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Audiology | Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)

Public Service, Allied Health, Audiology

Today

Open today 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Description

Audiology is the study of hearing, balance, hearing disorders, and assisting individuals who have hearing loss.

Audiologists are healthcare professionals who identify hearing loss, fit and manage hearing aids and other assistive technology and provide support and guidance to individuals and their Whānau with hearing loss.

How do I access this service?

Anyone can access

Our main Audiology Clinic is based In Whangārei Hospital (Level 5).

We also have visiting clinics at Kaitaia Hospital (Outpatients) and Bay of Islands Hospital (Outpatients).

While we endeavour to book people into their nearest hospital there are some procedures that can only be completed at Whangārei Hospital due to equipment and resources required.

Referral Expectations

Audiology referrals are accepted from GPs, Ear Nose and Throat Surgeons, Paediatricians, Ear Nurse Specialists, and others in the community.

Paediatric Diagnostic and Habilitation Service

Referrals are accepted for children between 0 - 16 years of age. Adolescents between 16 and 21 years of age may be eligible provided they are in full time education. Please note that we do not currently provide assessment services relating to Auditory Processing Disorder.

Referrals for children & adolescents should detail:

· The level of concern regarding the child or young person’s hearing

· Current speech and language abilities and/or educational concerns

· Any family history of congenital or progressive permanent hearing loss

· Available new-born hearing screening and/or B4 school hearing screening outcomes

· Any history of significant head trauma or infectious illness (e.g. meningitis)

· The extent of any co-existing developmental, intellectual or physical disabilities

· Any other medical conditions that are known to be associated with hearing loss

· Other assistance required for appointment attendance e.g. interpreters, transport.

Acute Adult Hearing Tests

Referrals for individuals with suspected sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss should be made directly to Northland ENT team or a private Audiology clinic. These assessments are time critical.

Routine Adult Hearing Tests

Referrals are accepted for those who are preparing for or have recently undergone treatment using ototoxic agents, for example intravenous gentamicin or cisplatin chemotherapy. Please detail the agent being used and the start and end dates of the treatment in your referral.

Adult Hearing Aid Services

Whangārei Hospital (and satellite clinics in Kaitaia and Bay of Islands) offers a limited adult hearing aid service for eligible clients. We accept patients having confirmed severe to profound hearing loss in both ears and/or adult patients having dual disability (deaf/blind; intellectual/physical disability) regardless of level of hearing impairment.

Please detail the specific eligibility criteria that you're referring under, for example "A severe hearing loss in their better hearing ear", or "The person is living in a community home which is managed by a service provider contracted to Disability Support Services and has a hearing loss which together are impairing this person's ability to communicate safely and effectively."

Newborn hearing screening checks are performed to see if your baby hears well. All eligible babies can have Newborn Hearing Screening free of charge. If your baby has a hearing loss, finding it early will help their language, learning and social development.

This screening is carried out in both hospital and community settings. Check here for further information on newborn hearing screening in Northland.

Fees and Charges Description

Appointment Attendance

Appointment costs are funded by the tax-payer through the Ministry of Health.

Hearing Aids for Children

Children who are New Zealand Citizens or permanent residents, under 21 years of age and in full time education are eligible for hearing aid funding through the Ministry of Health Hearing Aid funding scheme. Further details regarding funding for children can be found here. Replacement batteries and some repairs can be arranged through Ko Taku Reo.

Hearing Aids for Adults

Adults who meet the above referral criteria may be eligible for hearing aid funding through the Ministry of Health Hearing Aid Funding Scheme.

Further details regarding funding for adults can be found here, including information regarding ACC funding and Veteran’s Affairs Funding.

Hours

Open today 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Mon – Fri	8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Procedures / Treatments

Auditory Brainstem Response Testing

An Auditory Brainstem Response test (ABR) evaluates how well the sounds travel along the hearing nerve pathways to the brainstem. An ABR may be recommended for a variety of reasons. It can be used to determine the integrity of the auditory pathway, or to estimate hearing thresholds in newborns, older children and adults who cannot perform reliably on a behavioural hearing test. Recording electrodes are placed onto the head and soft foam tips are inserted into the ear canals. While the patient is sleeping, quiet clicking sounds are delivered through the foam tips. Nerve responses elicited by the sound are picked up by the electrodes and then passed on to a computer to be recorded. The recordings are analysed to determine if they fall within normal limits. The results are then reported to the patient's GP or to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist if further medical evaluation is required. Depending on the age and compliance of the patient, an ABR may be performed either during natural sleep or, in rare cases, under general anaesthetic.

An Auditory Brainstem Response test (ABR) evaluates how well the sounds travel along the hearing nerve pathways to the brainstem. An ABR may be recommended for a variety of reasons. It can be used to determine the integrity of the auditory pathway, or to estimate hearing thresholds in newborns, older children and adults who cannot perform reliably on a behavioural hearing test.

Recording electrodes are placed onto the head and soft foam tips are inserted into the ear canals. While the patient is sleeping, quiet clicking sounds are delivered through the foam tips. Nerve responses elicited by the sound are picked up by the electrodes and then passed on to a computer to be recorded. The recordings are analysed to determine if they fall within normal limits. The results are then reported to the patient's GP or to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist if further medical evaluation is required.

Depending on the age and compliance of the patient, an ABR may be performed either during natural sleep or, in rare cases, under general anaesthetic.

