SUMMER ISSUE Volume 1, Issue 1

Get better hearing care from someone you trust With more than one Australian in seven affected by hearing loss,

there's no doubt many people are struggling every day with a significant loss

of hearing. In the 30-plus years I've been practising, I've found most people

are looking for two main things:

An experienced and professional clinician they can trust

Hearing solutions that meet their individual needs

They're also looking for value.

Why we're different

An intensive review of the hearing industry by the Australian Consumer

Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed that consumers

have concerns over pressure tactics applied by some hearing care providers.

We take another approach to hearing care:

We offer a family-oriented approach to hearing care. Our independence

means that we give you the choice of brands and technology,

often unavailable from the big chains.

We're committed to spending as much time as it takes to help you

find the hearing solution that suits your hearing loss, your budget and

your lifestyle.

On your request, after every full hearing assessment, we’ll give you a

copy of your Audiogram and Medical Report, and we send a copy

to their GP.

Since opening our hearing care clinic in June 2017, we've helped many

people in your area to improve their hearing. We hope you'll find the articles

in our newsletter of interest.

If you'd like to book an appointment for a free hearing test to discuss your

particular issues, please get in touch by calling our St Agnes clinic on

1300 432 776.

Looking forward to supporting your hearing health,

Gary Rayment—Hearing Care Professional MBA, Cmgr FAIM, DipPM, DipHDEP, MACAud, FHAASA, HIS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Hearing Loss & Dementia ........................................ 2

3 Reasons People Avoid Hearing Aids .................. 3

Meet our Team .............. 4

OUR SERVICES

Free Hearing Tests

Free & Subsidised Hearing Care for Pensioners

Free 15 Day Trial

Money-back Guarantee

WorkCover Claims

Reports for your GP

Call 1300 432 776 for your Free Hearing Check

According to Dementia Australia, there are 413,106

Australians living with dementia. It’s estimated that

around one in seven Australians has a significant hearing

loss. This number increases with age.

Many mistakenly believe that dementia is a natural consequence of

ageing. Yet, there are many controllable health and lifestyle factors that

contribute to the disease.

One in three cases of dementia can be prevented

There’s no doubt more research is needed, but recent research has

given hope that dementia can be prevented by controlling certain

risk factors such as hearing loss.

Though factors like exercise and diet and their relationship to dementia

have been well-studied, little research into the link with hearing loss

has been done.

The Lancet Commission report found that, as hearing loss is so

widespread, it may have more of an impact on the overall

number of dementia cases than any of the other factors they identified.

Alzheimer’s Research in the UK recently received £608,000 to study

the emerging link between dementia risk and hearing loss.”

“In the UK, over two-thirds of people aged over 65 experience hearing

loss. Most do not get the hearing aid treatment they need.”

“If they do, they very often stop using them, especially if they have

memory problems. With mounting evidence of a strong link between

hearing loss and dementia risk, this is potentially a huge missed

opportunity for us to tackle the growing impact of dementia and make a

real difference to people’s lives,” said Dr Sergi Costafreda Gonzalez of

UCL Psychiatry.

“While there is a clear association between the two conditions, the only

way to really know if treating hearing loss could lower dementia risk is

by running tests in people.”

“We have developed a programme to help boost hearing aid use and

this new funding will allow us to test this approach in people at a high

risk of developing dementia. We’re hopeful that this work will highlight

an approach to help delay the onset of dementia in the long run, and

we’re very grateful to Alzheimer’s Research UK for this support,” he

said.

For more information on dementia, contact Dementia

Australia or take a look at the Alzheimer’s Society

UK website. Or contact us to discuss how we can help

you with your hearing loss.

HEARING LOSS AND DEMENTIA: NEW RESEARCH SHOWS A STRONG LINK

HEARING LOSS & DEMENTIA

The suspicion that

there’s a link between

hearing loss and

dementia has been

around for many

years.

Both are more

common as we age.

Both affect the ability

of people to

communicate with

others and tend to

have a negative effect

on their quality of

life.

But new research

published in leading

medical journal The

Lancet has shown

that there may be a

strong link between

these two common

conditions.

2

3 COMMON REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T LIKE HEARING AIDS

Here are a few myths about hearing aids:

1. “I’m too embarrassed to wear hearing aids” – Old-style hearing aids were

much more noticeable. They often whistled and were only worn by the very old.

