service dogs,” Nicole Tallman of Dogs for Better Lives explained. “We assist our clients in getting audiograms, which are then reviewed by our own audiologist.”


Where do the dogs come from?

According to Assistance Dogs International, hearing dogs come in all shapes, sizes and colors - and mainly from animal shelters. They need to be friendly and people-oriented, energetic, and ready to work as soon as a sound occurs. Some programs will train a hearing-impaired individual's pet dog to assist them as long as the dog has the right temperament and age. Because their purpose is to encourage independence, protective breeds don't work well for this assignment.
Most organizations that train for hearing assistance favor small to medium mixes of breeds such as terriers, poodles, Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, cocker spaniels and Lhasa apsos. Small to medium sized dogs are favored simply because that is the size that most of those seeking a hearing service dog request.
And what makes a good hearing assistive dog? Tallman said dogs must be friendly and approachable. In other words, a dog that hides at the back of the kennel would not be an ideal service dog candidate. The dog should also be food- or treat-motivated (i.e., willing to work for reward), comfortable in a public setting and be in good health. Energy level is also crucial, as the dogs have to be ready to work at any moment.


Next steps

If you or someone you love might benefit from a hearing assistance dog, search for an organization in your community. If you can't find one by searching online, ask your family physician or audiologist. Each program has their own application, qualification process and associated fees. Many organizations which provide hearing assistance dogs are non-profit and may require only a refundable deposit and nominal application fee. A short training period for the human partner is usually required as well.
Before you reach out, make sure you are willing to commit to the responsibility of owning a dog and are patient enough to work with the dog as he learns to obey you. If you are, follow through. Not only can hearing assistance dogs provide a sense of security and confidence, they are also loyal, loving pets that will be companions for years to come.


(Source: healthyhearing.com)

Which headphones will work with my hearing aids?

With all of the different headphones on the market today, which ones work best with hearing aids? That all depends upon what type of hearing aids you wear. Here are a few things to consider before you discuss the subject with your hearing healthcare professional.


If you wear in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids

Finding good fitting headphones when you wear devices which fit inside the ear canal is a lot less problematic than it is with other models.  

• Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids are the tiniest hearing aids on the market. Their ability to fit inside the ear canal make them more discreet than other models. These devices are usually prescribed for those with mild or moderate hearing loss.
• In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids sit in the lower portion of the outer ear bowl, which makes them comfortable and easy to use. Because they are slightly larger than IIC and CIC hearing aids, they have a longer battery life and able to address a wider range of hearing losses.
• Low profile hearing aids sit inside the ear, although range in size from half shell designs to those which fill almost the entire ear bowl. Because they are larger and easier to handle, they may be more desirable for those with dexterity issues.

Since all components of the above devices fit completely inside the ear canal, they are usually compatible with on-ear or over-the-ear headphones. Those who wear IIC hearing aids may even be able to use earbuds.


If you wear behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids

Those who wear BTE or receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) devices may find over-the-ear headphones the best option.

• BTE hearing aids range in size from mini BTEs with ultra-thin tubing to those which work with earmolds to address severe to profound hearing losses.
• RIC and receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) hearing aids have the speaker built into the ear tip instead of the main body of the hearing aid.

When using headphones with these hearing devices, choose a model which fits completely over the hearing aids’ microphone, which is located outside the ear canal and behind the ear. If it doesn’t fit completely over, the hearing aid will pick up external sound instead of what is coming from the headphone. You may have to try a few models to find the right fit. The key is to make sure the headphone speakers are located far enough away from the hearing aid microphones to prevent problems with audio feedback.


Ask your hearing healthcare professional

If you’re still having trouble finding headphones which work with your hearing aids, make sure you’re using the hearing aid program for the listening environment. A program which emphasizes speech may not be the best one to use when you’re listening to music or audiobooks. If you’re in doubt about which program to use -- or how to switch between programs on your hearing devices -- ask us by calling the Jervis Bay Hearing Centre on 4441 8886

To prevent additional noise-induced hearing loss, make sure you follow the 80-90 rule when using headphones or earbuds, regardless of whether or not you wear hearing aids: listen at 80 percent or less of your device’s volume for no more than 90 minutes a day. As always, if you find you’re not hearing your best, schedule an appointment with us today and get a FREE hearing assessment!


(Source: healthyhearing.com)

Researchers have long observed the negative impacts of otitis media, or "glue ear", on children's education, childhood development and social outcomes, and say it needs to be detected far earlier.

"If I'm actually doing surgery on these kids, we've missed the boat," Kelvin Kong said.

Dr Kong is an ear, nose and throat surgeon who will be one of the leaders of the new initiative, delivered by Charles Darwin University (CDU).

The $7.9 million five-year program is funded jointly by the NT and Federal Governments and philanthropic venture the Balnaves Foundation.

It will attempt to reduce the need for FIFO specialists by training and employing local community members as support workers who can recognise the symptoms of glue ear, assist with the diagnosis process and help families treat and manage infections.

Amanda Leach from the Menzies School of Health Research will lead the project with Dr Kong, and said that while a lot of evidence had been collected about the best way to treat ear infections, implementation was where children fell through the cracks.

"We think this program will provide a culturally safe and appropriate long-term service every day," Professor Leach said.

