volume 1, issue 1 2020...w el l i ngt on, hut t v al l ey, horowhenua, manawat u, w anganui ,...

Pres ident 's Report

Hastings Hearing 513 Southamptom St East, Hastings Ph: 876 7210 Email: [email protected]

NOVEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER

Well here we are in December and almostChristmas again. Gosh how time flies. I would first of all like to take this opportunity tosincerely thank both Carolynne and Bonnie formanaging Hastings Hearing so well. Carolynne works tirelessly in our communitycarrying out her Education program, spreadingthe valuable message that noise inducedhearing loss is 100% preventable. Carolynne isvery passionate about her work and thismessage is delivered to preschools, schools,and community groups within our district. Weare very fortunate at Hastings Hearing to haveCarolynne spreading the message through hervarious presentations which also cover earcare, hearing loss, communication strategies &support. Bonnie is the happy and very helpful personwho you meet when you go into our office. Sheis also very competent at using social mediaand since her arrival our profile has increasedimmensely. You possibly know that we nowhave eftpos and are soon to have a livewebsite. You may not be aware that Hastings Hearing isa charitable organization and as such does notreceive any funding from the government. Toenable us to operate successfully it isnecessary to apply for grants. Bonnie andCarolynne work together on these applicationsand have been particularly successful this year.Not an easy task!!

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I would also like to take this opportunity tothank our Hastings Hearing Boardmembers – Ron Stead (Treasurer) MikeGoodacre, Jock Houston, Bruce Lean,Marjorie McKay and Barb Lucas. They allare ready and willing to help out atfundraisers and take their boardresponsibilities very seriously. I reallyappreciate their ongoing support. In the newsletter you will see that there isinformation about our next event whereGrant Searchfield (an expert on tinnitus)will address the audience regarding thischallenge that a lot of people endure.Please tell friends and family about thisevent. We are also planning a bus trip toOruawharo Homestead next year. Moredetail about that in the newsletter. Markyour calendar now as I understand that itwill be a most enjoyable day out. We have also included (pg4) a veryinformative article on changes to the DHBAudiology Department that I'm sure a lotof you will be very interested in readingabout. Finally I wish you and your families thevery best for the festive season and theyear ahead and thank you for continuingto support Hastings Hearing. - Lyn

Ph: 876 7210 Email: [email protected]

Hearing Educator's Report Ph: 876 7210 Email: [email protected]

The education program still thrives with mespeaking at preschools, schools, EIT,educators, and other community groups. Ihave recently attended the final presentationday for the EIT students studying NZCertificate of Health & Wellbeing inWaipukurau where I deliver four sessionseach for two different groups over the year. After their 4 sessions with me they havelearnt about general ear care, NIHL,communication strategies and how tosupport people with hearing loss and hearingaids, as well as basic NZ sign language. Bythe end of their courses, they are so gratefulto all of the tutors who come from variousorganisations to educate them on . Carolynne Mobile: 021671193 Email: [email protected]

PAGE 2 HASTINGS HEARING NOVEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER

Hi everyone. It’s great to finally be gettingsome much needed rain. It was gettingquite dry so the gardens are really enjoyingthis damp warm weather. The vegetableplants and flowers are starting to growfast...a pity that the weeds grow as well! It’s very important in a communityorganisation such as ours, for Frontline Stafflike Bonnie and I, to be able to communicatedirectly with Frontliners from other Branchesnationally. We do this regularly by email orphone as we are always sharing informationor asking questions of each other. The Central Region Branches beingWellington, Hutt Valley, Horowhenua,Manawatu, Wanganui, Dannevirke, Hastingsand Napier decided that it would bebeneficial to have a training day to learnmore up to date information, to catch up witheach other, and meet new Frontline staff. The day was planned and 13 Frontlinersmet in Palmerston North as this is the mostcentral for all of us. Our speakers were;Andrea Hopkins, an independent Audiologistwho gave us an overview of hearing aidsand advances in the technology and minorrepairs and maintenance. Richard Walshwho previously worked for Reid Technologyspoke about how hearing loss can affectlifestyle, costs, emergency services,accessibility as well as assistive devicesavailable. We also visited the Enable Easie Livinghouse, a display house set up with all theassistive equipment and a retail sectionincluding assistive listening devices. Wealso had an informative talk by the Directorof the new Disability Support Service calledMana Whaikaha which focuses on 'CreatingBetter Lives'.

