We’re safely OPEN and here to help

We’re safely OPEN and here to help

by | Jul 10, 2020 | News

We’re safely OPEN and here to help

With the recent return to Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne, being able to hear and communicate well has never been more important in keeping social isolation at bay. To ensure you are maximising your hearing potential, communicating to the best of your ability and remaining socially connected, be sure to keep up with your hearing care program throughout this challenging time. 

As an essential health care service, Ear and Hearing clinics remain open across Melbourne for in-clinic appointments.

You can rest assured that the premium quality of professional, holistic in-clinic hearing care you have come to expect from our trained team of qualified audiologists will continue to be delivered throughout this crisis. For clients who can’t get to a clinic or who are choosing to shelter in place to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, professional audiological support is also available over the phone and via video calls and specially designed RemoteCare apps. RemoteCare apps allow you to receive advice, training and make
real-time adjustments to your hearing aids, all from the safety and comfort of your own home. To find out more about RemoteCare – or ‘Tele-audiology’ – see here.

The health and safety of our clients, families and staff is our primary focus and concern, and we are taking considered action to ensure we all stay safe while we are supporting you with your hearing needs. In line with the recommendations provided by health authorities we have further adjusted our policies and safeguards and put in place upgraded infection control safety measures across our network of clinics. We will continue to monitor the situation for new developments daily and adjust our administration policies and clinical procedures accordingly.

We appreciate your support in keeping Ear and Hearing clinics a safe environment for yourself, our staff and all other clients, and look forward to helping you hear better very soon. 

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Video Chatting: Tips for Ease of Communication

Video Chatting: Tips for Ease of Communication

by | May 12, 2020 | News

Video Chatting: Tips for Ease of Communication

Video chatting has become an important tool in helping us stay connected to family, friends and work-colleagues while observing stay-at-home regulations. Here, we present some tips for communicating effectively when using this popular medium.

Today we are spoilt for choice when it comes to communicating with others who are physically remote. We may use Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, Whatsapp, Houseparty and others too numerous to mention.

Although so convenient, video chatting can pose various challenges both for people with normal hearing, and those with hearing loss. Bearing this in mind, let us look at some practical ways of facilitating easy and effective communication while video chatting.

Video chatting tips for everyone

  • At times you may find the image or audio freezing, lagging or going out of sync, making it difficult to carry on an intelligible conversation. If this happens, it may be due to a slow internet connection, so avoid uploading or downloading material while you are video chatting. Ensure the internet connection is dedicated to your conversation alone. Accommodate any lag by giving the sound time to catch up, and the person time to answer without interruption.
  • Both facial expression and body language are important parts of communication. With video chat, ensure you are at a suitable distance so your face can be seen clearly and that you have the camera at eye-level, with you facing the camera. Also check that the lighting in the room allows your face to be well lit.
  • Eliminate or reduce background noise to a minimum – turn off the TV/radio, shut the windows, put pets into a different room. Reduce visual clutter too; aim for a simple visual background, not one that is overly busy.
  • Be more mindful of turn-taking conventions. When chatting remotely to one other person or to a group, lessening the number of interruptions will assist in maintaining the conversational flow.
  • If you tend to have a quiet speaking voice, raise your volume so your communication partner(s) can hear you without having to strain.

Video chatting tips when hearing loss is present

  • In group interaction, ensure the hard-of-hearing person is aware when there is a change in topic and/or speaker.
  • Avoid looking down or turning away.

If you are hard-of-hearing:

  • Hearing loss is invisible. You may choose to remind your communication partner you have a hearing loss – I can’t hear as fast as you can talk!
  • Ask the speaker to keep their hands away from their face and speak a little more slowly.
  • It may be helpful to remind the speaker to state the topic up front.
  • It’s an effective strategy to interrupt the conversation as soon as you’ve not understood, and ask the speaker to repeat or rephrase what’s been said.

Whether we communicate face-to-face or via video chat, it’s deeply gratifying to feel we have furthered meaningful connections, be they with social or work ones. To this end, we trust this information has been helpful.

Please feel free to contact us on 1300 761 667 for assistance with any of your hearing and communication needs.

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Ear & Hearing RemoteCare

Ear & Hearing RemoteCare

by | Apr 24, 2020 | News

Ear & Hearing RemoteCare

We are now offering RemoteCare as part of our services to help you stay connected to your loved ones.

We all know good hearing is paramount in enabling people to stay connected to life. For this reason, should the current COVID-19 isolation measures be impacting your ability to visit our clinics in person, please note that we have introduced a new RemoteCare appointment option.

This service enables you to receive support for your hearing needs remotely without having to leave home. Our audiologists can be reached via phone, videocall, or any other means of remote communication you may prefer. As always, we aim to assist you in maximising your hearing, listening and communication ability.

To request a RemoteCare appointment please call us on 1300 761 667.

Eligible WorkCover Pensioners, Veterans & NDIS clients:

If you are eligible for free/subsidised hearing services through WorkCover, the Government’s Hearing Services Program (HSP) or NDIS, you can now take advantage of our new RemoteCare appointment option. This means you can now access a number of benefits over the phone remotely, without needing to visit our clinics in person.