"Our goal is that every ear of every child is hearing normally every day; that's just not happening at the moment.

"Only around 10 per cent of children have bilaterally normal ears in their preschool ears. 10 per cent is not good enough."

Communities will be asked for input about how the program should be rolled out and which community members should be involved.

"[The ultimate aim] is that we don't have a role in this because it's actually run by the community, they can identify the problems and they can navigate the health system and get the help they need to," Dr Kong said.

"It's all about Aboriginal governance which will have the leadership in this."

Dr Kong was Australia's first Indigenous ear, nose and throat surgeon, in a Western sense — he points to Aboriginal Ngangkari healers who would perform some procedures as his forebears.

He said the long-term impacts on children with hearing impairments could be profound.

"If this is your child and they're not speaking for two years, that's a huge impact on interactions, on smiling, on story time, on cultural passing down, dancing, on singing," he said.

Professor Leach said six months was too long for children to wait for an audiologist to fly in to their community.

"That's too long to wait when these children are going through their rapid brain development, language skills, and you just see that they're not progressing in their development," she said.

NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the need in the Northern Territory warranted a significant investment, noting that children's experience in the classroom informed the rest of their lives.

She said that Aboriginal Territorians were grossly over-represented in jails.

"This [program] is generational change," she said.

"This will mean the next generation of Territory kids won't be dealing with their hearing loss later in life, that has the social impacts that cross across government agencies and community."

The partnership was an exciting opportunity to fight preventable hearing loss among current and future generations, federal Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt said.

"Lifting the capacity of local families to recognise, report, and treat ear problems early promises to help our children reach their full potential," he said.

The number of Indigenous children affected by glue ear was "not fair and it's certainly unequal," CDU chancellor and founder of the Balnaves Foundation Neil Balnaves said.

"The amount of children affected by it would be regarded in any other place in the world as an epidemic, and it's got to stop," he said.

Ear health specialists from around the country and overseas have gathered in Darwin this week for a biannual conference on otitis media.

On Tuesday, child development expert Steven Guthridge from the Menzies School of Health Research presented findings from a study funded by the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet, confirming a long-suspected link between otitis media infections and poor educational outcomes.

The study used data on Aboriginal children in years one and three in the Northern Territory and measured school attendance and school performance.

"Across all our measures, hearing impairment has significant impact … to the extent that those children with hearing loss will have something in the order of one-and-a-half to twice the risk of not being ready for school or not performing to the national standard," Professor Guthridge said.

"It's been widely recognised but this actually demonstrates that association and actually quantifies the extent of it."

The data gathered will also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of new programs to combat the issue.

(Source: abc.net.au)
Author: Emilie Gramenz

For anybody with hearing loss, articulating the isolation it causes is almost impossible.For a child, it's even harder.

the 360-degree VR experience replicates what life is like for a child with hearing loss

But a new virtual reality (VR) experience, designed to immerse users in a playground and classroom as a child with hearing loss, is helping to foster empathy in parents, teachers and other students.

"They didn't think I could hear so little," eight-year-old Tyler Potaka said of his peers.

Tyler has bilateral mild to moderate hearing loss, meaning he has hearing loss in both ears.

For his mother Philippa, the experience wasn't quite so matter-of-fact.

"It was very emotional to put your mind and your head and your body and transplant into your own child and to experience what they see and hear, or don't hear.

"You really are able to have more empathy, you're able to sympathise with not being able to hear."

The VR project was launched by Sydney charity The Shepherd Centre and filmed at a Newtown primary school.

"We decided we should do it from the perspective of a child ... in the classroom and in the playground and do a comparison as to what it would be like with [hearing aids] and without."

Nick Hunter, the creative director from innovation company Paper Moose which led the design, said the VR team worked with audiology specialists to accurately recreate how hearing loss sounds.

"You start in the playground and the audio is quite muffled," he said.

"I was really surprised when we were talking to the specialists and we did our first pass at what we thought would be moderate hearing loss, and the expert said, 'No, you need to go further — it's much more degraded than that."

After experiencing the muffled audio in the playground, the user is moved to the classroom where the teacher asks you a question but you're unable to understand.

"When the whole experience was finished, and we sat down and watched it in its entirety, I found it surprisingly emotional at how isolated and vulnerable I felt," Mr Hunter said.

Dr Anne Fulcher, principal listening and spoken word specialist at the Shepherd Centre, said she believed the technology was so powerful that it could lead to better clinical outcomes.

"It's wonderful to help new parents to see the impact of hearing loss and why it's so important to help them with amplification and early intervention as soon as possible," Dr Fulcher said.

And the benefit came from empathy, which would encourage parents and carers to intervene earlier, she said.

"A lot of the families say they don't want their children to wear devices because it makes them look different and the kids will bully them.

"Often our reply is, 'Well, if they don't have hearing aids, that's setting them up for being bullied because they will sound different, they will act different, they won't be a part of the groups because it will be too difficult, their speech and language will be delayed; so it's setting them up for all types of social and long-term poor outcomes'."


While the technology is offered at The Shepherd Centre, Dr Fulcher said the team would work towards sharing it with schools and government bodies

(Source: abc.net.au)
Author: Harriet Tatham