Hearing is believing with new technology
New high-tech hearing aids will be available free of charge to eligible Australians following major changes to the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. The changes, planned to come into effect from October 1, include additional features on ‘behind the ear’ devices, including directional microphones and noise suppression capabilities.
In launching Australian Hearing’s Hearing Awareness Month in Sydney, the Minister for Human Services, the Hon Joe Hockey MP, said: “This represents a major advance for many Australians living with significant hearing loss.”
Hearing loss is already estimated to be the second most prevalent health condition in Australia, with about one in every five people over the age of 15 years experiencing some sort of hearing impairment. “There is no doubt we are moving into a rapidly developing era of new intelligent hearing aids,” said Minister Hockey.
“As the population ages, we need to use the very latest technology to help people overcome the problems associated with hearing loss – like social isolation and loss of independence.”
The changes to the Australian Government Hearing Services Program, recently announced by the Minister for Ageing, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, will improve the quality of life of many Australians, he said. Ms Gina Mavrias, Australian Hearing’s Operations Manager, said Australian Hearing had chosen to make the new high-tech devices available to its clients immediately, ahead of the October 1 industry start date. “This is a great outcome for clients of Australian Hearing,” she said. Ms Mavrias said the technological advances in audiology, hearing aids and rehabilitation expertise that exists at Australian Hearing are among the best in the world.
Australian Hearing recommends people over the age of 65 have their hearing checked every two years to ensure any hearing loss is identified early and the best treatment options and care provided.
“Australian Hearing is one of the largest and most comprehensive providers of hearing services in the world, and is an industry leader in hearing rehabilitation and counselling, acoustic research, hearing aid development, hearing preservation and community education.
An Australian Government agency, Australian Hearing provides subsidised hearing care to most veterans and pensioner concession cardholders.
Australian Hearing centres are located in all states and territories of Australia. For more information on the nearest centre visit www.hearing.com.au or call 131 797 to make an appointment.
New Aged-Care Development planned for Wahroonga
The State of NSW as Trustee for the John Williams Memorial Trust and the Department of Aging Disability and Home Care has sold a 22,900 square metre development site on Sydney’s upper north shore for $9.9 million.
The property, which is located at 35 Water Street and 64 Billyard Avenue, Wahroonga, is situated in a dress circle position, with a boundary to both Billyard Avenue and Water Street. It is subject to heritage order.
During the tender process, the property was highly contested by prestige residential developers and aged care providers alike, eventually selling to Waterbrook Lifestyle Resorts, who are planning a new retirement resort, incorporating the property’s
World Pain Congress
Researchers confirm key role of long acting paracetamol for arthritis. New data presented by Australian researchers at the World Pain Congress in Sydney this year show that most people with osteoarthritis will do just as well if they are prescribed a long-acting paracetamol compared to the most popular anti-inflammatory Cox-2 inhibitor.
Associate Professor Michael Yelland from Griffith University in Queensland presented data derived from 41 patients with osteoarthritis who completed Individualised Medication Effectiveness Tests (IMETs*) comparing modified release paracetamol (2X 665mg x three times daily) with the Cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib (200mg-400mg daily) within each individual. The results showed a similar overall response to each medication in four-fifths of the patients and a better overall response to celecoxib in one fifth of the patients. Side effects to each medication were very similar during the 12 weeks of treatment.
The study did not check long-term side effects but the results come on the heels of a year of controversy for the Cox-2 inhibitors, with a leading treatment (rofecoxib sold as Vioxx) withdrawn from the market in October 2004 and an ongoing debate about the safety profile of the wider class of medicines being triggered by new research that questions the cardiovascular risks of anti-inflammatory pain relievers.
According to Professor Ric Day**, who is a rheumatologist and clinical pharmacologist at the University of NSW and St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, the results confirm the Federal Health Department’s recent decision to subsidise sustained release paracetamol (sold as Panadol Osteo) for the first time on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
“Paracetamol is clearly first line treatment for mild to moderate osteoarthritis but compliance can be an issue given the dosing regime.
So having access to a modified release version that needs to be taken only three times a day gives us a useful new option,” said Professor Day.
Each Panadol Osteo caplet comprises a bi-layer formulation containing 31% immediate release paracetamol and 69% sustained release paracetamol. The first layer dissolves quickly to give effective initial relief, while the second layer gradually releases the paracetamol to give effective relief from pain for a longer time period than with regular paracetamol tablets.
* The IMETs use a novel design of swapping from one medication or placebo to another each fortnight, while monitoring levels of pain, stiffness and side effects. The patient is kept unaware of which medication they are taking until the end of the test so that bias about the response to each medication is reduced. This allows the patient and their doctor to make a well informed decision about the best medication to use.
