Posts Tagged ‘hearing’

UK Hearing Expert 2010

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Mr David Bryce: Audiologist of the Year 2010

A hearing expert who drove over 200 miles to help a patient has been named the UK’s Audiologist of the Year for 2010.

David Bryce, who is from Aberdeen, Scotland, has been chosen as the nation’s top hearing professional in a competition voted for by patients around the UK.

He is an experienced professional who has been caring for patients for over 20 years and was nominated for the award by regular patient, Brian Johnston.

Mr Bryce said: “Brian is someone who’s been coming to my clinic for many years so I’m very touched that he went to the effort of voting for me. I feel very proud to have won and happy that the service I provide is appreciated by patients like Brian.

“It’s very much a team effort as well, as I rely a great deal on my colleagues to provide on-going support and aftercare to patients.”

In his nomination, Brian praised the high quality of David’s care; highlighting his knowledge of hearing, his compassion and understanding of patients’ problems and particularly the time and care he takes to explain what he is doing and discuss any technical issues.

This includes spending significant amounts of time trialling new settings on his hearing aids to find the perfect one and driving more than 200 miles to visit him at home in Thurso and getting to know his family.

The competition is run by hearing aid battery maker Rayovac, to encourage patients with hearing difficulties to nominate professionals and hearing care specialists who go above and beyond the call of duty in the provision of care, demonstrating exceptional skills and compassion to provide excellent patient care.

Mr Bryce, who runs Scottish Hearing Services centre with his family, is the first Scottish professional to win the Audiologist of the Year title.

As winners, both David and Brian receive prizes, with David now in the running to be named this year’s European Audiologist of the Year – a title that will be awarded at the EUHA conference in Germany.

The respected award, which gives a chance for patients to recognise and say thank you to their audiologist, is now in its fourth year and is held for over 3,000 hearing care professionals working in the UK today. 

The award continues to attract a growing number of high quality entries year-on-year and was judged by an independent panel of industry experts including Alan Talbot, Head of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA), Tom Davison, a consultant at the RVI Hospital in Newcastle and Gillian Lacey from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Paula Brinson-Pyke of Rayovac said David was a fitting winner due to the excellent level of care and commitment he provided. He said: “David demonstrates all the qualities of an outstanding hearing professional. He cares deeply for his patients, shows great sympathy and compassion and works incredibly hard to help them get them the right support they require.

“Reading through his nomination it was very easy to see the affection and regard in which he is held by his patients and the undoubted impact he has on their lives.”

Besides the winner, sixteen other hearing professionals were highly commended by the judges for their work.

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Whale mass strandings linked to hearing loss?

Monday, November 8th, 2010

At least 33 whales that had beached themselves on the north-west coast of County Donegal may have suffered hearing problems.

The whales’ deaths in Ireland follow the latest research into aquatic mammals’ strandings, which suggests that stranded whales and dolphins often suffer from hearing loss.

The finding is the latest hail in the long-running controversy over whether undersea noise pollution is harming whales.

The research was carried out David Mann and colleagues of the University of South Florida in which they looked at eight species of cetacean, all of which had either stranded themselves or become entangled in fishing gear.

4 out of 7 of the bottlenose dolphins they looked at, and 5 out of 14 rough-toothed dolphins, had either severe or profound hearing loss, as did one short-finned pilot whale.

They also looked at Risso’s dolphins, pygmy killer whales, Atlantic spotted dolphin, spinner dolphin, and Gervais’ beaked whale.

None of these had any hearing problems though, meaning it seems hearing loss is far from the only possible cause for strandings. In total, 9 of the 34 animals had hearing problems.

David Mann said: “We do not know the noise exposure history of any of these [animals]. Based on the locations of stranding, it is possible that some of them have been exposed to chronic noise from boating and shipping, while for others this is unlikely.”

It is well-known that the oceans have got noisier over the last 60 years, largely because of commercial shipping.

Navy sonar has often been in the frame for whale strandings because the sounds produced are so loud. But they quickly fade into insignificance the further away from them the animals are, whereas the rumble of shipping noise permeates the ocean.

In 2006 a study found no link between Navy sonar and whale strandings.

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The nervous system: how do we hear?

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Your ears are your organs of hearing, just like your lungs are your organs to breathe and your hear is your organ to live.

In order to hear, you also need nerves to transmit nerve impulses to your brain, which then interpret the sounds coming from the world surrounding you.

In order to fully understand the process, here is a break down of some Hearing Terminology:

Sound: Sounds are vibrations

Ear: Divided into your outer, middle and inner ear

Cochlea: Part of your inner ear, where your actual organ of hearing is located

Locating sounds: Sound reaches your two ears at different times, enabling you to locate its source.

Your ear is divided into three parts:

  • Outer ear: your ear flap, or pinna, and your outer ear canal, which ends at your eardrum
  • Middle ear: the cavity between your eardrum and your inner ear. It contains your ossicles, the three smallest bones in your body – the malleus, incus and stapes
  • Inner ear: a maze of bony chambers called the bony labyrinth, including the snail-like cochlea, which is filled with fluid and contains your actual organ of hearing – the organ of Corti

So how do these nerve impulses travel for us to receive sound waves?

Your ear flap funnels sound waves into your outer ear canal. The waves travel along this passage until they hit your eardrum and cause it to vibrate. As a result, your ossicles start moving. They, in turn, pass on vibrations to a thin layer of tissue at the entrance of your inner ear called the oval window. The movement of the oval window then sets off wave-like motions in the fluid in your cochlea.

