Kia ora to all new and existing customers of Hobsonville Hearing! We are excited to bring you our August Newsletter for 2022. Although it has been cold, our winter has been jam-packed with hearing tests, hearing aid reviews, and as always, plenty of ear wax removal! This newsletter brings you:

• Shining the spotlight on our patients - Siobhan Swartz
• Hobsonville Hearing at Keith Park
• Travelling with hearing aids - what you need to know
• What to do about that friend who complains about their hearing aids...

With each newsletter, we hope to share a different patient journey with our readers. This month we have the pleasure of introducing Siobhan Swartz, a local wedding celebrant who tells us about her experience with hearing impairment.

Tell us about yourself

I am happily married and have two grown up children who have blessed me with two beautiful grandchildren (soon to be three!) I love every moment spent with them; they keep me young and on my toes!

After working for many years in the field of Early Intervention for the Ministry of Education, I decided in 2017 to become a celebrant, a role that I continue to love and which brings me such joy. I am very social and enjoy spending time with close friends and family. I also love jazz and blues and am known to frequent the Jazz and Blues Club in Pt Chevalier for a great night of entertainment.

Tell us about your hearing loss and when you first noticed it

I began noticing that my hearing wasn’t as good as it used to be, a couple of years ago. This was particularly noticeable when we began wearing masks! Also, during phone calls and in restaurants. More recently, I started having difficulty understanding my wee granddaughter. I then started getting a bit frustrated with the TV, blaming actors for their poor diction and would turn up the volume, however still had difficulty with understanding some spoken words. 

How did your hearing impact on your life and at what point did you realise you needed to do something about your hearing?

The impact of my hearing loss became quite evident during social gatherings including time spent with family, as the need for family and friends to repeat themselves was increasing. I also began to misunderstand what people were saying to me; I initially thought this quite amusing, but it began to happen too often. I decided I should get my ears checked as I initially thought I just had a build up of wax.

Did you do any research about hearing solutions before coming to Hobsonville Hearing?

I contacted Hobsonville Hearing in June this year for wax removal, however discovered that this was not the problem and agreed to have a thorough hearing assessment which very clearly indicated that I had a mild to moderate hearing loss. Although I was initially surprised by this, it all began to make sense as I recalled the many and increasingly more frequent occasions I was struggling to hear, and I began my hearing aid journey with great support and guidance from Abby.

Tell us about your hearing aid journey and how it has impacted your day-to-day life

I truly cannot believe the difference! The hearing aids have given me more confidence in my day to day interactions and I’m more relaxed in noisier environments. I can hear the TV and most importantly I actually understand my wee granddaughter now!  Another important bonus is that my hearing aids are pretty much invisible, such is the wonderful technology these days, so it’s a win win situation 😊

Hobsonville Hearing was recently invited to present at Keith Park Retirement Village for their 'Health is Wealth' event. It was a great opportunity to meet more residents in our local community and see some familiar faces in the crowd.

The presentation included an introduction of Hobsonville Hearing, our staff and services. To focus on the 'health' aspect of hearing, Abby explained the importance of taking care of your hearing, the relationship between hearing and healthy ageing and getting regular hearing tests. The Whittakers chocolate was a hit for those brave enough to guess the answers to the quiz questions! Since the presentation, we have seen a lot of new faces in the clinic who are taking advantage of our Comprehensive Hearing Aid Review and Gold Card Holder Free Hearing Screens.

As all of our existing patients know, there is NEVER pressure from Abby to simply 'buy hearing aids'. Our philosophy is patient-centred care and we aim to help you make informed decisions about treating hearing loss.

We have been enjoying hearing about your upcoming travel plans so thought it would be important to let you know how to pack your devices for travel, including rechargeable hearing aids. 

Almost all rechargeable devices contain Lithium-ion, including phones, laptops and cameras. Hearing aid chargers also contain Lithium-ion, so it is important when travelling that you pack and carry your charger as per the rules of your airline. Most airlines prefer that you store your Lithium-ion devices in your carry-on luggage; however, they may also allow them to be packed in your checked baggage in some circumstances. There may also be a limit as to how many devices you can carry. Please ensure you know the rules of this for your specific airline and prioritise your hearing aid charger over less important devices.

Why do we need to be careful when travelling with a lithium-ion device? Air New Zealand's website states: "Lithium batteries can discharge their power very quickly if they short-circuit. This can happen when unprotected, spare battery and power bank terminals contact other metal items e.g. coins, keys etc. The more powerful the battery, the bigger the risk. That's why we limit the size and number of batteries you can bring when you fly with us." If you would like to read more from this article, you can do so here.

We ALL know someone who complains about their hearing aids. Unfortunately (and especially when it comes to hearing aids!) people are more likely to talk about negative experiences with than positive ones. It is important to remember that everyone's journey with hearing aids is unique and in our experience, a positive outcome with hearing aids comes down to two simple factors:

1. Whether the audiologist has adopted best practice and a patient-centred approach - this is something we pride ourselves on at Hobsonville Hearing
2. How consistently the patient is wearing their hearing aids - yes, wear time is vital for a positive outcome!

If you have a friend or family member or who is unhappy with their hearing aids or whose hearing aids are tucked away in their bedside drawer... tell them about our Comprehensive Hearing Aid Review Appointment. A simple fine-tune and chat with Abby can truly be life-changing for someone struggling with their hearing. We have had so many successful outcomes already! 

As always, we are here to help you with all of your ear-related needs:

Visit our website at www.hobsonvillehearing.co.nz

Email us on [email protected]

Call us on 09-930-9880

Or visit our clinic during opening hours 8:30am - 5pm Monday to Friday,

You received this email because you signed up for Hobsonville Hearing.

Unsubscribe