The Invizear Winter Newsletter
It is a busy time of the year at The Invisible Hearing Clinic. We have lots of news and events to update you with, so we thought we’d publish an Invizear Winter Newsletter. Please let us know what you think of this format and feel free to contact us with any queries regarding the individual news items. We hope to make this a regular feature.
Open Day on 9th December
As we approach the festive season the focus is more than ever upon family and social gatherings. With this in mind, we would like to welcome you to our special Open Day at The Invisible Hearing Clinic. We will be demonstrating a wide range of tools which can improve your quality of life and help you to be fully engaged with what’s happening over the holiday period. The message is simply Clearer Hearing for Christmas.
Roger Connectivity
The Invisible Hearing Clinic is now a fully Roger Certified Partner with the hearing aid manufacturer Phonak. We are strong advocates of the Roger technology which helps hearing aid users to better understand speech at a distance and in noisy backgrounds. Users find it of great benefit in restaurants, business meetings or even social gatherings at home.
Roger is so simple that, once enabled, it will automatically adjust to give the clearest speech as you move between locations with different noise levels. Users can also stream sound from TVs, Smartphones, computers and gaming systems. There is a wide range of products that will help with your own lifestyle choices and increase your listening pleasure.
Roger products fit easily into your everyday life. They are discreet and can take the form of a pen or a clip-on microphone. In the case of the Roger Select, it is a small disc that can sit on your meeting table or can be worn on a lanyard for a companion to wear while you are out walking or playing golf together. We can also connect Roger to some non-Phonak hearing aids (including many NHS ones).
Join us at our Open Day to try Roger for yourself (or call to arrange an alternative day).
Marvellous Marvel
We are big fans of Phonak’s Marvel hearing aids. Marvel 2.0, sees the addition of the Audéo M-RT, an all-in-one hearing aid. Roger Direct is also now available in all of their Marvel hearing aids. Come and find out about these state of the art hearing devices that will change our view of hearing aids forever.
Lyric – Genuinely Invisible Hearing
Lyric is the world’s only 100% invisible hearing device. However, it’s not only the fact it’s invisible that’s so amazing about Lyric but also that it’s an extended wear device. This means it stays in your ear for twenty-four hours at a time. In fact, it can stay in your ear for up to four months. So, there are no fiddly batteries to change or cleaning routines. It is truly fit and forget, 24-hour hearing, 7 days a week, just like it used to be.
Lyric captures and amplifies sound differently than a traditional hearing device— so you don’t miss the patter of raindrops on the roof, a grandchild’s giggle, or the soft rustle of leaves in the wind. It is placed in the ear canal right where the sound is captured, to restore sound in the most natural way possible.
Natural Hearing
Most people who try Lyric say it’s the most natural hearing they’ve had since they started to lose their hearing. Traditional, experienced hearing aid users, typically agree there is no comparison, it’s just amazingly natural.
The Invisible Hearing Clinic was one of the first to dispense the original Lyric in the UK. This gives us a peerless level of experience, the “Invizear” difference to ensure that your Lyric fitting is the very best that it can be. Lyric has continued to develop over the years and we are proud to have been part of that. Lyric 3 now offers an even more outstanding hearing experience. Why not take advantage of this wonderful festive opportunity to come along and find out more?
How to Get Involved
The Open day is an ideal opportunity to come in and talk to us informally about the wide range of services that we offer. These could be potentially life-changing for you. Our own team will be on hand to outline the “human” services for hearing, tinnitus or dementia support. In addition, we will also have the support of a variety of experts. They will be on hand to demonstrate some of the products we use and their benefits.
It will be a very busy day, so it does make sense to book a time slot. We can then guarantee the time to discuss your individual needs. In keeping with its informality and the festive spirit, you are still welcome to drop in for a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine at your leisure. To reserve your place call us on 0141 226 2268.
Audiologist of The Year 2019
October saw the announcement of The Audiologist of the Year and Invizear’s Clinical Director Alan Hopkirk was delighted to receive a commendation. It is a great honour to be named amongst just a handful of elite audiologists to be acknowledged in this way throughout the UK.
The award, nominated solely by patients, is for audiologists who deliver exceptional service and support. Alan, who has always fostered a close relationship with his patients commented:
“Obviously we couldn’t have achieved this recognition without the submissions from our patients and it is genuinely humbling to receive this commendation. It is also a reflection of the support and interaction of our whole team, and I’m pleased to share this accolade with Michael, Roberta and Caitlin who continue to support me in delivering the “Invizear” difference.
Alan wishes to thank those patients who took the time and effort to nominate him for the award. He also extends his sincere congratulations to Aston Hearing’s Paula Cook who was awarded UK Audiologist of The Year and subsequently also the title of European Audiologist of the Year, which is quite an accolade.
