NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2017
HEARING
SOUTHLAND
In this Publication
OFFICE HOURS
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
9AM—4PM
Index & Office Page 2
If you wish to have a hearing
test (appointment required)
or require help with hearing
aid management or hearing
aid repairs please ring or
email the office to make sure
that either Tracy or Bev are
available.
We also have an Ultra-Vac
machine that is available
free of charge to members.
The Ultra-Vac removes any
moisture the hearing aids
may have picked up.
Phone 2149154
Email:hearingsouthland@xtra.
co.nz
or visit us at 126 Leet Street,
Invercargill
2
President’s
message
Page 3
Ear Health
Page 4
Laugh out
Loud
Page 5
Communicating
Page 6
Emergencies
Page 7
Perils—shared Page 8
pathways
Bits & Bobs
Page 9
Sonida Digital Page 10
Listener
AGM info
Page 11
Battery Mail
Order form
Page 12
Membership
form
Page 13
Funders &
sponsors
Page 14
Did you
Know?
Page 15
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Greetings Everyone
The year has started off as a very busy one.
Simon & l attended the Southern Regional meeting
in Christchurch recently where we learnt all about
the latest technology with hearing aids and smart
phones, and about cochlear ear implants.
It was also good to catch-up with people from
other Hearing Association Branches and hear what
they are doing.
We have a new face in the office, Vonnie Crawford, who will run the office when Bev is away.
Our Annual General meeting is being held in
March 10 (see details on page 11). We would to
like to see you there.
This is my last contribution as President and I
would like to thank you all for your support during
my time as President.
Graeme Wilson
Hearing Southland
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EAR HEALTH—Available Tues,Wed,Thurs
Regular clinics in Invercargill and Gore
For an appointment - Ph Invercargill 2634056
ACC available
4
LAUGH OUT LOUD (LOL)
Cheerful Hot Momma
A 92 year old man went to the doctor to get a physical. A
few days later the doctor saw the man walking down the
street with a gorgeous young lady on his arm.
At the man’s next appointment the doctor said “You’re really doing great, aren’t you?”
The man replied “Just doing what you said Doc, ‘Get a hot
mamma and be cheerful.'”
The doctor said “I didn’t say that. I said you got a heart
murmur, be careful.”
A death in the family
A blonde goes to work in tears. Her boss asks "What's
wrong?"
She says "My mum died."
He told her to go home but she said "No, I'll be fine."
Later that day her boss finds her crying again. He says
"What's wrong?"
She replies "I just talked to my sister and her mum died
too!"
Look Before You Leap
A wife comes home late one night and quietly opens the
door to her bedroom. From under the blanket, she sees
four legs instead of just her husband's two. She reaches for
a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she
can. Once she's done, she goes to the kitchen to have a
drink. As she enters she sees her husband there, reading a
magazine. He says, "Hi darling, your parents have come to
visit us, so I let them stay in our bedroom. Did you say hello?"
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COMMUNICATING TIPS
No matter what the degree of hearing loss your loved one has, you
both may be experiencing frustration and difficulty during conversations. If your loved one’s hearing loss is mild or moderate, make the
most of what hearing he or she has left by following a few communication strategies suggested by hearing health professionals:
1. As much as possible, reduce or avoid background noise such
as radio, TV, other conversations, or rustling paper.
2. Speak slightly louder than normal, but don’t shout. Shouting
actually causes sound to be distorted.
3. Speak at moderate speed — not too fast or too slow. Articulate
carefully, but don’t exaggerate your speech. Pause between sentences.
4. For the listener, lip movement, facial expression and gestures
are important visual clues. So if your loved one has adequate
vision, speak at a distance of between three and six feet, with
the light source on your face.
5. Face the listener and don’t turn away or cover your mouth with
your hand.
6. Avoid chewing gum while speaking, and don’t talk with your
mouth full during mealtime conversation.
7. Don’t speak directly into the listener’s ear. This hides visual
clues and may distort sound.
8. If the person doesn’t seem to understand what you are saying, rephrase the statement with slightly different words. Try
using shorter, simpler sentences.
9. Use gestures, or write notes if necessary — for example,
when spelling a name.
10. When first beginning a conversation, alert your loved one to
your presence by catching his or her eye, or gently touching the
shoulder or arm.
Be patient, and above all treat the hearing impaired person with respect. If you are conversing with someone else who is in the room, it
is frustrating and isolating for a person with hearing problems to
know that he or she is missing out on a conversation—especially if
he or she is the subject of that conversation!
6
CIVIL DEFENCE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
TEXT START 219
By now you will all be aware that there is no civil defence siren to alert
you of an impending disaster. These sirens have not been working for a
very long time and are now decommissioned. The only way to receive
warning of a disaster or pending disaster is by way of a text to your cell
phone (if you have one), by hearing the warning on the radio, or by contact from a support network. Below is what you will need to consider
when setting up a personal support network:

Organise a personal support network of at least three people to alert you to civil
defence warnings, to help if you need to be evacuated or sheltering-in-place. This could
be family members, carers, friends, neighbours or co-workers.

Ensure you have an emergency plan before an emergency happens and practice it
with your support network. Plan for various emergencies and situations you could encounter.

Discuss your needs with the support network and make sure everyone knows how
to operate necessary equipment.

Inform your support team if you are travelling or are away from home.
Also consider:

Ensuring you have emergency survival items, including any specialised items you
need, and a getaway kit in case of evacuation.

Keeping at least seven days' supply of your essential medications and make provisions for those that require refrigeration.

