Sight + SoundFamily is what matters, 10 years laterWith Christmas approaching we wanted to share an inspiring story and an update on some patients we most recently heard from in the 2008 Summer Edition of Sight + Sound – 10 years ago now.

When twins Ben and Lochie were born, they were quiet babies. They slept really well and mum, Naomi, thought she was just lucky and put it down to them being twins. Naomi didn’t realise both boys had hearing impairments until they were sent for a routine screening at 6 weeks.

Since receiving implants at 8 and 10 months respectively, Lochie and Ben have been part of the Eye and Ear’s family. The hospital became a second home as they spent time here for speech therapy, check-ups and care. Their Mum Naomi says the twins had many of their major milestones within the hospital’s walls. For example, it was in our waiting rooms that they took their first steps.

Naomi is very thankful to have a family that supported her and her sons all the way through. She says “My Mum was here at every appointment. She would take care of one twin while I was with the other one at the consultation.”

Now, Ben and Lochie are 11 years old and attend Yarra Valley Grammar School, both in mainstream classrooms.

They are busy and enjoy and participate in the same activities as other kids. They love music; Lochie plays the cello and Ben orchestral percussions. They play hockey, tennis and appear in school productions. The twins also compete in cross-country and athletics and have even won national and international medals.

In March last year, Lochie participated in the annual “Power of Speech” public speaking event held at Parliament House in Canberra. This event showcases the exceptional language skills of children and young adults who have taken part in early intervention programs.

Lochie talked about the misconceptions about deafness and some of the interesting questions he has been asked. He won the overall event and he received the Prime Minister’s Courage Award from the then Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Ben and Lochie have a bright future ahead of them, but it’s not just young children that can benefit from cochlear implants. People of all ages can fit the criteria for cochlear implant surgery – including those with age related hearing loss – as Mrs Dulcie Selleck our oldest cochlear implant patient can attest. You can read more about Dulcie on page 6.

Twins Ben and Lochie

NEWS | SUMMER 2018

Annual Review and Quality Account out nowThe 2017-18 Annual Review ‘Our Stories’ and Quality Account are now available online and on stands throughout the hospital.

The Quality Account gives insight into our ongoing commitment to the delivery of patient centred care and our processes to monitor and improve quality services.

The Annual Review shares the stories of our patients and volunteers, our staff and our research over the past 12 months.

CEO Welcome Welcome to the Summer edition of Sight+Sound

Summer is truly upon us. It’s a time to enjoy the weather and reflect on the year that was.

This edition it is my pleasure to bring you the story of Lochie and Ben, who have quite literally

grown up at the Eye and Ear. It’s fantastic to see how they’re achieving now, more than 10 years after their first procedure.

On the other end of the scale, we were delighted recently to celebrate the 100th birthday of Mrs Dulcie Selleck, the oldest cochlear implant recipient in Australia.

We have recently joined the Patient Opinion website which helps to share patient stories from hospitals all over Australia, I encourage any patient of the Eye and Ear to visit the website and share your experience.

Finally, in this edition we pay tribute to volunteer and active fundraiser for the hospital Jean Hamley, who passed away in September. Jean will be greatly missed.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed some of the events it covers.

Best wishes,

Mark

Patient opinion, have your sayAt the Eye and Ear, we encourage our patients to give feedback about their experiences at our hospital–both positive and negative.

Now, there is a new way to share your story with the Patient Opinion website.

This independent site allows patients from any hospital in Australia to post anonymously about their experience, and read about other patients’ experiences.

Patient stories not only help hospitals to grow, rethink their processes, and provide better services but also motivate employees to perform better.

Stories bring life to a hospital and we would love to hear yours. You can provide feedback via:

• Patient Opinion website www.patientopinion.org.au

• Speak directly to a staff member

• Send an email to feedback@eyeandear.org

• Call our Consumer Liaison Officer on 03 9929 8666

• Fill out a feedback form (around the hospital or a staff member can provide you one)

• And if you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may contact the Health Complaints Commissioner.

