Medowie resident the face of hearing loss campaign - Port Stephens Examiner

Port Stephens will be the focus of a new public health awareness campaign as new research reveals around half of all adults have poor or reduced hearing and should seek professional advice. Medowie resident Mariann Clarke, who is fronting the campaign to be featured on posters and online, said that her life had been transformed since regaining her hearing with a cochlear ear. “I had struggled with hearing all my life, but since undergoing an operation at Kurri Kurri Hospital I have gone from being profoundly deaf to having 80 per cent of my hearing back,” Mrs Clarke said. “I now feel more connected to my family … I can hear and better communicate with them, including our 20 grandchildren.” Mrs Clarke received her first hearing aid aged 39, but this did not stop the deterioration. She became reclusive and avoided contact with family and friends. “I didn’t feel normal. I didn’t want to participate because I struggled to hear and hold a conversation. I had lost confidence from not being able to hear properly. It was frightening.” The new lease of life means that Mrs Clarke can look forward to do the things she has always enjoyed such as bushwalking and communicating with her family without fear. The study also found that 60 per cent of people with serious hearing loss had decided to wait three years or more before taking a hearing test. These delays were despite feelings of loneliness, loss of confidence, stress and reduced job performance that are often associated with hearing loss. In response, the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre, a Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) service, launched a six-month public health awareness campaign for adults in Port Stephens, Central Coast and Newcastle to raise awareness of hearing loss and the positive steps people can take with their healthcare professional. “Hearing loss is a serious public health issue affecting a significant number of Port Stephens residents,” said Chris Rehn, CEO of the RIDBC. “Left untreated, it can become difficult for people to have normal conversations and can impact their ability to connect, stay healthy and be productive, particularly as they get older,” he said. Associate Professor Kelvin Kong, consultant ear nose and throat surgeon at Newcastle, said more people should book a hearing test. “You don’t need to suffer in silence. A referral from a GP, followed by a 15-minute hearing test can confirm the severity of any hearing loss that we can then treat with the latest technology,” he said. “There are a range of treatments that can improve hearing and help people become part of the conversation once again.”

Port Stephens will be the focus of a new public health awareness campaign as new research reveals around half of all adults have poor or reduced hearing and should seek professional advice.

Medowie resident Mariann Clarke, who is fronting the campaign to be featured on posters and online, said that her life had been transformed since regaining her hearing with a cochlear ear.

“I had struggled with hearing all my life, but since undergoing an operation at Kurri Kurri Hospital I have gone from being profoundly deaf to having 80 per cent of my hearing back,” Mrs Clarke said.

“I now feel more connected to my family … I can hear and better communicate with them, including our 20 grandchildren.”

Mrs Clarke received her first hearing aid aged 39, but this did not stop the deterioration. She became reclusive and avoided contact with family and friends.

“I didn’t feel normal. I didn’t want to participate because I struggled to hear and hold a conversation. I had lost confidence from not being able to hear properly. It was frightening.”

The new lease of life means that Mrs Clarke can look forward to do the things she has always enjoyed such as bushwalking and communicating with her family without fear.

LIVING IT UP: Finding a new lease on life are Medowie's Mariann and Ray Clarke enjoying the outdoors. Mariann has regained 80% of hearing since her cochlear ear operation.

The study also found that 60 per cent of people with serious hearing loss had decided to wait three years or more before taking a hearing test. These delays were despite feelings of loneliness, loss of confidence, stress and reduced job performance that are often associated with hearing loss.

In response, the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre, a Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) service, launched a six-month public health awareness campaign for adults in Port Stephens, Central Coast and Newcastle to raise awareness of hearing loss and the positive steps people can take with their healthcare professional.

“Hearing loss is a serious public health issue affecting a significant number of Port Stephens residents,” said Chris Rehn, CEO of the RIDBC.

“Left untreated, it can become difficult for people to have normal conversations and can impact their ability to connect, stay healthy and be productive, particularly as they get older,” he said.

Associate Professor Kelvin Kong, consultant ear nose and throat surgeon at Newcastle, said more people should book a hearing test.

“You don’t need to suffer in silence. A referral from a GP, followed by a 15-minute hearing test can confirm the severity of any hearing loss that we can then treat with the latest technology,” he said.

“There are a range of treatments that can improve hearing and help people become part of the conversation once again.”

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