How long a wait for hearing??

England

The Northern Echo

December 2007

 

Patients wait too long for hearing aids, says charity

 

Hard of hearing individuals in England receive their hearing instruments through the National Health Service (NHS). It's well known that they may wait quite a long time for their HIs, but it seems that some British precincts are setting new records...

 

"The worst offender was Kingston-upon-Thames, in south-west London, where a patient has to wait 125 weeks for an aid after first seeing their GP. Waits of over a year were also found in Suffolk (78 weeks), Gloucestershire (72), Ealing (67), Havering (64), Shepway (58), and Mid-Essex (56)."

 

The average cost of a hearing aid through private practice in England is approximately 950 pounds (about $1900).

New Zealand's First Deaf Audiologist

New Zealand
The Southland Times
December 2007

Audiologist goal for deaf student Tapanui woman studies for masters

"Melanie MacKenzie has a profound bilateral hearing loss and is studying for a Masters in Audiology at Canterbury University. She was recently awarded a $15,000 scholarship from the National Foundation for the Deaf, and has just over a year of study before completing her masters."

Tiny Tot on Short List for Cochlear Implant

London, England
Gazette & Herald
December 2007

Tiny Tot Defeats All Odds

"The profoundly deaf 16-month-old was born weighing just 4lbs with severely underdeveloped lungs after her mum Kate caught a virus during pregnancy."

Telephone Helps Hearing Impaired

Bismarck, North Dakota (US)
KFYR TV
December 2007

Telephone Helps Hearing Impaired

"Nicole is trying out a telephone that works with her cochlear implant to amplify sound."

Excellent Source: hear-it.org

Brussels, Belgium

 

hear-it.org is an excellent site providing information on hearing, hearing loss, and hearing aids. Based in Brussels, Belgium, hear-it.org is funded and run by Hear-it AISBL, a not-for-profit international organization comprised of IFHOH (The International Federation of the Hard Of Hearing), AEA (Association Européenne des Audioprothésistes), and other interested parties.

Implanted at the age of 10, girl makes excellent progress

Charlotte, North Carolina (US)

The Charlotte Observer

December 2007

 

Emily Addison is Learning to Hear, One Sound at a Time

 

Girl implanted at age of 10 is making excellent progress recognizing sounds and understanding speech.

Kalamazoo Audiologist Talks About Advances in Hearing Aid Technology

Kalamazoo, Michigan (US)
Kalamzoo Gazette
December 2007

Audiologist says technology can counter hearing problems

"Clayton said the changes in hearing-aid technology in the 10 years since she got out of school have been tremendous..."There are changes physically in the appearance of the hearing aid, the design is more high tech and some of the hearing aids are more cosmetically appealing, but I think the best changes are in the sound quality."

Funding of Bilateral Implants Becoming More Common

Nova Scotia, Canada
The Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald
December 2007

Elmsdale toddler to get second cochlear implant

"A 17-month-old Elmsdale girl will receive a second cochlear implant in January now that the province has scrapped its policy of only paying for one of the hearing devices."

Poetry at Clark School for the Deaf

Northampton, Mass. (US)
The Republican
December 2007

Love Shines in at Poetry Cafe

Hard of hearing children with hearing aids and cochlear implants write and read poetry at a Massachusetts middle school.

"When I got the cochlear implant, I worked hard to get the speech I have now," says Emily J. Hewlings, 14. "Pronouncing words was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Emily's linguistic skills have developed to the point where she doesn't just write poetry, she READS it!

Mom Sells Pies to Buy Son Phonak Hearing Aids

Roanoke, Virginia (US)
The Roanoke Times
December 2007

Sweet offerings from a loving mom's kitchen
"To raise money for her son's hearing aids, and to give herself time to process her son's medical issues, Vera Wilson started baking pies."