Otoacoustic Emission Testing

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests. Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) testing measures the status of the inner ear (cochlea), specifically hair cell function. It is an objective test that can be used on patients of any age. The test can even be performed on sleeping babies because it does not rely on behavioural responses.

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests.

Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) testing measures the status of the inner ear (cochlea), specifically hair cell function. It is an objective test that can be used on patients of any age. The test can even be performed on sleeping babies because it does not rely on behavioural responses.

Play Audiometry

Service types: Audiology, Child audiology, Hearing tests. Appropriate for testing children from 30 months through to five years of age. Your child is conditioned to perform a play activity (e.g. dropping a block in a bucket) whenever they hear a sound. Once the child is conditioned, threshold of hearing can be determined by decreasing signal intensity. This test is usually performed under headphones to obtain ear- and frequency-specific information.

Service types: Audiology, Child audiology, Hearing tests.

Appropriate for testing children from 30 months through to five years of age.

Your child is conditioned to perform a play activity (e.g. dropping a block in a bucket) whenever they hear a sound. Once the child is conditioned, threshold of hearing can be determined by decreasing signal intensity. This test is usually performed under headphones to obtain ear- and frequency-specific information.

Pure Tone Audiometry

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests. Pure-tone Audiometry is a behavioural test used to determine hearing sensitivity and is conducted in a soundproof room. The test is performed using headphones and the patient is asked to respond each time they hear a sound. Pure-tone thresholds indicate the softest sound audible to an individual at least 50% of the time. Hearing sensitivity is plotted on an audiogram, which is a graph displaying intensity as a function of frequency.

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests.

Pure-tone Audiometry is a behavioural test used to determine hearing sensitivity and is conducted in a soundproof room. The test is performed using headphones and the patient is asked to respond each time they hear a sound. Pure-tone thresholds indicate the softest sound audible to an individual at least 50% of the time. Hearing sensitivity is plotted on an audiogram, which is a graph displaying intensity as a function of frequency.

Speech Testing

Service types: Audiology. Word recognition/speech discrimination tests the ability to hear correctly a set of words or sentences. You will be asked to repeat back what you heard at the different intensities.

Service types: Audiology.

Word recognition/speech discrimination tests the ability to hear correctly a set of words or sentences. You will be asked to repeat back what you heard at the different intensities.

Tympanometry and Acoustic Reflex Testing

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests. Tympanometry measures the function of the middle ear. A small soft probe is placed in the ear canal then the response of the ear drum to pressure changes is measured. Acoustic Reflex testing measures a reflex arc that goes between the middle ear and brainstem in the auditory system which is elicited by an intense stimulus. These tests do not directly assess hearing ability, but are interpreted in conjunction with other test results.

Service types: Audiology, Hearing tests.

Tympanometry measures the function of the middle ear. A small soft probe is placed in the ear canal then the response of the ear drum to pressure changes is measured.

Acoustic Reflex testing measures a reflex arc that goes between the middle ear and brainstem in the auditory system which is elicited by an intense stimulus. These tests do not directly assess hearing ability, but are interpreted in conjunction with other test results.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

Service types: Audiology, Child audiology, Hearing tests. Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) is a behavioural audiometric test obtained in a sound-proof room. This test is used for children between the ages of 6 months through to 2 1/2 years old. Your child is seated on your lap or at a small table in front of a calibrated loudspeaker, or wearing headphones. When a sound is presented, the infant's head-turn response toward the sound source is rewarded by activation of a puppet mounted near the loudspeaker. Your child's attention is then distracted back to the midline so that additional sounds can be presented. Any test performed through loudspeakers rather than headphones is called "sound field" audiometry and does not test each ear separately; rather, sound field audiometry yields an audiogram for the better-hearing ear if there happens to be an ear difference in hearing. However, if your child tolerates wearing earphones, then each ear can be assessed separately.

Service types: Audiology, Child audiology, Hearing tests.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) is a behavioural audiometric test obtained in a sound-proof room.

This test is used for children between the ages of 6 months through to 2 1/2 years old. Your child is seated on your lap or at a small table in front of a calibrated loudspeaker, or wearing headphones. When a sound is presented, the infant's head-turn response toward the sound source is rewarded by activation of a puppet mounted near the loudspeaker. Your child's attention is then distracted back to the midline so that additional sounds can be presented.

Any test performed through loudspeakers rather than headphones is called "sound field" audiometry and does not test each ear separately; rather, sound field audiometry yields an audiogram for the better-hearing ear if there happens to be an ear difference in hearing. However, if your child tolerates wearing earphones, then each ear can be assessed separately.

Parking

Patients, visitors and staff wishing to park on-site at Whangārei Hospital have to pay a parking fee, Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm.

The first one (1) hour is free for the public. Weekends and after 5pm during the week is also free. Motorbikes and bicycles can park for free every day.

There are more than 311 ‘public only’ car parks for the public. Of the 311 public car parks there are 33 accessible (disability) parks. The public car parks are highlighted on the map. The main public car park is accessed via Maunu Road (near the main hospital entrance).

There is no fee to drive into the hospital site and drop someone off, as long as you leave within one hour.

Public parking is well signposted. Reserved staff only car parks will have a large blue number painted in the bay. Please do not park in staff only bays.

Our Parking Administrator and the hospital security team are here to help. They will be patrolling the car parks and can also be found at the security desk adjacent to the main entrance. Call 0800 472 757 to contact the Parking Administrator.