Wearing a medical alert tag or bracelet to identify your disability or health condi-
tion.

When travelling, letting hotel or motel managers know of your requirements in
case of an emergency.
7
PERILS OF SHARED PATHWAYS
Hearing impaired persons be aware -footpaths
and walking tracks are
not just for the walkers.
They have become very
busy with people using
various modes of
transport. We have the
young on scooters and
skateboards, the mail
persons in their new buggies, the elderly on their mobility scooters and the bikers of
all ages.
‘Coming through!’ You’re lucky if
you get this sort of warning from a
speeding cyclist, a mail buggy or
mobile scooter about to overtake
you on a shared pathway. Even a
hearing person can’t easily hear
someone behind them. If there’s
busy traffic, it’s impossible.
On downhill stretches cyclists can
reach high speeds. Make one false move and you could be
seriously injured – and so could the cyclist.
All path users should try to stay left where it’s indicated to do
so, wear reflective clothing if possible and try to avoid sudden movements left or right.
———————————
A man walks into a psychiatrist’s office snapping his fingers. The
doctor asks why he is doing this? “To keep the tigers away,” responds the man. “But there are no tigers in New York City,” says
the doctor. Where upon the man replies “Effective, isn’t it!”
8
My Neighbour knocked on my door at 2.30 this morning
can you believe that 2.30am?!
Luckily for him I was still up playing my bagpipes.
————————————19 Paddies go to the cinema. The ticket lady asks.” Why so
many of you?”
Mike replies “The film said 18 or over”
——————————————————————————
WE NEED YOUR HELP PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!
As your association we would like to do more for you?
- Tell us what you would like us to do!
- What can we organise for your participation/enjoyment
- Would you like more social occasions, trips, speakers,
game evenings or maybe something else?
- Do you require more products available for purchase?
Phone me on 2149154 between 9am-4pm as I would be
interested in any suggestions you may have
————–————————————————————
ROOM HIRE
Our large meeting room
is available for hire at
$25 hr with a maximum
daily charge of $125.00
There is wheel chair
access, good heating
and clean kitchen and
toilet facilities.
The room is available
some week nights and most Saturday or Sundays. Perfect
for smaller functions but can also comfortably accommodate up to 50 people
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Sonido Personal Listener
Some features of the
Sonido Conversation Amplifier
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Excellent for people who have trouble
holding small things - it has an easy grip
rubberised coating and a large, raised
soft-touch buttons.
5m long external microphone (included)
allows you to amplify sounds direct from other sources,
such as TV, radio or MP3 player.
Volume and tone control - useful for tailoring the bass
and treble to your hearing loss
150 hours' battery life - almost double that of most other
listeners
Hinged battery cover for easy access
Battery status light
Clear LEDs show volume and tone
To protect your hearing, Sonido automatically switches
to a lower volume setting when turned on
You can set the volume at different levels for each ear
via a button in the battery compartment
T setting that even allows people who don't wear hearing aids to benefit from induction loops or to test they
are working
Very easy to use and operate
Cost: $299.00 for the Personal Listener plus additional $20
approximately for a set of headphones which can be purchased from retailers such as The Warehouse, Noel Leemings, Harvey Norman etc.
10
HEARING SOUTHLAND
AGM
Friday 10 March 2017 at 2.30pm
at Hearing Southland Rooms
26 Leet Street, Invercargill
(with afternoon tea to follow)
………………………………………
NOMINATIONS are called for the following positions
on 2017-2018 committee
Patron
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Committee
I……………………………………………………………….....
Nominate………………………………………………………...
For the position of…………………………………………….….
This nomination form can be brought to meeting on 10 March or posted to reach
us prior to this date: 126 Leet Street, Invercargill 9810
11
BATTERY MAIL ORDER FORM
Post or Fax to: Hearing Southland
PO Box 1213, Invercargill 9840, Fax: 03 2149154
Name ……………………………………………….
Address……………………………………………..
Phone ………………………..
Battery cost :
Member: $5.50
Non-Member $7.50
Postage $1.00
x size10
x size 13
x size 312
x size 675
Please enter number of batteries required in the
box the & make cheques payable to:
Hearing Southland
12
NEW MEMBERSHIP/RENEWAL
Name…………………………………………………..
Address …………………………………………….…
………………………………………………………….
Phone …………………………….
Fax
……………………………..
Email ……………………………………………….
$18.00 1 year subscription
$28.00 2 year subscription
Please tick subscription required, enclose
Cheque and post to:
Hearing Southland, PO Box 1213,
Invercargill 9840 or
call into our rooms at 126 Leet Street, Ingill
13
THANK YOU to our Funders
We would like to acknowledge and
thank our funders for grants received over the last few months.
We are extremely grateful for their
support.
Through their generosity we are
able to continue to provide services to the wider community
14
Did You Know ………..

Did you know cats have over 100 vocal chords

Did you know camel's milk doesn't curdle

Did you know elephants sleep between 4 - 5 hours in
a 24 hour period

Did you know it's possible to lead a cow up stairs but
not down

Did you know frogs can't swallow with their eyes open

Did you know elephants are the only mammal that
can't jump

Did you know a 1/4 of your bones are in your feet

Did you know your tongue is the fastest healing part of
your body

Did you know hummingbirds are the only bird that can
fly backwards

Did you know a duck can't walk without bobbing its
head

Did you know in 1878 the first telephone book made
contained only 50 names

Did you know pop corn was invented by the Aztec Indians

Did you know an average person will spend 25 years
asleep
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