To find out the services for which you may be eligible, and how to book a RemoteCare appointment with one of our audiologists, please contact us.

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Spoken Communication Self-Check

Spoken Communication Self-Check

by | Apr 17, 2020 | News

Spoken Communication Self-Check

You may recently have read Ear and Hearing Australia’s article Good hearing: a must in times of Coronavirus that focussed on the importance of effective hearing and communication throughout this time of social distancing and stay-at-home regulations.

As well as discussing the use of optimally functioning hearing aids and other hearing technology, the article reviewed Communication Strategies which hearing-impaired people themselves can employ to maximise understanding.

But what if you are the family member, friend or service provider of the hearing-impaired person? How effective is your communication?

This Spoken Communication Self-Check may provide some insight!

Answer Yes, Sometimes, or No to the following statements.

  1. I gain the person’s attention before I begin speaking.
  2. I make sure I’m facing the person as I speak and avoid looking down or turning away.
  3. I speak clearly, without shouting.
  4. I speak at a reasonable rate; not too slowly or too fast.
  5. I keep my hands away from my face.
  6. I make sure the light is not shining in my conversation partner’s eyes.
  7. I eliminate or reduce background noise such as the TV or radio.
  8. I’m aware if my conversation partner isn’t following or understanding me.
  9. If I’m not making myself understood, I find a different way of saying the same thing.
  10. I recognise that communication is a two-way process and take responsibility for doing my part.

By answering the questions on this quick check-list you may have pinpointed areas that could be improved such as getting the person’s attention before speaking, facing them, or rephrasing a question if it hasn’t been understood. It’s very easy to forget to do the very things that will help the most.

During this time of Coronavirus, with its social restrictions, it’s more important than ever to stay connected, whether it’s via text and email or through spoken communication in person, over the phone/mobile or via a screen.

We trust the Spoken Communication Self-Check has given you food for thought as to how well you are supporting your hearing-impaired conversation partner when using the spoken word.

You are welcome to contact the Audiologists at Ear and Hearing Australia on 1300 761 667 for assistance regarding any aspect of hearing and communication.
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Good Hearing: a must in times of Coronavirus

Good Hearing: a must in times of Coronavirus

by | Apr 16, 2020 | News

Good Hearing: a must in times of Coronavirus

Owing to the current social distancing and stay-at-home regulations, being able to hear well has never been more important in keeping social isolation at bay.

Where in the recent past you may have communicated with family, friends and work colleagues face-to-face, you are now needing to chat to people at a greater physical distance, via a landline or mobile phone, via Skype, Zoom or other methods of video-chatting / conferencing.

Moreover, with less opportunity for social interaction, reliance on TV, other screen technology and music-listening has become more important.

How can you ensure you are maximising your hearing potential during this challenging time?

  • Make sure your hearing aids continue to be optimal. If listening has become more effortful, if you are straining to hear what is being said, perhaps your hearing thresholds have changed and it may be time to pop in for a hearing test, or for a hearing aid adjustment. Get in touch with your Audiologist for advice if you think this may be the case.
  • If even with optimal hearing aids you are finding it a challenge to hear over your landline/mobile phone, to listen to TV or music, or participate in video-chatting/conferencing, please know that you may benefit from some accessories which can stream sound directly from your phone, TV, videocalls or music system to your hearing aids via Bluetooth.

Your audiologist is available to discuss the various hearing technology that can eliminate such problems, so contact him/her at your earliest convenience.

During this period of Coronavirus when there may be an increased need to communicate with various organisations and service providers, you will have peace of mind knowing detailed instructions and important points within a conversation have been understood clearly.

To assist you in communicating and remaining socially connected, let us revisit some of the practical Communication Strategies that can be employed in face-to-face and other situations:

  • Eliminate or reduce background noise to a minimum.
  • You may choose to remind your communication partner you have a hearing loss – I can’t hear as fast as you can talk!
  • Ask the speaker to face you, keep hands away from their face and speak a little more slowly.
  • Interrupt the conversation as soon as you’ve not understood and ask the speaker to repeat or rephrase what’s been said.
  • It may be helpful to remind the speaker to state the topic up front.

We trust this information will assist you in making the most of a challenging period.Please feel free to contact us on 1300 761 667 or  book online  for assistance with any of your hearing and communication needs.

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Update

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update

by | Apr 9, 2020 | News

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update

We are here to support your hearing needs, while ensuring your safety remains our top priority!

Throughout this period when people are practising social distancing and needing to communicate via phones, Skype and other methods of video-chatting, good hearing is essential.

In doing our utmost to ensure you receive timely support for your hearing needs, please be assured we are following the strictest hygiene protocols to ensure your health and safety, and that of our staff, remain our top priority.

While keeping our main clinics open (some full-time and some part-time) for traditional in-clinic appointments, we also offer and encourage remote support over the telephone, via video calls, and by using RemoteCare apps, as appropriate.

To book an appointment, call us on 1300 761 667. Should you prefer to book online we will call you to organise the best way to support your hearing requirements.

Throughout this challenging time, we will continue to be adaptive and innovative in assisting you with all your hearing needs while adhering to every possible hygiene measure to ensure your health and safety, and that of our staff.

Your wellbeing remains our top priority at all times.

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