SUMMER ISSUE Volume 1, Issue 1
Get better hearing care from someone you trust With more than one Australian in seven affected by hearing loss,
there's no doubt many people are struggling every day with a significant loss
of hearing. In the 30-plus years I've been practising, I've found most people
are looking for two main things:
An experienced and professional clinician they can trust
Hearing solutions that meet their individual needs
They're also looking for value.
Why we're different
An intensive review of the hearing industry by the Australian Consumer
Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed that consumers
have concerns over pressure tactics applied by some hearing care providers.
We take another approach to hearing care:
We offer a family-oriented approach to hearing care. Our independence
means that we give you the choice of brands and technology,
often unavailable from the big chains.
We're committed to spending as much time as it takes to help you
find the hearing solution that suits your hearing loss, your budget and
your lifestyle.
On your request, after every full hearing assessment, we’ll give you a
copy of your Audiogram and Medical Report, and we send a copy
to their GP.
Since opening our hearing care clinic in June 2017, we've helped many
people in your area to improve their hearing. We hope you'll find the articles
in our newsletter of interest.
If you'd like to book an appointment for a free hearing test to discuss your
particular issues, please get in touch by calling our St Agnes clinic on
1300 432 776.
Looking forward to supporting your hearing health,
Gary Rayment—Hearing Care Professional MBA, Cmgr FAIM, DipPM, DipHDEP, MACAud, FHAASA, HIS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Hearing Loss & Dementia ........................................ 2
3 Reasons People Avoid Hearing Aids .................. 3
Meet our Team .............. 4
OUR SERVICES
Free Hearing Tests
Free & Subsidised Hearing Care for Pensioners
Free 15 Day Trial
Money-back Guarantee
WorkCover Claims
Reports for your GP
Call 1300 432 776 for your Free Hearing Check
According to Dementia Australia, there are 413,106
Australians living with dementia. It’s estimated that
around one in seven Australians has a significant hearing
loss. This number increases with age.
Many mistakenly believe that dementia is a natural consequence of
ageing. Yet, there are many controllable health and lifestyle factors that
contribute to the disease.
One in three cases of dementia can be prevented
There’s no doubt more research is needed, but recent research has
given hope that dementia can be prevented by controlling certain
risk factors such as hearing loss.
Though factors like exercise and diet and their relationship to dementia
have been well-studied, little research into the link with hearing loss
has been done.
The Lancet Commission report found that, as hearing loss is so
widespread, it may have more of an impact on the overall
number of dementia cases than any of the other factors they identified.
Alzheimer’s Research in the UK recently received £608,000 to study
the emerging link between dementia risk and hearing loss.”
“In the UK, over two-thirds of people aged over 65 experience hearing
loss. Most do not get the hearing aid treatment they need.”
“If they do, they very often stop using them, especially if they have
memory problems. With mounting evidence of a strong link between
hearing loss and dementia risk, this is potentially a huge missed
opportunity for us to tackle the growing impact of dementia and make a
real difference to people’s lives,” said Dr Sergi Costafreda Gonzalez of
UCL Psychiatry.
“While there is a clear association between the two conditions, the only
way to really know if treating hearing loss could lower dementia risk is
by running tests in people.”
“We have developed a programme to help boost hearing aid use and
this new funding will allow us to test this approach in people at a high
risk of developing dementia. We’re hopeful that this work will highlight
an approach to help delay the onset of dementia in the long run, and
we’re very grateful to Alzheimer’s Research UK for this support,” he
said.
For more information on dementia, contact Dementia
Australia or take a look at the Alzheimer’s Society
UK website. Or contact us to discuss how we can help
you with your hearing loss.
HEARING LOSS AND DEMENTIA: NEW RESEARCH SHOWS A STRONG LINK
HEARING LOSS & DEMENTIA
The suspicion that
there’s a link between
hearing loss and
dementia has been
around for many
years.
Both are more
common as we age.
Both affect the ability
of people to
communicate with
others and tend to
have a negative effect
on their quality of
life.
But new research
published in leading
medical journal The
Lancet has shown
that there may be a
strong link between
these two common
conditions.
2
3 COMMON REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T LIKE HEARING AIDS
Here are a few myths about hearing aids:
1. “I’m too embarrassed to wear hearing aids” – Old-style hearing aids were
much more noticeable. They often whistled and were only worn by the very old.
