Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
The Nassau Guardian - www.thenassauguardian.com
The Rotary Club of East Nassau recently presented thirty hearing impaired children throughout the Bahamas with new hearing aids and hearing aid replacements. As the children gathered in Doctors Hospital's conference rooms to be fitted with molds for their new hearing aids, or replacement hearing aids, the excitement could be felt in the air.
The children, from Nassau, Andros, Abaco, Freeport and Eleuthera, enjoyed a day of fun and play, complete with clowns, face painting, games and balloons as Audiologist, Kim Scriven, and visiting Audiologist, Dr Ronald Jones, who traveled to the Bahamas at his own expense, to render assistance, adjusted the new hearing devices to fit each child's specification. Dr Ronald Jones who is also a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the Department of Allied Health, Norfolk, Virginia, also presented a public lecture on "Current Theories And Practices In Teaching Reading And Writing To Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing" to the parents and attending teachers from The Centre For The Deaf.
Ranging in ages from 2 to 14 years, the children, many of whom had never had a hearing aid ,showed wonder on their faces as they heard certain sounds and voices for the first time.
According to statistics, one in seven school-age children have a measurable hearing loss in one or both ears , and 37% of children with only minimal hearing loss will fail at least one grade.
There is, therefore, a tremendous need for children to have their hearing checked early in life to prevent social and emotional difficulties. The good news is that if a hearing impairment is detected, it can often be relieved with hearing aids.
But while some families can afford hundreds of dollars for hearing aids for their children, there are many Bahamian families for whom purchasing this expensive necessity is a real hardship. The donation of hearing aids worth thirty thousand dollars by the Rotary Club of East Nassau was a blessing to the children. The combined effort of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, Doctors Hospital, Ms Scriven and Mr Jones was to help ensure that each child in the Bahamas - whatever their economic circumstances - has an equal chance to grow up hearing and participating in the world around them. As Dr Jones spoke to parents and educators, he encouraged them to regularly test children's hearing, especially if they exhibit symptoms of hearing loss, or don't demonstrate age-appropriate communication behaviors; and take steps to eliminate or mitigate sustained loud noises that can harm a child's hearing throughout childhood and help hearing children understand and accept kids who wear hearing aids.
It is also important to note that hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper fit and ability to adapt to amplification.
The Rotary Club of East Nassau recently presented thirty hearing impaired children throughout the Bahamas with new hearing aids and hearing aid replacements. As the children gathered in Doctors Hospital's conference rooms to be fitted with molds for their new hearing aids, or replacement hearing aids, the excitement could be felt in the air.
The children, from Nassau, Andros, Abaco, Freeport and Eleuthera, enjoyed a day of fun and play, complete with clowns, face painting, games and balloons as Audiologist, Kim Scriven, and visiting Audiologist, Dr Ronald Jones, who traveled to the Bahamas at his own expense, to render assistance, adjusted the new hearing devices to fit each child's specification. Dr Ronald Jones who is also a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the Department of Allied Health, Norfolk, Virginia, also presented a public lecture on "Current Theories And Practices In Teaching Reading And Writing To Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing" to the parents and attending teachers from The Centre For The Deaf.
Ranging in ages from 2 to 14 years, the children, many of whom had never had a hearing aid ,showed wonder on their faces as they heard certain sounds and voices for the first time.
According to statistics, one in seven school-age children have a measurable hearing loss in one or both ears , and 37% of children with only minimal hearing loss will fail at least one grade.
There is, therefore, a tremendous need for children to have their hearing checked early in life to prevent social and emotional difficulties. The good news is that if a hearing impairment is detected, it can often be relieved with hearing aids.
But while some families can afford hundreds of dollars for hearing aids for their children, there are many Bahamian families for whom purchasing this expensive necessity is a real hardship. The donation of hearing aids worth thirty thousand dollars by the Rotary Club of East Nassau was a blessing to the children. The combined effort of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, Doctors Hospital, Ms Scriven and Mr Jones was to help ensure that each child in the Bahamas - whatever their economic circumstances - has an equal chance to grow up hearing and participating in the world around them. As Dr Jones spoke to parents and educators, he encouraged them to regularly test children's hearing, especially if they exhibit symptoms of hearing loss, or don't demonstrate age-appropriate communication behaviors; and take steps to eliminate or mitigate sustained loud noises that can harm a child's hearing throughout childhood and help hearing children understand and accept kids who wear hearing aids.
It is also important to note that hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper fit and ability to adapt to amplification.