SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, an RIDBC service Newsletter: Gladesville, Australian Hearing Hub,
Newcastle, Canberra, Gosford, Lismore, Port Macquarie, Penrith, Darwin, North Rocks.
November 2014
Congratulations and Welcome to the
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program
Charlie playing.
All the babies: Dale, Hunter, Lilly, Charlie, Theo.
In an exciting first for the new SCIC
Cochlear Implant Program, an RIDBC
service, the first ‘switch-ons’ in the
integrated service model have been
managed through the SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program’s western Sydney
centre at Penrith.
With five children from the area who are
profoundly deaf joining the program in
June-July 2014, the new model has been
established at the Penrith centre and
RIDBC’s wonderful facility at Nepean,
giving families the choice of selecting all
or some of the services available.
As the candidacy period for families
can be a very anxious time as they
come to terms with the realities of
having a hearing impaired child and
try to understand the complexities of
the cochlear implant option for them,
the families formed a close group and
provided great support to one another.
Since then Charlie, Hunter, Dale and
Theo have all been bilaterally implanted
by Assoc. Professor Catherine Birman at
CHW. Lilly, the only little girl in the group,
and her family are eagerly awaiting
confirmation of her surgery date.
All four little boys have had a successful
‘switch-on’ and they appear to be enjoying
hearing the many sounds of the world.
The success of the program is a tribute
to the expertise, professionalism
and goodwill of all involved so we
congratulate and thank the staff at our
Penrith hub: Sarah Love - audiologist
Lisa and Rod watching Dale’s first reactions to sound.
and Centre Manager, Erika Haglundaudiologist, Moira Hickman – early
intervention consultant, Cecile Gray
– Family Counsellor, Andrea Gibbons
– habilitationist, Catherine Warren
– administration, along with Melissa
Sangalang - RIDBC Nepean Director,
Lynne Richards - early intervention
consultant, Michelle Milnes – RIDBC’s
Head of Early Childhood Services,
and all other staff members who have
contributed to this initiative.
continued overleaf
SCIC PO Box 188 GLADESVILLE NSW 1675
Bldg 39 Old Gladesville Hospital via Punt Road GLADESVILLE
T 02 9844 6800 F 02 9844 6811 E scicadmin@scic.nsw.gov.au www.scic.org.au
Newcastle 710 Hunter Street NEWCASTLE WEST NSW T 02 4926 8100
Canberra 10 Rudd Street CANBERRA NSW T 02 6248 6492
Central Coast Ground Floor, 40 Mann Street GOSFORD NSW T 02 4324 2110
Lismore Suite 10A Conway Plaza, 21 Conway Street LISMORE NSW T 02 6622 5593
Port Macquarie Shop 11, 146-150 Gordon Street PORT MACQUARIE NSW T 1300 658 981
Penrith Suite 5A, 119-121 Lethbridge Street PENRITH NSW T 1300 658 981
Darwin Ground Floor Stage, 13-17 Scaturchio Street CASUARINA NT 0810 T 1300 658 981
North Rocks Watsons House, 361-365 North Rocks Road, North Rocks NSW 2151 T 1300 658 981
cover story continued
By all reports the service established
at Penrith and Nepean has had a
great start. For Charlie, Hunter, Dale
and Theo, the services that the SCIC
Cochlear Implant Program is able to
provide for them will be life changing
and we would like to thank our many
donors for their generous support
of the program over the years.
Without you it would not have been
possible to be where we are today.
We encourage our readers to make
a donation to the SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program to ensure we are
always able to help the children and
adults who need our services.
A sausage sizzle is planned to
celebrate the beginning of this
wonderful journey for all five families
once Lilly has had her surgery and
been ‘switch-on’.
Baby Hunter playing.
From the Chief
Executive’s
Desk…
I mentioned in the June Stay Tuned
that discussions were being finalised to
merger of SCIC with RIDBC.
Effective from 1 July, SCIC is now part
of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind
Children RIDBC, forming Australia’s
largest service provider for the deaf and
vision impaired.
The two organisations bring together
a vast range of services for the benefit
of hearing impaired children and adults.
I’m pleased to say that our recipients
will see very little change and continue
to receive the same first class cochlear
implant care as part of a comprehensive
program tailored to meet their individual
needs and stage of life.
The merger is official recognition of
the many years of collegial activities
between the two organisations. Plans
are in place to establish a full range of
services at each SCIC Cochlear Implant
Program/RIDBC centre to improve
convenience and accessibility for all
of our clients:adults and children alike.
Exciting and very busy times ahead!
Our Northern Territory service has
been integrated with RIDBC providing
Territorians with a comprehensive local
hearing and habilitation service.