Thank you to our philanthropic funders so far in 2018 Thank you to the philanthropic Trusts and Foundations which support the work of the Eye and Ear.

Funding received in 2018H & L Hecht Trust managed by Perpetual $100,000- Retinal imaging research into Alzheimer’s

Disease - Peter Van Wijngaarden

Trusts managed by Perpetual Total $58,000

The Lionel & Yvonne Spencer $14,000.00 The J And R Mcgauran Trust Fund $11,000.00 Patricia Madigan Charitable Trust $33,000.00- Eyesi Simulator Surgical Ophthalmology

Training program - Jacqui Beltz

John and Thirza Daley Charitable Trust managed by Perpetual $43,331- Anaesthetic Audit post cataract surgery - for

Sarah Madden and David Ware

Annie Danks Trust $25,000 - Ultrasound to diagnose Quinsy in Emergency

Department

Joe White Bequest $64,500- An OCT scanner for Emergency Department

The Eldon and Anne Foote Trust managed by Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation $50,000 - Hyperspectral imaging research into Alzheimer’s

Disease - Peter Van Wijngaarden

Bequests ReceivedWe are most grateful for the funding received from bequests. We use this donor income for large capital items such as equipment or redevelopment of the hospital.

Funds from the Estate of Friedrich Huschka will be used to purchase state of the art training equipment - Eyesii Ophthalmological Surgical Simulators, plus some vital pieces of Equipment

Funds from the Estate of Ernest Finlay Burns will be used for a major capital project

Popping up for Aboriginal children’s ear healthA puppet box might sound out of place in a health care setting, but this simple device, acquired thanks to a generous donation, is making ear testing for children easier and more effective.

Ear disease and associated hearing loss are highly prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This has several developmental impacts, including a child’s ability to participate at school.

A major source of ear disease in children is otitis media (or middle ear infection), a painful inflammation of the middle ear that can cause dizziness and temporary hearing loss.

Early detection is vital, but young children are often reluctant to undergo ear testing, particularly when their ears are infected and sore. In addition, it is difficult to test hearing of children when they are too young to provide verbal feedback.

Now, thanks to a generous donation from RACV as part of the Good Citizen Program, we have acquired a puppet box to make testing easier.

It is used as part of the hospital’s monthly ‘Healthy Ears’ (Ear, Nose and Throat ENT) clinic at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in Fitzroy.

This enables the children’s hearing to be tested in a safe environment, with a fun and engaging tool.

Each time a child hears a sound played through their headphones, they press a disc, then a puppet appears.

This is a quick and easy way to test hearing for infants to young children, and doesn’t require any verbal feedback.

The RACV community team recently attended a Healthy Ears clinic to see their puppet box in action and were delighted to see the difference it makes.

The puppet box with bear puppet in action

A lifetime of giving: remembering Jean HamleyWords by Joan Jasper

Many patients have very fond memories of Jean Hamley from her volunteer work with Eye and Ear Speech Pathologist, Anne Yorston, but she is also remembered by volunteers and hundreds of shoppers from her time at the Eye and Ear Opportunity Shop.

Jean died in September at the age of 92. She was a volunteer and the Coordinator of the Opportunity Shop for forty years and spent many days every week sorting, washing, cleaning, displaying and organising the shop, selling goods, and planning the roster. This work was in addition to the weekly help she gave to the Speech Therapy Department.

Volunteering was in Jean’s blood. Before coming to the hospital she volunteered at her children’s local primary school and at her church, and it was because of a friendship with Professor Richard Dowell’s* parents that Jean began what would become a lifetime of dedication to the hospital.

When Jean began her voluntary work at the Opportunity Shop, the various support groups, called Auxiliaries, were located around the state, and were raising funds for hospital equipment. Jean represented the Opportunity Shop on the Executive Council of Auxiliaries, where, eventually, funds raised meant that the hospital could purchase its very first vehicle. As time went by the Auxiliaries raised millions of dollars and were able to fund major projects. A large proportion of those funds came from Jean’s dedication to the Opportunity Shop.