2. “They don’t work anyway” – It’s true, it takes a skilled hearing care professional
to help you select and program the right hearing aid that suits your hearing loss.
3. “I’m not old enough for hearing aids” – For most of us, hearing loss naturally
deteriorates as we age.
I call these myths because though they persist, these beliefs are not necessarily true.
Hearing aids are smaller than ever
Hearing aid manufacturers have put a lot of time and money into making hearing aids
‘invisible’. They’ve done this to encourage people to actually use the hearing aids they’ve
been prescribed – rather than keep them in the bottom drawer, as was common in the
past. Today’s hearing aids are like minicomputers. They ‘talk’ to your mobile phone and
TV. They blend in with your hair and skin colour.
Most hearing aids are programmed to suit your unique hearing loss
The other major breakthrough with the latest hearing aid technology is in the matching of
the hearing aids to your hearing loss. Hearing Care Professionals are trained to program
your hearing aids to make the most of the hearing you still have. Many hearing aids are
specially designed to focus in on voices over background sounds.
Though it’s true, it can take some time and a few visits to your hearing care clinic to get
your hearing aids to work exactly as you want, their flexibility is amazing compared to the
older style devices.
We all want to stay as young and healthy as we can
However, many people experience hearing loss from a relatively young age. According to
a recent report from the Hearing Care Industry Association (HCIA), noise-induced hear-
ing loss is the main source of preventable hearing loss in adults in Australia. Some noise,
especially in the workplace, can cause permanent damage to your hearing and leave you
with ‘ringing in the ears’ (known as tinnitus). This damage can happen at any age but is
certainly common in people in their 40s and 50s.
So, if you think you might have some trouble hearing, why not get a
hearing check? After all, a hearing loss is much more noticeable
than a hearing aid – don’t you agree?
For a free hearing check, call us for an appointment
1300 HEAR SMART (1300 432 776).
ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW AVOIDING TREATMENT?
We’ve all known someone
who finds it hard to hear
in everyday situations.
They miss the meaning of
what the checkout person
says at the supermarket.
They misunderstand a
question that their spouse
asks them. And they fail
to hear their name
called at the doctor’s
surgery.
As a result of their hard of
hearing, they avoid going
out. They make excuses
about why they can’t
attend social events. They
stay at home and watch
TV.
It’s easy to see why they
feel that they’re missing
out on life.
So why do people
avoid treating their
hearing loss properly?
Reference: The Social and Economic Cost of
Hearing Loss in Australia (June 2017)
HCIA http://www.hcia.com.au/hcia-wp/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/Social-and-
Economic-Cost-of-Hearing-Health-in-
Australia_June-2017.pdf
Talk to someone you trust about your hearing issues
3
OUR APPROACH
“In setting up Smart
Hearing Solutions, I
wanted to create a
more family-centred
approach to hearing
care. As a hearing aid
wearer myself, I
understand the
challenges of hearing
loss. I also know what a
difference it can make
to be part of
conversations with my
family and friends.”
Gary Rayment
MEET OUR TEAM
Our experienced and friendly hearing care team will take the
time to listen. We tailor our hearing services to your hearing
loss and lifestyle.
MAIN CLINIC: 1240 North East Road (Unit 4 Benbowie Street)
St Agnes SA 5097
We’re just off North East Road, Unit 4 Benbowie Street,
opposite St Agnes Shopping Centre.
VISITING CLINICS: Hope Valley | Para Hills | Highbury
Phone: 1300 HEAR SMART (1300 432 776)
www.smarthearingsolutions.com.au
Meet the team (L to R): Heather Westhall, Gary Rayment and Leeanne Shiels
DO YOU HAVE A HEARING LOSS?
If you think your hearing is not what it used to be, consider these
questions:
Do you have trouble hearing conversations in noisy places?
Do you often have to ask people to repeat themselves?
Are people always mumbling?
Do you turn up the TV or radio volume so you can hear clearly?
Do you have difficulty hearing conversation on the telephone?
Do you sometimes find it hard to work out where sound is com-
ing from?
Do you avoid social situations because you have trouble keeping
up with the conversation?
If you answer yes to two or more of these questions, it’s worth have
a hearing check.