IAA is pleased to announce that Emma Quigley, audiology student at Flinders University is the recipient of the 2019 Judith Boswell Scholarship.

Emma's reflection on her clinical placement, assisted by the scholarship is as follows:

I feel very fortunate to have received the Judith Boswell Scholarship, which allowed me to take part in a rural placement. Block placements provide an opportunity to develop clinical skills through observation, discussion with professionals, and hands on experience, and I believe having the opportunity to experience this in a rural setting truly enhanced my learning. This was my first of two block placements for my degree. My placement consisted of time spent alongside audiologists at Australian Hearing as well as attending interprofessional education sessions and conducting school hearing screenings alongside other professionals through the University Department of Rural Health, both located within Broken Hill.

Upon arriving in Broken Hill I discovered that within rural settings often an audiologist’s role involves more than one specialty, covering both paediatric and complex client caseloads as well as requiring a solid understanding of different cultures within their community. As a student this was highly beneficial as it meant I was exposed to a wider range of clients all with differing needs.

I feel that through having placement in Broken hill I have become more open to working in a rural location, knowing both what a difference it makes to the lives of those who live in rural communities as well as the advantages it could have on my own learning as a professional. I was amazed at the cooperation between organisations within the community, in particular the measures put in place to provide access to services for those in smaller surrounding communities where often resources were limited.

Through the University Department of Rural Health, I was also able to meet and interact with students from other disciplines. This enhanced my understanding of the roles of other disciplines as well as being able to share with them our role as audiologists. Building this relationship between disciplines and learning how our roles overlap in a rural setting is important for ensuring each client gets the care they need through the correct referral pathways.

I would highly recommend rural placements for anyone looking to challenge themselves and expand their clinical skills. It is a chance to become more familiar with other cultures, new environments and to gain a better understanding about the barriers to accessing health services in a rural setting, of which I believe is an integral part of anyone’s professional development. I am therefore very grateful to Independent Audiologists Australia for their contribution which allowed me to be part of such an enriching experience.

Emma Quigley

1 November 2018

The Federal Court has ordered hearing aid retailers Oticon Australia Pty Ltd (Oticon) and Sonic Innovations Pty Ltd (Sonic) to pay penalties totalling $2.5 million for misleading pensioners through newspaper advertisements for hearing aids sold by AudioClinic and HearingLife clinics.

Oticon and Sonic admitted that the advertisements contained three false and misleading representations about hearing aids available to pensioners under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. The misleading representations were that:

• in order to obtain a free hearing aid pensioners had to book a free hearing test at an AudioClinic or HearingLife hearing clinic before the deadline in the advertisement, where there was no time limit;
• the free hearing aids included wireless technology that would allow users to connect them to digital devices like televisions and mobile phones, when in fact these were additional accessories which were sold separately at an extra cost; and
• any user of the advertised hearing aid would no longer miss any conversations, when in fact this may depend on a person’s individual circumstances and the nature of his or her hearing impairment.

“Many of the pensioners targeted by the advertisements were vulnerable due to their age and hearing loss. The misleading representations by Sonic and Oticon created a false sense of urgency for these consumers to book a hearing test and led them into a sales process based on incorrect information,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.

“This conduct is unacceptable particularly because it targeted vulnerable pensioners. The decision from the Federal Court sends a strong message to the hearing aid industry about the importance of ensuring all representations to consumers are accurate and not misleading.”

In addition to paying penalties of $2.5 million, the Court ordered by consent that Sonic and Oticon offer refunds to customers who purchased ConnectLine and SoundGate3 accessories, publish a corrective notice in a nationally circulated newspaper, and establish an Australian Consumer Law compliance program.

Background

The ACCC instituted proceedings against Sonic and Oticon on 6 September 2018: ACCC takes action against hearing aid retailers for misleading pensioners.

Oticon and Sonic, owned and operated by William Demant Holding A/S, operate over 200 hearing clinics across Australia, including under the AudioClinic, HearingLife, Western Hearing Services, and Adelaide Digital Hearing Solutions brands.

The misleading ads were published on 85 occasions in newspapers around Australia from June to November 2017 under the AudioClinic and HearingLife brands. Oticon and Sonic sold more than 10 000 of the advertised Oticon Ria2 and Sonic Cheer20 hearing aids.

Australian Government Hearing Services Program

Around 80 per cent of hearing aids supplied in Australia are provided under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (the Hearing Program).

The Hearing Program provides access to subsidised hearing services and devices to eligible persons, such as pensioner concession card holders, veterans, and defence force personnel. Vouchers can be used to obtain fully-subsidised hearing devices, or to cover some of the cost of partially-subsided hearing devices, with the consumer paying the remainder of the cost directly to hearing clinics.

The Hearing Program is administered by the Department of Health. Around 300 providers, including Oticon and Sonic, are accredited by the Department of Health to provide hearing devices to voucher holders under the Hearing Program.

Release number: 

220/18

In 2018 Independent Audiologists Australia was pleased to be able to offer the Dr Judith Boswell Scholarship for the first time. 

We are pleased to announce that Flinder University Master of Audiology student Sally Jane Walz was the inaugural winner of the Dr Judith Boswell Scholarship (2018). 

You can read Sally's reflection on her remote clinical placement here.

About Dr Judith Boswell

Dr Judith Boswell was a pioneering audiologist who was a long-standing member of Independent Audiologists Australia (IAA) and who had close ties to Flinders University. Judith operated her own audiology practice in the Adelaide area for many years, whilst at the same time continuing to work in remote Aboriginal communities to provide hearing services in appropriate and culturally sensitive ways. 

Over the course of her career, Judith gained an extensive specialist knowledge of working with remote communities, which she was generous in sharing with colleagues. Judith passed away in 2017, after a long illness.

What is the Dr Judith Boswell Scholarship?

Independent Audiologists Australia is offering a scholarship to a student at Flinders University to the value of $500.00 to help gain clinical experience in remote and regional Australia. This scholarship honours the work and commitment Judith showed for audiological services to remote and indigenous communities. The scholarship was first awarded in 2018 and it is anticipated that the scholarship will be offered on a yearly basis.

IAA Vice President Myriam Westcott is features in this article published in the May edition of The Monthly entitled When Sound Becomes Pain.  

Myriam is well known for her work in Tinnitus, Misophonia and Hyperacusis.

https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2018/may/1525096800/kate-cole-adams/when-sound-becomes-pain 

Longstanding IAA Members Peter Cichello and Tony Crittenden were recognised by Audiology Australia this year for their services to the profession.

Congratulations to both Peter and Tony.

IAA's annual report for the period ending 30 June 2017 is now available.

Access the report here.

Trent Zimmerman MP tabled the report resulting form the inquiry into the hearing health and wellbeing of Australians in parliament today.

The report lists 22 recommendations, including some key recommendations:

Recommendation 13: that the professions of audiology and audiometry be regulated under AHPRA

Recommendation 14: that children 0 - 5 yrs  receive services at Australian Hearing

Recommendation 16: that universal screening at school be coupled with a bulk billed direct access to a paediatric audiologist

Recommendation 22: that hearing loss be made a national health priorit

You can access the full report from the Committee's homepage.