“Ear To The Ground"

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 16

“Ear To The Ground"

A man with his “ear to the ground”—on developments in aids for the deaf—is the officer in charge of the hear-ing-aid clinic at the Christchurch Hospital (Mr W. J. Eddy).

At present he is preparing for Deafness Week, to be held in Christchurch from September 16 to 20. This is being organised by the Christchurch and Rangiora branches of the New Zealand League for the Hard of Hearing. Mr Eddy is well informed on the wide range of hearing aids now available for deaf people. The transistor radio, he says, has brought a revolution in both the size and efficiency of aids.

To prove his point, Mr Eddy. has made a collection of old hearing aids which include a speaking tube, strangely-shaped ear-pieces (which acted much the same way as cupped hands at the ears), and a variety of bat-tery-operated sets including

clumsy earphones and cumbersome microphones. These contrast strangely with the modern, ear-level hearing aid which fits neatly behind the ear—and the battery for which is no larger than a man’s shirt button.

Many persons were not aware of what could be done to aid the deaf and combat deafness, said the secretary of the Christchurch branch of the Hard of Hearing League (Mr A. I. E. Pitt) yesterday. The object of Deafness Week was to make people aware of deafness, and what could be done about it. Free tests would be available in Beath’s Christchurch store.

Many persons were not aware that hearing aids were available free, Mr Pitt said He said his league carried out follow-up work with those issued with aids—and trained lip-readers were available for those who had progressive types of deafness, and industrial deafness.

Mr Eddy said a hearing aid which slipped into a person’s pocket, and costing $24. was available to persons medically approved as users of the aid under the Social Security system.

An ear-level type, the most expensive of which was $BO, was not fully paid for under Social Security, but was subsidised to the extent of $24. The prime purpose of the hearing-aid clinic was the issue of aids to persons referred by a doctor, Mr Eddy said. An audiometrist carried out tests and diagnostic testing was done for doctors throughout the North Canterbury Hospital Board’s area. Last year, 814 aids of various types were issued by the clinic, and 13,019 persons visited it. A total of 1442 diagnostic tests were made. The clinic is one of the few in New Zealand which carries out a complete maintenance system on hearing aids. The modern hearing aid incorporates a magnified loop pick-up which enables a deaf person to use it with a telephone. It can also be used for television and the radio. The photograph shows Mr Eddy using an old-style hearing aid. With him is Miss C. R. Brooker, who is wearing a later type of aid.