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Among people over the age of 80, more women than men are
hard of hearing
Cigarette smoking may damage hearing ability. Smokers
are nearly 70 per cent more likely than non-smokers to suffer hearing loss
Former President Clinton
has digital in-canal
hearing aids fitted in both
ears
Lack of deaf awareness
costs NHS £20 million a year
 The NHS is wasting £20 million
a year due to a lack of deaf awareness. This is just one of the conclusions revealed in a
major new report, ‘A Simple Cure?’ published by RNID, the charity representing
the nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK.
‘A
Simple Cure?’ is the most comprehensive national survey of deaf and hard of hearing
people’s experience of the health service. It paints a stark picture of the
poor access to health care experienced by people in the UK who have a hearing loss. And
the report calls for practical solutions that will make a dramatic difference for little
investment.
Here’s what the report reveals:
a
quarter (24 per cent) of deaf or hard of hearing patients had missed at least one
appointment, due to poor communication.
for
19 per cent of these respondents, this had happened on more than five occasions. Cost to
the NHS in terms of missed appointments alone is an estimated £20 million a year.
42 per
cent of deaf or hard of hearing people, who visited hospitals in a non-emergency capacity,
found it difficult to communicate with NHS staff.
over
a third (35 per cent) of deaf or hard of hearing people had been left unclear about their
condition because of communication problems with GP or nurse.
a third
of British Sign Language users were either unsure of the correct dosage of medication to
take for another medical condition, or had taken too much or too little medication,
because of a communication problem with their health professional.
70
per cent of BSL users admitted to Accident and Emergency units were not provided with a
sign language interpreter.
RNID is
calling for:
wider use of existing technology, including visual alert displays and loops
systems.
deaf awareness training for all medical and nursing undergraduates.
NHS to instigate training seminars to ensure all GP surgeries and hospitals
have at least one front line member of staff who has been formally trained in deaf
awareness and practical communication skills.
all written communication, such as letters confirming appointments, to be
written in clear English for British Sign Language users.
an updated NHS Disability Access Audit, which includes the needs of deaf and
hard of hearing people.
access to video interpreting technology in areas where there is a high
concentration of BSL users
866 deaf and hard of hearing people responded with their experiences of
visiting GP surgeries and hospitals in December 2003
For a selection of
literature about hearing loss and hearing aids, conact RNID Information Line on freephone
0808 808 0123 or forward your postal details to informationline@rnid.org.uk
Alternatively, factsheets may be downloaded from our website at www.rnid.org.uk
A brief history of hearing aids
Ageing has always been identified as a major cause of hearing loss. According to Oliver
Wendell Holmes, a New England Deacon, “The Architect of the ear did not design it to
give perfect service for a hundred years to a day, nor even for the traditional
four-score.”
The 19th century saw new design trends emerging. Bulky devices such as ear
trumpets and hearing tubes were dispensed with in favour of hidden devices that could be
incorporated into everyday items. Unusual items included “acoustic fans” which
were very popular with 19th century women. Devices were also disguised as
vases, walking sticks and canes, or concealed beneath men’s beards!
More recently, electrical hearing devices have been incorporated into earrings, purses,
lighters and spectacles.
One strange 19th century device, the ‘dentaphone’, took
the form of a round flat case with a thin diaphragm at the front. The
device was gripped between the teeth, sound was picked up by the
diaphragm and passed to the user’s teeth via vibrations through a piece
of silk covered wire. Good for hearing a question but not so good for
replying to it!
How Pamela Pickwell got her hearing back
 Older analogue hearing aids have a limited
frequency range and tend to distort sound. Modern digital hearing aids have greatly
improved things, but they are designed to clarify human speech rather than music. Until
very recently, none of the hearing aid companies produced a digital aid geared for music
listening as well as everyday conversation.
Pamela Pickwell, aged 58, a music teacher from Scunthorpe, is
one sufferer to have discovered a solution: Senso Diva. Recently created by Danish
manufacturer Widex, Senso Diva is the first hearing aid to incorporate a ‘music
listening’ function, which users can switch to at will.
“From around 1995, I started to have hearing problems. At
first the signs were small, but they gradually got worse. I couldn’t hear voices
from the side, and could only hear clearly when someone speaking was directly opposite me.
If I was at a meeting, I couldn’t blank out background noises. I
wasn’t picking up clear conversation or high-pitched sounds.
“My mother had always refused to acknowledge that
she needed a hearing aid, and I was determined not to do the same. But even so, I
didn’t get my hearing checked out until a couple of years ago. I’m not sure why.
I suppose it was partly because I was ‘in denial’ about the problem and partly
because I didn’t think my hearing was that bad, because I had nothing to compare it
to.
“So it must have been around the year 2000 that I
went to a local hearing centre and was tested by an audiologist. I started with an
analogue device in one ear, and then found I needed one in the second ear, especially as I
got a buzzing noise when using the ‘phone. These really helped my hearing.
Concerts, cinema were better than before, though even then the devices didn’t blank
out the background noises.
“After about three years, last May, I went back to the
centre and asked for something that would give me better
clarification. That’s when I was introduced to the Senso Diva.
“I really am amazed by the results. I haven’t
heard music as clearly as this for thirty years. When I got home, I listened to my
favourite piece, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. When I closed my eyes it
felt like I was in a concert hall. It was magical.
“I attend church regularly, and recently we had a
singalong in the church hall. With the analogue aids, I would have felt that
everyone was shouting and it would have difficult to pick out individual voices, even
those next to me. Now, there was none of that. I could hear everything and there
were no problems because the Senso has this special ‘music listening’
function, which you can switch to when you need it.
“It has made all the difference at home too.
We have a good music sound system, and now I can pick out the different instruments again.
And the other good thing about the Senso is that it is so discreet. You really
can’t see it.
The cost is high, around £2,500, and I could have waited and
done it through the NHS. But quality of life is so important, and it was worth every
penny.”
 Senso Diva UK Customer Enquiries: 0800 093 0947
http://www.widex.com
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