2. “They don’t work anyway” – It’s true, it takes a skilled hearing care professional

to help you select and program the right hearing aid that suits your hearing loss.

3. “I’m not old enough for hearing aids” – For most of us, hearing loss naturally

deteriorates as we age.

I call these myths because though they persist, these beliefs are not necessarily true.

Hearing aids are smaller than ever

Hearing aid manufacturers have put a lot of time and money into making hearing aids

‘invisible’. They’ve done this to encourage people to actually use the hearing aids they’ve

been prescribed – rather than keep them in the bottom drawer, as was common in the

past. Today’s hearing aids are like minicomputers. They ‘talk’ to your mobile phone and

TV. They blend in with your hair and skin colour.

Most hearing aids are programmed to suit your unique hearing loss

The other major breakthrough with the latest hearing aid technology is in the matching of

the hearing aids to your hearing loss. Hearing Care Professionals are trained to program

your hearing aids to make the most of the hearing you still have. Many hearing aids are

specially designed to focus in on voices over background sounds.

Though it’s true, it can take some time and a few visits to your hearing care clinic to get

your hearing aids to work exactly as you want, their flexibility is amazing compared to the

older style devices.

We all want to stay as young and healthy as we can

However, many people experience hearing loss from a relatively young age. According to

a recent report from the Hearing Care Industry Association (HCIA), noise-induced hear-

ing loss is the main source of preventable hearing loss in adults in Australia. Some noise,

especially in the workplace, can cause permanent damage to your hearing and leave you

with ‘ringing in the ears’ (known as tinnitus). This damage can happen at any age but is

certainly common in people in their 40s and 50s.

So, if you think you might have some trouble hearing, why not get a

hearing check? After all, a hearing loss is much more noticeable

than a hearing aid – don’t you agree?

For a free hearing check, call us for an appointment

1300 HEAR SMART (1300 432 776).

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW AVOIDING TREATMENT?

We’ve all known someone

who finds it hard to hear

in everyday situations.

They miss the meaning of

what the checkout person

says at the supermarket.

They misunderstand a

question that their spouse

asks them. And they fail

to hear their name

called at the doctor’s

surgery.

As a result of their hard of

hearing, they avoid going

out. They make excuses

about why they can’t

attend social events. They

stay at home and watch

TV.

It’s easy to see why they

feel that they’re missing

out on life.

So why do people

avoid treating their

hearing loss properly?

Reference: The Social and Economic Cost of

Hearing Loss in Australia (June 2017)

HCIA http://www.hcia.com.au/hcia-wp/wp-

content/uploads/2015/05/Social-and-

Economic-Cost-of-Hearing-Health-in-

Australia_June-2017.pdf

Talk to someone you trust about your hearing issues

3

OUR APPROACH

“In setting up Smart

Hearing Solutions, I

wanted to create a

more family-centred

approach to hearing

care. As a hearing aid

wearer myself, I

understand the

challenges of hearing

loss. I also know what a

difference it can make

to be part of

conversations with my

family and friends.”

Gary Rayment

MEET OUR TEAM

Our experienced and friendly hearing care team will take the

time to listen. We tailor our hearing services to your hearing

loss and lifestyle.

MAIN CLINIC: 1240 North East Road (Unit 4 Benbowie Street)

St Agnes SA 5097

We’re just off North East Road, Unit 4 Benbowie Street,

opposite St Agnes Shopping Centre.

VISITING CLINICS: Hope Valley | Para Hills | Highbury

Phone: 1300 HEAR SMART (1300 432 776)

www.smarthearingsolutions.com.au

Meet the team (L to R): Heather Westhall, Gary Rayment and Leeanne Shiels

DO YOU HAVE A HEARING LOSS?

If you think your hearing is not what it used to be, consider these

questions:

Do you have trouble hearing conversations in noisy places?

Do you often have to ask people to repeat themselves?

Are people always mumbling?

Do you turn up the TV or radio volume so you can hear clearly?

Do you have difficulty hearing conversation on the telephone?

Do you sometimes find it hard to work out where sound is com-

ing from?

Do you avoid social situations because you have trouble keeping

up with the conversation?

If you answer yes to two or more of these questions, it’s worth have

a hearing check.