Frontline Representatives from each of the CentralRegion Branches at the recent Training Day in PN.

The EIT Waipukurau Students with their EIT Tutor Kay(center) and Carolynne (far right) - 3 absent for photo

M E M B E R B E N E F I T SHastings Hearing is a Registered Charity that delivers a valuable free education programme and provides support to people in the community who are affected by hearing loss. As we do not receive any funding from the Government we rely solely on grants, donations (including items that can be used for raffles), bequests, membership subscriptions and fundraising. We really value the contribution of our members and as a small way of showing our appreciation we offer the following members benefits:

Regular newsletters Free Trial of telephones & personal listening devices.'Members Prices' for products & events


APRIL 2018 NEWSLETTER

A $3 Discount per packet of Hearing Aid Batteries Members’ loyalty card for Hearing Aid batteries giving you your 11th pack free.



Refer a friend to joinHastings Hearing

and you and your friend willboth receive a free packet of

batteries as a way for us to say"Thank You" & "Welcome"!

Special Offer:Refer a Friend

Why are Christmas Trees like bad knitters?

- - - - - - - - - - -They both drop

needles!

Here's a few jokes for you to 'serve up' at Christmas Dinner

What do you getif you cross anapple with a

christmas tree? - - - - - - - - - - -

A Pineapple!

What is the best Christmas

present in the world?

- - - - - - - - - - -A broken drum - you can't beat it!

What carol is heard in the

desert?

- - - - - - - - - -Camel ye' Faithful!

You're welcome

JUNE 2018 NEWSLETTER Update on HBDHB Audiology

For a while the HBDHB Audiology Department seemed to be in a state of limbo. They were relying on locums to keep the department running & the wait for new adult assessments reached exasperating lengths - the expected wait

extending up to 5 & a 1/2 years! Therefore we welcomed the news from one of our members that they had noticed some very pleasing changes during a recent visit to the department and we felt it was important to find out more and inform

our members and the public - particularly those currently on the waiting list and those with 'hospital fitted' hearing aids.

HASTINGS HEARING NOVEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER PAGE 4

Kate and I both arrived from the UK in April and started at the DHB in May. Kate worked in Birmingham and I was in Chester prior to coming to Hawke's Bay. We are both primarily paediatric Audiologists, with Kate specialising in early years in particular. My specialist areas before moving over were implantable devices and balance, though I was also lead of the children’s hearing aid service in Chester. We both arrived at the DHB following a period with no permanent staff, and so have found ourselves with challenging wait lists for children and adults. Given the high levels of need and importance for speech and language development, we began with a heavy focus on our paediatric work. Recently we have started seeing more of our adult population, and we hope that with the introduction of a new graduate Audiologist in January, we will be able to meet the needs of more of our population than before.The changes we have made so far in the department have been small but hopefully cumulatively, there is a

noticeable change. We are focussed on giving a high quality service to all the patients we see, and understanding the needs of every individual, rather than taking a blanket approach. The patients and parents we have met so far have been pleased to see the service up and running again, and it has been lovely to hear positive feedback about the Department out in the community. We know there is a long way to go, but we’re really excited at the challenge and are looking forward to meeting and hopefully helping more of the population of Hawke’s Bay!