Another of Jean’s involvements at the hospital was to help select designs for Christmas cards, then packaging and selling them. This was a huge job every year but it was all part of Jean’s dedication to raising funds for the hospital.

Jean’s voluntary service to the community culminated in her being awarded the OAM (Order of Australia Medal) in 2001.

Val Galagher, also a dedicated volunteer to Eye and Ear, will miss Jean’s life-long friendship. Val and Jean had been staunch friends since school-days, and it was my pleasure in later years to take Val to see Jean, when on many occasions, their conversation would turn to their many years spent at the hospital.

I remember Jean from my work in the Public Relations Department as a quietly spoken person, a person with great intellect who could express her views strongly while quietly sticking to her guns, a person who put the needs of others before those of her own, and a person whose commitment to the hospital was second to none. I will remember her with great fondness and will miss her friendship.

*Prof Richard Dowell is an audiologist who worked in the research program for the Bionic Ear, which was led by Graeme Clark. He holds the Chair in Audiology and Speech Science at the University of Melbourne.

Former CEO Ann Clark and Jean Hamley

Professor Stephen O’Leary sings happy birthday to Mrs Dulcie Selleck at her 100th birthday celebration.

Volunteer profile: Ros StuartRos Stuart is a busy woman. This year she started volunteering as a concierge and outpatient volunteer in our specialist clinics at Eye and Ear on the Park, but this isn’t her first foray into volunteering. Ros is also involved in committees and focus groups at the Eye and Ear and volunteers at Blind Sports Victoria. On top of that Ros still manages to find time to spend with her 8 year old grandson Michael, and for Aqua Aerobics.

Ros has been a consumer representative at the hospital for about a year. She is currently involved in the Infection Control Committee and has also participated in a number of focus groups. As a former nurse, she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to these focus groups and committees. She understands the importance of preventing healthcare-associated infections and is a strong advocate for hand washing.

What makes Ros special is that she lives with a vision impairment herself, and is a patient here which enables her to better understand other patients. Ros is a ‘people person’ and loves to interact with patients.

You can find Ros every second Friday on the ground floor in the Outpatient Clinics.

Disclaimer The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital respects your privacy and does not disclose details to third parties. All information is treated in confidence.

If you do not wish to receive further mailings, please phone 1800 808 137.

Sight+Sound is published quarterly.©The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. October 2018.ABN 81 863 814 677 Phone: 1800 808 137 Email: info@eyeandear.org.au

Celebrating the 100th birthday of our oldest cochlear recipientMrs Dulcie Selleck was all smiles despite the unusual location of her birthday.

Dulcie celebrated her 100th birthday at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital with the University of Melbourne’ s Department of Otolaryngology and Cochlear Ltd.

She is believed to be the oldest person in Australia living with a cochlear implant.

To mark the occasion her family was joined by her surgeon Professor Stephen O’Leary, members of the executive team at the hospital, the University of Melbourne’ s Department of Otolaryngology and Cochlear Ltd to wish Mrs Selleck a happy 100 years.

Mrs Selleck is a perfect reminder that age is not a barrier to having a cochlear implant to treat hearing loss. She had the implant surgery at 98 years of age and it has improved her ability to connect with those around her.

“I am sorry I put off having this done so many years ago”, she said. “I was pleasantly surprised that the operation was not as bad as I thought it would be. I am much happier now. I enjoy going out with my group of ladies and joining fun and frivolities.”

Cochlear implants can improve quality of life and social interaction for older people suffering from hearing loss.

Professor O’Leary commented: “Isolation and depression are common consequences of untreated hearing loss. Cochlear implants can really help patients interact with their family and enjoy the simplest moments in life like sharing stories with their children and grandchildren.”

Interested in finding out more about volunteering or joining our consumer register? Please contact Betty Tellis on 9929 8658 or Betty.Tellis@eyeandear.org.au.

Yes, I want to change the lives of Australians living with sensory disorders

Volunteer Ros Stuart at the concierge desk at the Eye and Ear on the Park

Yes, I want to change the lives of Australians living with sensory disorders

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