Work has been completed on our
expanded Newcastle Centre, effectively
doubling its size. Many thanks go to
Carmel Ramsey, our Newcastle Manager
and her long suffering staff for assisting
and putting up with months of dust
and inconvenience whilst the work
was completed. I’m sure our Newcastle
clients think it’s been worthwhile.
Exciting news for our Canberra team as
well. Plans are under way to re-locate
into much bigger premises which will
also be integrated with RIDBC services,
consistent with our aim of providing
a “one stop shop” for all of our clients.
Watch this space for an update in next
edition of Stay Tuned.
Jacqui Wilson, our audiologist and
centre manager at Lismore has resigned
to spend more time with her family. We
will certainly miss her and thank her for
the enormous time and effort she has
spent in establishing the Lismore centre.
A new audiologist is being sought to
take Jacqui’s place.
There has been much press about the
federal government’s plans to “sell off”
Australian Hearing. The potential impact of
these plans is of great interest to the SCIC
Cochlear Implant Program and of course
many Australians. We will be following the
progress of the sale and outcomes closely.
The ever increasing demand for our
services and our desire to improve
accessibility means our costs are forever
increasing. We need your support to
ensure we can meet these challenges.
Donations can be made using the form
on the back of this edition of Stay
Tuned, by calling 1300 658 981 directly
or online at www.scic.org.au.
With best wishes,
Robert McLeod
Chief Executive Officer
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program
Thanks SCIC Newcastle
Above: Dales switch-on team (Erika & Moira).
Middle: Charlie at one of his first MAPping
appointments. Below: Theo, Erika and Emma
post switch on.
Thanks SCIC
Newcastle, for
putting a smile
on Oliver’s
face when
he received
the loaner
processor you
sent him when
his stopped
working!
Thinking of
making a
Bequest?
Let me introduce
you to Noah.
Above: The Parramore family attended the Official
launch. Right: The Hon Jillian Skinner, Minister for
Health with SCIC/RIDBC clients and staff.
Minister Officially Launches the
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program,
an RIDBC service.
The Hon. Jillian Skinner MP, Minister
for Health, and Minister for Medical
Research, officially launched a merger
between Sydney Cochlear Implant
Centre (SCIC) and Royal Institute for
Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) on
Monday 25 August, as part of Hearing
Awareness Week.
“As Health Minister, I have been blessed
to see a cochlear implant switched on
and to witness the joy felt by a mother
when a child hears her voice for the first
time,” Mrs Skinner said.
The merger ensures more services are
delivered to more Australians than
ever before, giving us a greater ability
to provide the highest level of support
at every stage of the cochlear implant
journey.
Mrs Skinner used the event to announce
funding for 12 cochlear implants for
adults at Westmead Hospital. Another
10 will be provided through the Sydney
Children’s Hospital Network.
For more information visit
www.scic.org.au
Noah was born with a progressive
hearing loss and received a cochlear
implant through the SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program, an RIDBC service, in
2013.
Noah now loves hearing sounds so
much he won’t let his Mum take the
speech processor off before bed - she
has to sneak in and remove it after he is
asleep.
He is at regular school and loves it! He
is learning to read and wears his “clever
pants” (school uniform) every day. Noah
is part of the hearing world!
“If I take this off I can’t hear you”
Noah featured recently on Sunday –
Channel 7
The SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, an
RIDBC service, creates Australia’s largest
and most comprehensive cochlear
implant program.
It brings together two great Australian
charities to deliver life changing cochlear
implant technology to children and adults
with hearing loss across the country.
Wilfred Won’t
Miss Out Now!
We are so pleased that Wilfred
Lawrence, a recipient from our
Canberra centre, is able to enjoy the
sound of his new grandson Alexander,
now that he has had his implant
‘switched-on’ and is doing well.
Your Bequest to the SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program will make it possible
for more children like Noah to don
their ‘clever pants’ and look forward to
a bright future in the hearing world.
For more information on leaving a
Bequest to the SCIC Cochlear Implant
Program, contact the Development Office.
T 1300 658 981
F: (02) 9844 6811
E scicadmin@scic.org.au
www.scic.org.au
SCIC Newcastle
Supporting
Indigenous Health
Awabakal Ltd. Newcastle Aboriginal
Cooperative recently created a healthy
hearing ambassador named L’il Mike,
a cute, animated character who raps
about ear health.
Lil Mike is the brainchild of SCIC
Cochlear Implant Program surgeon A/
Professor Kelvin Kong and Awabakal
and was launched to coincide with
Hearing Awareness Week.
