Tony Kay – Head of Audiology ServicesAintree Tinnitus Support Group

Wednesday 1st July 2015

Feedback from focus groupJune 2015

Aintree Tinnitus Support Group

• Registered with the BTA

• AIN1314 – 20% discount on BTA membership

The Terms of Reference of Aintree Tinnitus Support Group

• To provide additional information and support to patients, and their significant others, living with tinnitus

• It is not a substitute for an individual management plan and individual medical advice cannot be given at the meetings

Boundaries

• Not a substitute for individual assessment• Unilateral, pulsatile and distressing tinnitus should

be investigated• Respect confidentiality• Respect any shared experiences• Unable to answer specific questions

Good points:

Support

Learning from others in the group

Passing on information

Sharing experiences

Meeting people with the same problem

Learning new ways to cope

Informative

Areas for improvement:

Hear more people tell their story – what started the tinnitus and what helps?

Current format – what can be improved?:

Current format is very goodIt is a really good group

Talk/presentations at each meeting are useful

Visual aids are good

Information is very important

Helps us accept we are not alone

ATSG Website:

Difficult to readCannot access from I-padNo information on hyperacusis

Actions:

Informed communications departmentHyperacusis information added to website

Topics for future meetingsHyperacusis Hearing aid technologySound enrichment productsSupport living with somebody with tinnitusPositive thinking & coping strategiesPsychotherapyBasic information regularlyIndividual storiesPerhaps some day meetings