Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) adult patients living in the North Island will no longer have to travel to Christchurch for the majority of their pre- and post-implant care, thanks to a new collaboration with Life Unlimited to have a Hearing Therapist available in its Lower Hutt clinic.
From mid-October, Life Unlimited Hearing Therapist Linda Hatten will be on-site at the Queens Drive clinic part-time, catering for the 40% of our patients who live in the North Island. She will undertake adult pre-implant Rehabilitation assessments and post-implant Rehabilitation in these rooms, meaning patients will no longer have to travel to the South Island for this care. Surgery will still be carried out in Christchurch.
Neil Heslop, General Manager of the SCIP, says the addition of Hearing Therapy to services in the Lower Hutt clinic is a further commitment to North Island patients. “Adding Hearing Therapy provides a more complete service for adults in the North Island. Life Unlimited was the partner of choice because of their experience in the hearing sector and we look forward to working closely with them.”
Life Unlimited’s Hearing Therapy Services is a free national service to help people manage the impact of hearing loss on their lives. It is available to New Zealanders over the age of 16 years and can include help with hearing aids and other assistive devices, communication skills, managing tinnitus and information on funding for hearing equipment.
You can visit their website at www.lifeunlimited.net.nz/hearing for more details or to self-refer.