The aim of L’il Mike is to engage and
empower Aboriginal kids and their
families to take care of their ears and
to create awareness amongst clinicians
about checking kids’ ears. Aboriginal
people are ten times more likely to suffer
from ear disease and hearing loss than
the rest of the Australian population. This
can have devastating long-term effects
upon educational outcomes, social
interaction and job prospects.
Central to the L’il Mike campaign is a
unique screening tool which anyone
can use. The tool helps check kids’
ear health and informs families about
recognising symptoms of poor ear
health. L’il Mike is part of a holistic
approach to Aboriginal health which
Awabakal Ltd. applies through its
primary and preventative health
services.
You can view ’Listen up’ and ‘Boom’ on
the Awabakal website
www.awabakal.org/lil-mike
They are wonderful!
“Aboriginal ear health is
currently at fourth world
status, not second, not third
but fourth world status”
Associate Professor Kelvin Kong
Above: Professor Bill Gibson has performed
over 2,000 individual cochlear implant
surgeries during his 30 years at SCIC.
Left: A much younger Bill Gibson watches a
‘prom stim’ with Dr Chris Game in 1984.
The Baton Changes Hands
Monday, 25 August 2014 marked the
end of an era when Professor William
(Bill) Gibson AM announced that he
was stepping down as SCIC Director
and that Associate Professor Catherine
Birman would take up the position of
Medical Director of the newly merged
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, an
RIDBC service.
Professor Gibson affectionately
known by everyone as “Prof” made his
pronouncement at the official launch of
the new service that was attended by
The Hon Jillian Skinner, NSW Minister for
Health. The merger of SCIC and RIDBC
will form Australia’s largest cochlear
implant program.
Prof commenced what is now SCIC, in
1984 with the vision of helping children
and adults for whom hearing aids
were not providing access to sound.
Under his stewardship and guidance
SCIC, has grown from one small centre
performing eight surgeries in 1984/85
to a network of eight regional centres
providing cochlear implant surgeries for
396 people in 2013/14. SCIC now offers
cochlear implant and related services for
over 4000 clients from seventeen sites
around Australia.
and in 1995 he became a member of
the Order of Australia in recognition
of his contribution to the deaf and
hearing impaired. Whilst “Prof” has
officially announced his retirement he
intends to continue on with his research
studies, particularly relating to Meniere’s
disease and will also continue to provide
guidance and counsel for SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program.
In between spending time with his
family and on his many interests
including his boat, which for some
strange reason is called “Mad Wax”, we
look forward to having him still be very
much a part of our team. Enjoy your
extra leisure time Prof, you certainly
deserve it.
Considered the pre-eminent cochlear
implant surgeon in the world, Prof
has contributed enormously to the
development and acceptance of cochlear
implants for deaf children and adults.
During his 30 years with SCIC he has
done over 2,000 individual surgeries
Above: SCIC staff celebrate Prof Gibson’s recent
70th birthday. Below: Prof Bill Gibson with Holly,
who was SCIC’s first paediatric recipient in 1987.
Welcome to Associate
Professor Catherine Birman
as Medical Director
An Interview with A/Prof
Catherine Birman.
“Prof Bill Gibson created SCIC in 1984
as a charitable organisation dedicated
to providing the best hearing outcomes
for people with cochlear implants
and implantable devices. Since then
it has grown to over 3500 recipients
with more than 50 employees and 8
surgeons” A/Prof Birman said.
Professor Bill Gibson, SCIC founding
Director has handed the role of
Medical Director to Associate Professor
Catherine Birman.
After completing ENT (ear, nose,
throat) specialist training A/Prof Birman
underwent a fellowship in cochlear
implantation and paediatric ENT, joining
Prof Gibson and the SCIC program in
1998 as a cochlear implant surgeon.
A/Prof Birman sees both adult and
paediatric cochlear implant patients at
SCIC and is one of the most experienced
cochlear implant surgeons in Australia.
She is a Clinical Associate Professor
with the University of Sydney lecturing
for the Diploma in Child Health and
a Conjoint Professor with Macquarie
University’s Master of Audiology.
She is regularly invited to present
both nationally and internationally
on cochlear implant and implantable
devices outcomes and surgery.
A/Prof Birman’s service roles include
President and Vice President of the
NSW branch of the Australian Society
of Otolaryngology Head and Neck
Surgery, Secretary of the A& NZ Society
of Paediatric Otolaryngology, Head
of Department at both Hornsby and
the Sydney Adventist Hospital. She
is a member of the Medical Advisory
Committee at Macquarie University
Hospital and has worked on a number
of committees for improved cochlear
implant patient outcomes and guidelines.