Charge Audiologist, Dion Hutchinson-Jones & Principal Audiologist, Kate Dunkin

What would you suggest to those that have hospital fitted aids and need minor repairs or new moulds, given there has been a significant wait in the past? "Minor repairs such as retubes etc can be dropped at reception and will be looked at within a day in most cases. We also have short appointments at the beginning and end of the day 3 days a week if new moulds or simple repair appointments are required, so I would suggest your members who got hearing aids from the DHB contact our receptionist if they need these services. The long waits that we have are for assessments and reassessments, so if people need their hearing re-tested, that is where the wait can be significant."We had heard that if public audiology patients go to a private audiologist to have their aids repaired that they may no longer be on the DHB Audiology list? "That was the case. I don’t think that’s reasonable though, so no, if you get a DHB hearing aid repaired privately, you aren’t taken off a DHB list. There is no reason to go privately though for hearing aid faults as these are typically sent to the manufacturers, which can be done our end"

We reached out to the New Charge Audiologist, Dion Hutchinson-Jones who gave us a very positive update. Dion has only been there since May when he and his colleague, Principal Audiologist Kate Dunkin both started and they have already

made a real impact - reducing the expected adult assessment wait time to 3.5 years. Here's what Dion had to say...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many thanks to Dion for taking the time to update us!


SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER

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Switch to NOWand you will receive

$50 off + 5%your first months bill bill will be credited to

Hastings Hearing for a year

of yourmonthly

That’s right, just go to www.nownz.co.nz to switch online or call 0800 GET NOW for one of their team to assist you.

Simply provide this promotional code: S71 and 5% of your monthly bill will becredited to Hastings Hearing's account.

Already a NOW customer?Did you know you can also donate 5% of your monthly bill to

Hastings Hearing. Just give the NOW team a call and they will help you out with this.



Having trouble hearing your alarm clock/timer?If you have a hearing loss you may have trouble waking up to a regular alarm clock; or maybe you don't hear the oven timer going off. Don't sleep in or burn dinner again with the Shake n Wake vibrating watch/alarm clock. These alarm's are also great if you don't want to wake the person beside you. It comes with a wrist strap so that it can be worn like a watch or can be clipped onto a belt or pocket. If you are a light sleeper just having it under your pillow may work well for you.

Hastings Hearing Wishes you a joyful Christmas

and happiness for the New Year ahead. We would also like to thank our Volunteers

for their support this year!

Shake n Wake Vibrating Watch / Alarm Clock

Available for purchase from Hastings Hearing

Members Price: $25 / Non-Members $27.50



Do you suffer from noise in the Ears / Tinnitus? Be informed, hear from renowned expert Dr Grant Searchfield

Tinnitus is a fairly common affliction often described as a constant ringing in the ear/ears. However, people may find that the noise they hear is more likened to chainsaws, crickets, cicadas, whining or even a jet engine noise. Dr Grant Searchfield leading Tinnitus Expert and Associate Professor at the University of Auckland is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Tinnitus. We are very honoured that he has agreed to return to Hastings to give an informative talk on Tinnitus it's causes, prevention and strategies to help you cope with or manage it. Dr Searchfield is known for his presentation skills and ability to interpret information in away that is easy for everyone to understand. The presentation will be followed by afternoon tea and all are welcome. WHEN: Wednesday 19th February 2019 at 1:30pm WHERE: Jireh Hall, St John's Church 608 Frederick Street, Hastings COST: Gold Coin donation upon entry - MUST RSVP to attend. RSVP: Limited seats available - We had to turn people away from his last presentation so RSVP as soon as you can or by Thursday 14th February.

Includes lunch & a guided tour of the homestead or you can just sit and enjoy the beautiful grounds & gardens.

Bus Trip to Oruawharo Homestead

WHEN: Wednesday 20th March 2019 WHERE: Bus Departing 11am from Hastings Hearing, 513 Southampton St, East. Returning at 3:30pm. COST: $40 for members $45 for non-members (all welcome) RSVP: Limited seats available - don't miss out. Tickets available at Hastings Hearing

SENDER

Hastings Hearing 513 Southampton Street East, Hastings

Phone: (06) 876 7210 Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:30am - 2pm

We are better throughout the year, for having, in

spirit, become a child again at Christmastime

- Laura Ingalls Wilder -

volume 1, issue 1 2020...w el l i ngt on, hut t v al l ey, horowhenua, manawat u, w anganui ,...

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