The body’s microphone

Your organ of hearing, the spiral organ of Corti, runs through the inside of your cochlea. It consists of thousands of sensory hair cells, attached to a membrane. Tiny sensory hairs emerge from each sensory hair cell and pierce into a second, gel-like membrane above. Whenever the fluids in your cochlea are in motion, the first membrane vibrates and squashes the sensory hairs against the second membrane. The movement of your sensory hairs is then translated into nerve impulses, which travel along your cochlear nerve to your brain.

Locating sounds

Because you have two ears, you are able to locate the source of a sound. If a sound comes from the right, for instance, it will reach your right ear slightly sooner than your left ear. Or it will be slightly louder in your right ear. As a result, you will recognise the sound as coming from your right.

For more information on Science: Human Body and Mind visit here.

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Protect your child’s ears on Bonfire Night

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)  are urging parents to ensure that they look after their children’s hearing this bonfire night.

The RNID claim that persistent exposure to noise above 85 decibels over time can cause permanent hearing damage and “with some fireworks reaching in excess of 155 decibels, the sensitive hearing of children is particularly at risk.”

It has been said this equates to roughly the sound of city traffic. 

Mark Catling, RNID Products’ Head of Business and Relationship Development, says: “Though bonfire night is a time of fun for all the family, protecting the hearing of your young ones is vital to prevent potential hearing damage, ensuring that you can all continue to enjoy bonfire night for years to come”.

Children’s hearing is more sensitive to loud noises than adults are, so use ear protectors from birth until the age of 7.  

And for other events too, ear protectors are vital  such as music concerts, on motorboats, steam trains or motor racing.

The RNID also warns that noise-induced damage can cause trouble sleeping and give rise to stress;and attention and learning capacity can be decreased.

Stand at a distance from the fireworks, you don’t have to be up close to the action to see the amazing fireworks in the sky! Or to have fun as a family!

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New iPhone Audio Adapter assists the Deaf

Friday, October 29th, 2010

The US Patent & Trademark Office have published a patent application of Apple’s which is the connection of two electrical devices together, in which the mating connectors on each device are of different sizes.

It means that in the future, this would allow a device like the iPhone to be coupled to such devices as the Ameriphone – a cell phone for the deaf.

The mismatch of physical characteristics could be overcome through the use of an audio adaptor unit that is constructed from a plug having one dimension, a jack having another dimension and a coupler that physically and electrically connects the plug and jack together to form a single unit.

Apple credits John Tang and Robert Murphy as the inventors of patent application 20100273356 which was filed in July of this year.

Another type of electronic device where the size mismatch occurs is in the use of electronic equipment to aid the deaf in telephonic communications, otherwise referred to as “TTY” devices.

For example; the Ameriphone Q90D Digital Cell Phone Compatible Combination TTY/VCO device.

The device enables a hearing-impaired individual to make cellular telephone calls by converting the audio signals to written form and displaying them to the user.

For more information on topics like this, visit Hearing Enhancement today.

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National Association of the Deaf Job Opportunity

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

The National Association of the Deaf in America is seeking a Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) Camp Director for the 2011 YLC session.

Requirements;

The Camp Director should have experience and be a creative planning professional. He/she will be capable of developing, implementing, and leading comprehensive camp projects and programs with a high degree of professionalism, sensitivity, and integrity.

This person will also be responsible for enhancing the mission of the National Association of the Deaf YLC through the development and management of program operations.

The Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) Director plans and oversees the overall program from November 2010 – July 2011 under the instruction and supervision of the NAD Youth Programs Coordinator.

Specific job responsibilities include;

  • Organise and supervise implementation of day-to-day program activities
  • Design, deliver, and evaluate a camp program that meets the needs of the NAD and campers
  • Recruit campers and generate outreach efforts
  • Maintain high standards for leadership program activities, health, and camp safety
  • Coordinate schedules and procedures for camp operations;
  • Develop a four-week schedule that promotes social, educational, and leadership development;
  • Supervise, coach, and mentor camp counselors
  • Promote high staff and camper morale.

Must have a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred) in education, business management, or related human/social service field; and two years of experience in a supervisory role, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Individual must possess excellent decision-making and customer service skills, be energetic, creative, and highly motivated.

An application should include a cover letter describing relevant experiences and interest in the position, resume, and at least three references.

For in-depth job description and qualifications, contact  www.nad.org/contactus.

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Hearing Health for Children

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

There are many reasons why you should get your hearing tested regularly, just like with your eye sight.

Firstly, if you have already been recorded as having a hearing loss, yearly appointments should be made to monitor any changes that may occur to adjust your hearing aid to this accordingly.

On another hand, it is vital to have regular checks for such things as perforations of the eardrum, fluid accumulation or excessive earwax, in which case you will be referred to a medical professional for treatment.

So why is it important?

For children, hearing holds a key part in communication, learning and speech and therefore it is critical to ensure you child is checked. When a hearing loss exists, a child does not get the full benefit of language learning experiences.  If a hearing loss goes unnoticed, delays in speech and language learning can occur.  For this reason, early detection of a hearing loss is very important.

Ear infections, otherwise known as Otitis Media (Middle Ear Infection) are common in young children, with over two-thirds of all children by the age of three having had one or more episodes.

What are the important warning signs to look out for?

Speech and hearing are connected and interlinked, so if there is a problem with one there could be a problem with the other. If your child is pulling at his/her ears, not paying attention, showing redness around the ears, being irritable and/or is asking for the tv or music volume to be louder; see your doctor straight away.

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