She is a Graduate of the Australian
Institute of Company Directors and a
member of the Board of Royal Institute
for Deaf and Blind Children RIDBC.
Will you make a regular gift so that
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program can
provide crucial services for all hearing
impaired children and adults?
To arrange your regular donation
please use the form on the back page
of this Newsletter.
To continue providing the very best
outcomes for cochlear implant
recipients, from babies to the elderly,
A/Prof Birman stressed the importance
of SCIC retaining core values of
communication, integrity, technological
innovation and respect.
“Going forward, I would like to build
on this vision, reaching out to even
more people with hearing loss while
continuing to support our recipients
as technology keeps improving and
indications keep expanding,” she said.
A/Prof Birman emphasises the
importance of respecting each patient
with hearing loss, recipients, their
families, SCIC colleagues and other
programs that are part of each person’s
hearing journey.
“Ensuring the right diagnoses, optimised
technology and the best evidence
based care is available for recipients
are all very important. Also harnessing
technological advances, both through
cochlear implants and implantable
devices, along with the delivery of
services including remote mapping
and live stream video conferencing for
teaching and habilitation will ensure
best outcomes,” she said, reiterating
that “we need to always provide good
communication for our recipients and
maintain clear communicating with
colleagues and other organisations if we
are to expect good outcomes.”
“I am delighted to have been part of
SCIC’s first 30 years and look forward to
a strong future providing the best care
for people with hearing impairment,” she
concluded.
A New Addition to
the Johnston family
“In 2012 I was delighted to be invited
to the wedding of two of SCIC
Canberra clients – Steph Johnston and
Angus Johnston.
Angus & Stephanie first met on a
train bound for Deaf Camp in Sydney
in 2003 and became good friends,
corresponding for a couple of years
before losing touch. Angus moved
from Bega to Canberra to complete his
carpentry apprenticeship in 2007 where
he met up with Steph again. By 2008
romance had blossomed and they
became engaged in 2011.
I have been Steph’s audiologist for most
of her life - firstly at Australian Hearing
and now at SCIC. Steph received her
implant in late 2009 and was switched on
in January 2010. She has since completed
her Bachelor of Education-Primary
Education in Canberra. Angus was
one of Prof Gibson’s original paediatric
clients receiving his first implant in 1989.
He was re-implanted in 2010.
Steph and Angus became the proud
parents of Matilda in June this year and as
an aside, Matilda passed her SWISH testing
soon after birth so we will only be seeing
her if she comes in with mum or dad.”
Anne-Marie Oorloff, SCIC Canberra audiologist
Gatherings at Gladesville
Introducing
Anne-Marie
Oorloff
Anne-Marie (formerly Crowe) is an
audiologist and the Manager of SCIC
Cochlear Implant Program, Canberra.
On the 1 October 2014 she married Ivor
Oorloff on what was a very happy and
picture perfect wedding day.
Congratulations and best wishes to you
both from the whole SCIC family.
It was great to see all the young
adult recipients who came along to
the recent young adults gathering
at Gladesville. These events are
coordinate by SCIC staff Rachel Attard
and Samantha Stevens.
They offer a perfect opportunity
for recipients who are transitioning
from school into further study and
employment to share experiences and
get practical advice from clinicians.
Contact Rachel on Rachel.attard@
scic.org.au if you would like to receive
information about future activities.
Thank You
The new reception area at SCIC Newcastle.
Bigger and
Better at
Newcastle
Thanks to the continuing generosity
of our donors, Newcastle clients will
notice a big change when visiting the
centre next.
The centre has been expanded and a
new fit-out undertaken to give staff and
clients a more comfortable environment
when having mapping and habilitation
sessions.
Many thanks to Jessica and Mark from
Gladesville CBA, for coming to our
Gladesville centre and presenting a
cheque for $10,000 from their staff
initiated Community Grants Program.
Carmel Ramsay, audiologist and Centre
Manager is delighted with the results.
This substantial grant from the CBA staff
fundraising initiatives will help subsidise
the Outreach Program.
“It’s such an improvement for everyone,”
she said. “Now we can comfortably
accommodate the increasing number
of people with hearing loss in the
Hunter region who are wanting to
access our services here in Newcastle.”
More than 80 children with hearing
impairment live in rural NSW and access
the Outreach Program. They obtain
help ranging from post-operative devise
tuning (mapping), lessons in learning
how to optimise device use and trouble
shooting. The program also supports
parents in working with their children for
best outcomes.
Another important aspect of the
Outreach Program is the education
of teachers and other health related
personnel who work with children who
have cochlear implants to facilitate
them in attending mainstream schooling
and gaining the potential for meaningful
employment.
A very sincere thanks to the staff of
the CBA for generously fundraising to
support charities throughout Australia.
