Today's Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Services and Programs - Volunteers available to speak to hearing impaired people
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Contributor: Mrs Wendy Rae Jansz.
Source: Volunteer for Cochlear Awareness Network.
Posted: 07-01-2008
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After surgery to remove a huge brain tumour, I became deaf in one ear. The Baha, a bone anchored hearing aide has changed my quality of life forever and has enabled me to live 'normally' in all aspects of society.
Becoming hearing impaired had disastrous consequences for me. I frustrated everybody I came into contact with. "I'm sorry, can you please repeat that?" can only be said twice before you become ignored. Busy waitresses, shop assistants and work colleagues become very impatient, turn their head or cover their mouths when talking, making it very difficult to lip read. Background noise was intolerable so I gradually withdrew from society.
After many years of searching for a solution my audiologist told me about the Cochlear Baha Divino which is the only implanted hearing treatment that works through direct bone conduction by combining a sound processor with a small titanium implant placed behind the ear. The system allows sound to be conducted through the skill bypassing the ear canal and middle ear. This process is known as direct bone conduction.
The device helps to overcome many of the drawbacks of conventional hearing aid by providing a direct transmission pathway to the cochlea. It works for suffers of Bilateral conductive hearing loss, congenital ear malformations, single sided deafness and hearing loss where air conduction hearing aids are not an option due to chronic conditions of the outer ear.
So after thinking about it for a whole two minutes I decided to go ahead with this very non invasive surgery, wait two to three months for the healing process and receive my tiny Baha Divino to click onto the titanium screw.
My surgery was a success and my 'switch-on' was one of the most wonderful days of my life. My husband and I had tears of happiness. No more frustration, ignorance or withdrawing from society, my life had changed forever with the Baha which I believe is the Rolls Royce of hearing technology.
As a result I offered to become a volunteer for Cochlear and provide presentations to social clubs like Probus, Rotary and Lions, as well as schools and other groups. I write articles for magazines and newspapers and have met the Queen of Sweden on her visit to Australia. I have given presentations to as many as 600 and as few as four.
If you are interested in reading my story please visit the Cochlear Awareness Network website and click onto 'Baha Recipients - Wendy'. If you require a presentation or just want to have a coffee with me and have a 'show and tell' then please email me at wendydarlz@hotmail.com and I will be very happy to help you become proactive in making such a positive decision that will not only improve your quality of life, but give you confidence to undertake the dreams you have for the future.
Contact Name: Mrs Wendy Rae Jansz
Contact Phone: 02 9554 4495 or 0402 017 911
Contact Email: wendydarlz@hotmail.com
Website:
Single sided and bilateral deafness - from 2 to 92.
Attached file 1:
Most commonly asked questions relating to the Baha (Word document, 4.29 megabytes).
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