Tinnitus Support Group Meeting
Tuesday, November 26th saw the final 2019 meeting of the BTA Glasgow and West of Scotland Tinnitus Support Group. We were pleased to host a vibrant meeting with several new visitors.
A new addition to November’s meeting was the ten-minute “Masterclass” on one aspect of tinnitus which is aimed to increase our attendees’ knowledge on the subject of tinnitus and hyperacusis. The subject of the “Masterclass” at November’s meeting was What Does Tinnitus Sound Like? This gave our attendees the opportunity to share their own tinnitus story and this made for an engaging and sometimes amusing session. Take a look at the video below to see a small part of the session.
The dates for the 2020 Support Group Meetings are as follows:
Wednesday 29th January 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Tuesday 10th March 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Wednesday 6th May 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Tuesday 28th July 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Wednesday 23rd September 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Tuesday 28th November 2020 – 6:00 for 6:30 pm (8:30 pm finish)
Please note that these dates are provisional and are subject to confirmation. Dates will be confirmed via the BTA website, our own BTA Support Group page and the BTA Glasgow Support Group Facebook Page closer to the meeting date.
Alzheimer Scotland Lecture
The Invisible Hearing Clinic attended and exhibited at The Professor John Starr Winter Lecture at The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs on 2nd December. Here Professor Ian Deary (OBE) delivered a compelling lecture explaining why some people’s brains and bodies age quicker than others.
The lecture explored the impact of the Lothian Birth Cohorts (LBCs) of 1921 and 1936. This group of individuals have given us vital information on how and why our cognitive functions change between childhood and older age. Additionally, the survey looks at changes in those between 70 and 90 years old. The studies based in the wider Edinburgh area followed up the Scottish Mental Studies of 1932 and 1947.
Whilst the lecture focused on the importance of adopting healthy habits from an early age, Alan was pleased that Professor Deary also included the importance of maintaining healthy hearing as an important factor in delaying cognitive decline. For him, the opportunity of making new contacts was invaluable since The Invisible Hearing Clinic will be looking to providing services specifically aimed at Dementia Patients in the new year.
More and more studies are evidencing the link between even subtle hearing loss and conditions such as social isolation, depression, cognitive decline and even dementia. Another example would be from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore indicating that even a mild (untreated) hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia. The situation is much worse for a severe hearing loss where the risk is five times that of a person with normal (or treated) hearing. Our attendance at the event was to promote the clear message that taking early action on changes in your hearing helps to maintain a good quality of life and slow down the presentation of cognitive decline.
Following previous attendance at Alzheimer Scotland roadshows, getting the facts about dementia, Alan and Michael pose with their certificates as Dementia Friends from their seminar on Saturday 21st September. They are also Alzheimer UK Dementia Friends following attendance in 2018. The September event updated them on the awareness of those living with dementia. Alan also raised the often overlooked connection between dementia and untreated hearing loss. This resonated with the carers and family members of those living with dementia within the workshop.
It’s challenging to be diagnosed with dementia, and the symptoms of hearing loss and dementia are often indistinguishable. Hearing loss is often wrongly diagnosed as dementia and goes unaddressed. An important and easy first step is to arrange a hearing test and more importantly to take action if there is any deterioration found. It is often too late to do this effectively when the condition significantly progresses. The benefit that early intervention provides both to the individual and their carers cannot be overstated.
To find out how The Invisible Hearing Clinic can help if you or someone dear to you are living with Dementia call us on 0141 226 2268 or email us to find out how we can help.
THIS 2020
A Date for Your Diary
THIS 2020 (Tinnitus and Hearing Information Show) will take place on Saturday 8th February. The event will be held in Central Glasgow at the end of Tinnitus Week. This year the ticketed event will have a slightly different format from previous THIS events and will include some interactive workshops or seminars with our special guest presenters.
THIS 2020 will feature TWO stellar guests. Our old friend and 2018 headliner Dr James Jackson from Leeds Trinty University is Joined by David Stockdale, CEO of The British Tinnitus Association (BTA). Their joint experiences of tinnitus and tinnitus treatments will add greatly to this prestigious event. They will be joined by additional guests from various disciplines and backgrounds to provide a thorough and well-rounded event.
The focus of THIS 2020 will be on:
Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
Healthy Hearing and Hearing Protection
Cognitive Decline and Dementia
The evidence is clear that healthy hearing contributes to a healthy brain (and the evidence is there!). A holistic application can improve the quality of your life in so many ways. Hearing aids are an important aspect of this but it is also about understanding coping strategies and integrating the benefits of new technology. In this way, we can help our patients to make the most of all of these components, helping to maintain and enhance the quality of life for themselves and their loved ones.
Please look out for further bulletins on THIS 2020 and the imminent launch of the event together with ticketing arrangement
Our Holiday Message
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our Invizear Winter Newsletter and would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our patients and friends a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year.