** Professor Ric Day is a member of the GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare analgesics advisory panel. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare manufactures Panadol Osteo and have supported Assoc Prof Yelland’s research
East meets West in effort to prevent diabetes
University of Queensland researchers are using traditional Chinese exercises to combat the growing problem of diabetes.
In a study that is believed to be the first in the world to evaluate the effectiveness of Qigong and Tai Chi to combat the disease, PhD student Liu Xin has developed a series of exercises to reduce the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes.
The exercises target risk factors, including high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels, by focusing particularly on the kidneys, stomach and spleen.
Mr Liu, a Qigong and Tai Chi master, said diabetes was a disease that involved many different parts of the body.
“Clearly we should take into consideration the function of all internal organs when designing an intervention program,” he said.
The Diabetes Queensland Qigong Program, funded by the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, is being conducted at UQ`s School of Human Movement Studies by Mr Liu, project leader Professor Wendy Brown and researchers Dr Yvette Miller and Nicola Burton.
Mr Liu, who has studied Qigong and Tai Chi for more than 30 years, said the spiral movements of the designed exercises could stimulate the muscles more than conventional exercises and were also expected to consume more blood glucose.
Qigong (pronounced chi kung) is a combination of movement, breathing and the mind. It is believed that the 5000-year-old self-healing art helps cleanse the body of toxins, restore energy and reduce stress and anxiety.
Australia has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the developed world. An estimated 7.5 percent of adults aged 25 years and over have diabetes and a further 16 percent of adults are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
“We have created numerous medicines to combat diabetes but so far they have not stopped the growth in the prevalence of diabetes in society,” Mr Liu said.
Mr Liu's PhD supervisor, Dr Miller, said evidence showed that physical activity played a role in reducing the risk of diabetes.
“There are also some stress reduction properties. So there are many different stories pointing towards the potential of this type of exercise for diabetes,” Dr Miller said.
She said the findings of the study would provide one piece of the puzzle in an overall menu of options for people who needed to reduce their risk of diabetes.
“We know there is a segment of the population that doesn’t feel comfortable with high exertion activities so we are looking for an option that is effective for those kinds of people,” she said.
The researchers will begin clinical trials in August 2005 and are currently looking for volunteers who have been told by their doctor that they have elevated fasting blood glucose levels.
“We expect to see that the people who participate in the program will have improvements in insulin sensitivity,” Dr Miller said.
Health Minister urges Australians to ‘ask their pharmacist’
The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, has combined forces with The Pharmacy Guild of Australia to urge Australians to ‘Ask Your Pharmacist’.
Medicine mismanagement
Nearly one in five (19%) of Australian seniors (aged over 60 years or older) are hoarding out of date medicines in their home, creating a potential risk to their health or even their lives. Out of date medicines will not only lose their effectiveness; some can turn toxic once expired. With many seniors having reduced eyesight, the potential to mistakenly take this medication is seen as a real concern by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
Seniors take three times more medications than the average Australian. With one in three Australian seniors (nearly 1.3 million) taking four or more medications daily, including some taking more than 11 medicines a day, the potential of mixing up their medicines and making mistakes that could lead to adverse side effects is a real concern.
One in two Australian seniors (47%) do not know that Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflets are freely available from their pharmacist (see below). These printed out forms provide information about specific medicines to help address this danger.
What is Ask Your Pharmacist Week?
A national community awareness campaign aiming to educate the public about the important health services provided by community pharmacies and the vital role they play in their local areas, involving more than 4500 community pharmacies across Australia. The campaign focuses on drawing community attention to two important pharmacy services:
- Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) up-to-date and accurate written advice provided by pharmacists about prescription and pharmacy-only medicines. These fact sheets contain important information about the medicine and help patients make informed decisions about their medicine use and to manage their health better; and
- Home Medicines Review (HMR) the collaboration of the patient’s GP and community pharmacist to help people manage their medicines safely to ensure they are not inadvertently endangering their health. The GP refers the patient to their community pharmacist who then talks to that patient in their home about the storage, administering and organisation of medicines. A written report is provided to the GP who then discusses the recommendations with the patient.
Why is Asking Your Pharmacist important?
Consumer research shows one in four (more than four million) Australian adults are potentially putting themselves and/ or their families at risk of harm because they are not confident they are taking their medicines correctly.
There are 140,000 hospital admissions in Australia each year due to medicine mismanagement, costing the health system $350 million. Sixty-nine percent of these admissions could have been avoided if the person had utilised information available.
With an ageing population and increasing complexity of medication, Ask Your Pharmacist Week is an awareness campaign that aims to educate the public about important free health services provided by pharmacies in the community to help them manage their medicines better.