A new programme to help hearing impaired patients and staff communicate more effectively has been introduced in Rotorua Hospital.
Funded by the Rotorua Trust at a cost of just under $2000, the programme has been put together by the Tauranga (BoP) Hearing Association.
The programme is designed to help hearing impaired patients and staff communicate more effectively so that a hearing impaired patient can better understand their condition and treatment options.
A hearing device, the Bellman audio maxi units, are fully digital and use the same technology found in modern CD and DVD players, producing clear sound. The Bellman unit is worn with headphones by the patient, while the device is either held by the patient or placed beside them while the staff or visitors communicate.
Quality and risk co-ordinator Rose Donovan has been involved in the initiative. Ms Donovan said her son was diagnosed with significant hearing loss and her family was learning some of the experiences that faced the hearing impaired.
When she walked around all the wards in Rotorua Hospital she noticed a distinct lack of signs and thought it would be a good project to support staff and hearing impaired patients and visitors.
The most common causes of hearing impairment for adults in the Lakes population are as a result of damage to the middle ear from infections as a child, and damage to the inner ear from exposure to excessive noise from their work environment or from loud music along with changes that may result from advancing age.
Industries prevalent in the Lakes district such as forestry, farming, trucking transport and timber processing are known to expose people to levels of noise that destroy the hearing cells in the inner ear, causing people to have difficulty with hearing speech clearly especially when there is background noise.
The percentage of people who have noise induced hearing loss would be expected to be higher in Lakes than most parts of the country, especially older adults.