Professional Documents
Culture Documents
One in Six 21 September 2016
One in Six 21 September 2016
can
affect
affecting
TV emergency broadcasts
Auslan interpreters have told me that they want more
understanding of the wording used by emergency services
personnel, so that they can interpret it accurately, including a
copy of the statement before it is televised. We also need to
increase our use of captions not only for people who may
not hear now but for people who will develop hearing loss with
age.
Weacknowledgethetraditionalcustodiansoftheland,community,sea,andwaterswhereweliveandwork. Wepayour
respects to elders past, present and future and value the contributions Indigenous Australians make in our society. We
acknowledgethechallengeforIndigenousleadersandfamiliestoovercometheunacceptablyhighlevelsofearhealthissues
amongfirstAustralians.
Ear, nose and throat specialists have declared war on one of the most preventable and treatable
conditions undermining the wellbeing and learning of Aboriginal children serious ear disease.
Brisbane-based ENT surgeon Chris Perry, president of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology
Head and Neck Surgery, said the chronic problem was not factored into Closing the Gap
practical reconciliation metrics and even the Australian Medical Association ignored the problem,
but it should be part of gap closure, because as many as 90 per cent of Aboriginal children
have deafness more than three months of the year.
The incidence is seasonal, Dr Perry said.
In the Northern Territory, about 25 per
cent have perforated eardrums and in the
APY lands of South Australia it is 35 per
cent, many times the incidence in
caucasian children. Its responsible for
delayed language development, difficulty
with
comprehension,
boredom
and
inattention at school and is a major
contributing factor to truancy.
In turn, poor hearing and poor school performance set up a cycle of poor skills, unemployment,
substance abuse, violence, high incarceration rates and suicide.
Dr Perry and more than 20 other Queensland ENT surgeons regularly spend several weeks a year
in indigenous communities, performing up to 10 operations a day to clear childrens ears and
remove adenoids to reduce reinfections. They work as part of Queenslands Deadly Ears program,
which visits people in remote communities regularly.
Dr Perry cited a Senate committee report released in May 2010 that concluded indigenous
Australians suffered deafness and ear problems at 10 times the rate of non-indigenous
Australians.
Little has been done since then, Dr Perry said. He believed Queenslands Deadly Ears program
would serve as an ideal model to start from, but Aboriginal communities needed a program
specifically designed for their circumstances.
Visit Deadly Ears at https://www.health.qld.gov.au/deadly_ears/
Older adults who have negative feelings about aging also perform less well in tests of hearing and
memory when the negative feelings appear to undermine confidence in their ability to hear and
remember things.
This was the finding of the first study to look at associations among three variables in the same
group of older adults: views on aging, self-perceptions about one's hearing and memory ability,
and one's actual performance in those skills.
The study, led by the University of Toronto in Canada, is published in the journal Psychology and
Aging.
Changing how older adults feel about themselves could improve their ability to hear and remember.
First author Alison Chasteen explained there is a need to understand more about the factors that
influence the daily lives of older people.
"People's feelings about getting older influence their sensory and cognitive functions. Those
feelings are often rooted in stereotypes about getting older and comments made by those around
them that their hearing and memory are failing."
When they analysed the results from the study, the team found that participants who had
negative views about aging - and who believed they had problems with their hearing and memory
- also performed less well on tests of those abilities.
"That's not to say all older adults who demonstrate poor capacities for hearing and memory have
negative views of aging.
It's not that negative views on aging cause poor performance in some functions, there is simply a
strong correlation between the two when a negative view impacts an individual's confidence in the
ability to function," Prof. Chasteen said.
This indicates a need to appreciate these broader and wider factors when assessing older people's
cognitive and sensory health, she explains. The perceptions they have about their abilities and
functioning and how they feel about getting older should be considered.
"Knowing that changing how older adults feel about themselves could improve their abilities to
hear and remember will enable the development of interventions to improve their quality of life,"
Prof. Chasteen said.
Medical News Today reported a study that found home-delivered meals reduce feelings of
loneliness in older people who are homebound. The randomly controlled trial concluded that
Meals on Wheels goes beyond ensuring nutritional health; it also has a positive impact on the
emotional health of older people in need. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303690.php
Conexu is a finalist in Dreams for a Better World, with a project which aims to support sports
participation for deaf kids. Using Conexus Auslan to English app, and in partnership with Deaf
Sports Australia, the project is through the first round with the dream of breaking down
communication barriers between deaf and hearing kids.
Watch at https://dreamsforabetterworld.com.au/finalist/conexu-foundation
Watch the Auslan version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5s1QvDlPDs&feature=youtu.be
One in six Australians has a hearing health and well-being issue. People with a hearing
loss or who communicate in Auslan are not recognised within the public consciousness as having a
serious disability that impacts on almost every aspect of a persons life. We need you to share our
campaign with your friends, colleagues and family members to encourage them to sign up.
Deafness Forum director Alexander Phillips visited the National President of the Australian Labor
Party and Federal Member for Port Adelaide (SA) Mark Butler MP.
At right, David Brady met with Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Federal Member for Member for
Fenner (ACT) Dr Andrew Leigh.
http://breakthesoundbarrier.org.au/
Pictures with permission of Blue Care. From newsletter of the Redlands Hearing Impaired Support Group.
Peter explained that 1 in 6 people suffer from some form of hearing loss. Sadly this number is
growing and there is a need for education in the community to have people understand that
hearing loss is a growing concern that is not simply fixed by having a hearing aid or cochlear
implant as they do not give a person normal hearing.
Peter Lindley is an Honorary Life Member of Deafness Forum of Australia.
Vicdeaf partnered with the National Disability Insurance Agency to produce their five foundational
videos in Auslan. The videos can be seen at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLTwZ-K9vkmo5ZPcIIfsuYDIGQ4UX5bs6s&v=eUCY9j4JyG0
By providing our world-leading academics with a platform to showcase their research and teaching
expertise, Macquarie Minds will highlight the Macquarie Universitys key strategic priorities and
commitment to providing a culture of transformative learning in a research-enriched environment.
Select from the range of topics in the program at the public seminar in December at the Macquarie
University Sydney. Admission is free.
Breaking down the invisible barriers between the deaf and the hearing
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 | Start Time: 3:00 PM | End Time: 4:30 PM
In an era of technological advancements and new ways of socialising, the ability to communicate
is key. Yet close to 4 million Australians are affected by hearing loss, significantly impacting their
ability to communicate. This workshop, led by researchers Rakshita Gokula and Chi Yhun Lo,
provides a rare opportunity to understand this invisible impairment, by sharing the personal
experiences of people affected by hearing loss, and through a simulation that demonstrates what
impact hearing loss has on communication.
http://www.cvent.com/events/macquarie-minds-showcase/event-summary-740a00f2d32b4aebad4aab077a8c7c05.aspx
The International Federation of Hard of Hearing People has released a video on the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and how it applies to uphold the
rights of people with hearing loss.
The video is available at https://youtu.be/_GaVQY5c26k and we encourage you to use it when
educating others about the CRPD. The development of this video has been a global collaboration
funded by Oticon Foundation, Denmark.