SCIC Research:
Important
information
From:
Lyn & Sue
Swimming with your sound
processor
1. The Aqua+
Cochlear has launched the Aqua+
allowing recipients to enjoy underwater
activities while wearing their sound
processor. It is designed for the Nucleus
5 and Nucleus 6 sound processors. It
consists of a reusable silicone sleeve and
a special reusable Aqua+ coil. It must be
used with rechargeable batteries only.
The Aqua+ Accessory Kit costs $275.00.
Training the
Brain for
Listening
Putting your processor in the Dry&Store
each night will keep it working well.
Need parts
Keep spare parts at home so you can
make sure your processor works when
you need it most. Clients who pay for
their own parts can buy from:
Cochlear
Online:www.cochlear.com/au/onlinestore
Email: customerservice@cochlear.com
Phone: 1800 620 929.
MED-EL
Email: office@medel.com.au
Phone 1300 744 782.
Australian Hearing
Supplies CI parts from the Cochlear
Implant Call Centre for eligible clients –
those under 26 year or pensioners.
2.The Aqua Accessory
In addition to the Aqua+ Cochlear
has released the Aqua Accessory, a
clear plastic pouch with a zip lock seal
designed to hold a Nucleus 5, Nucleus
6 and Freedom BTE sound processor,
coil and coil cable. It must be used with
rechargeable batteries only.
The Aqua Accessory comes in a pack of
5 and costs $25.00.
Purchase the Aqua+ or Aqua
Accessory from Cochlear
Online:www.cochlear.com/au/onlinestore
Email: customerservice@cochlear.com
Phone: 1800 620 929.
Keep your sound
processor dry
Having fresh drying crystals is one of
the most important tips for keeping
your processor working well. The DRYBRIK II is especially recommended
for very sweaty people or very humid
environments. Change your Dry-Brik
every 2 months. Cedis Crystals are
another desiccant you can use. They
need to be replaced when they fade to
pale yellow/white.
Phone 1800 131 339.
You should make sure that you know
which type of processor you use and
the parts you require. You can still get
batteries and drying crystals for your
dry-aid kit from your local Australian
Hearing centre.
Around 50 people recently took
advantage of our Professional Seminar,
“Training the Brain for Listening” as
part of the SCIC Cochlear Implant
Program, Research Program.
An expert team consisting of:A/Prof Catherine McMahon –
Macquarie University
Kelly Miles – PhD Student –
Macquarie University
Leanne Babic –
SCIC Research and the HEARing CRC
Isabelle Boisvert - SCIC Research
Spoke about current knowledge of the
cognitive aspects of speech perception,
and whether if cognitive and/or
auditory training can be beneficial to
speech perception. It also looked at
current and future research directions
that could assist audiologists and
audiology practices in making informed
recommendations regarding brain
training for hearing impaired listeners.
The seminar was teleconferenced to
centres in Newcastle, Canberra, Lismore
and Penrith.
Dr Isabelle Boisvert.
Lost, stolen or strayed
sound processors
We know it is easy to lose a sound
processor and dogs love to chew them…
so please make sure your processor
is safe at all times. If you have to take
it off for some reason, please carry a
small container to keep it in and put it
somewhere safe.
If you are having trouble keeping the
device securely on your ear, use one of
the retention devices available to make
sure it is safe. There are several devices
you can try – ask your audiologist for
advice.
Presenters: Kelly Miles, Leanne Babic, Catherine
McMahon and Isabelle Boisvert
‘Like’ us @ SCIC (Sydney
Cochlear Implant Centre) to
find about what is happening
in the cochlear implant world.
Important Donor Information
In July SCIC merged with RIDBC
(Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind
Children) and from now on will be
known as SCIC Cochlear Implant
Program, an RIDBC service.
give you the opportunity to
advise us of your preference for
further fundraising activities.
The SCIC Cochlear Implant Program will
continue to fundraise independently to
support our 3,000 plus recipients.
If you would prefer that your
donor records not be shared,
please tick the box below and
return this coupon to SCIC either
by emailing to
barbara.howard@
scic.org.au or
by using the
enclosed prepaid
envelope.
As a supporter of the SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program we take your donor
privacy seriously and wish to advise you
of this change of circumstances and
Barbara Howard
Development
Manager
SCIC Cochlear
Implant Program
The two organisations bring together
a vast range of services for the benefit
of hearing impaired children and adults,
tailored to meet their individual needs
and stage of life.
Donations can be made online www.scic.org.au or phone 1300 658 981
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P: 02 9844 6800 F: 02 9844 6811
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www.scic.org.au
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NOV 2014