PARTY TIME at the Tinnitus Group Thursday, 4 December 2014

CHESTERFIELD & NORTH DERBYSHIRE TINNITUS SUPPORT GROUP
34 Glumangate, Chesterfield, S40 1TX
Tel: 01246 380415
Philip Wheelhouse (Committee Member)
Email: mail@tinnitussupport.org.uk
Website: www.tinnitussupport.org.uk
Newsletter:- November/December 2014
Edited by Audrey Carlin
PARTY TIME at the Tinnitus Group
Thursday, 4th December 2014
to be held at FAIRPLAY 1.30 –3.30
(see flyer for further details)
Details of how to get
there
are
also
enclosed. Do come
along and join us for
a “happy” afternoon.
A short profile of each of our members
will be included in our next newsletter.
We’re so Happy!!
Thank you to everyone who voted for
the Tinnitus Support Group in the
Lloyds Bank Community Fund. We
have been awarded £3,000 – the top
amount. Three other voluntary groups
also
made
application
in
the
Chesterfield area, but with your
tremendous support, we achieved
52.1% of the votes. Thank you to
everyone
who
supported us.
within the NHS.
Donation
Thank
You
We thank
Chesterfield General
Charitable Fund for their generous
donation to our group of £1,000 which
is towards our next Conference to be
held in April 2015.
However, they are making decisions to
ensure there will be health care for us
in the future that will be of high quality.
Annual General Meeting – 17/9/14
Our AGM was well attended and below
is our newly elected committee.
Lindsay Knott (Chair)
Audrey Carlin (Secretary/Lay Counsellor)
Joanne Gordon (Treasurer/Co-ordinator)
Muriel Lascelles (Committee Member)
Joy Lunn (Committee Member)
1
After the AGM, Pam Purdue who is
Head
of
Engagement, North
Derbyshire
CCG
came along to talk
to us about some
of the changes
The Clinical Commissioning Group
(CCG) is a health organisation that
buys services on our behalf for
example from – Chesterfield Royal
Hospital, district nurses services,
health services, ambulance service.
They have to ensure that they make
the best use of the money available to
them and of course money is very tight
at the moment and will get worse.
It is predicted in 3 years’ time there will
be 3 million people in this country with
a long-term condition.
All the
conditions need support of health care
professionals and medication. They
do not have enough money now to pay
for everything they would like to
provide and in the future this will
reduce. Adding to the problems is the
fact that there are not enough people
trained to meet the demand – GPs,
nurses and other staff.
Pam informed the meeting that the
main causes of death are stress,
cancer and heart disease.
In 2012 public meetings were held
around the county to share the
challenges that are creating the need
for change. They listened to the views
of the public who gave them feedback
on the principles that should be used
to make the decisions about future
service changes.
Guiding Principles:
All services will be person-centred
Care will be provided flexibly
Assumptions will be challenged
People will be treated with dignity and
respect
They will plan and deliver services in
partnership
Healthy lifestyles will be promoted
GPs are the gateway into other
services
The public also told the NHS that
• We want to be discharged
from hospital quickly
• We want to be able to get an
appointment to see a GP
when we need to see one
• We want to be treated as
close to our home as
possible or in our own home
• We don’t want to go into
hospital
unless
it
is
absolutely necessary
• We want to come out of
hospital as soon as we’re fit
enough to do so
Pam went on to say that there
are opportunities to do things
differently, for example:
2
o Developments in technology eg
prescription monitors, use of
telephone landlines and apps
on mobile phones to measure
things like glucose levels
o Technology can remind you to
take your medication
o Blood glucose – take your blood
each morning, report the
outcome and someone is able
to maintain your condition
o Reduction in the size of medical
devices mean they can be used
outside hospital
o Dialysis machines – patients
used to go into hospital, now
this can be done in their own
home
o Developments in research to
improve patient care
They are working on the development
of care plans that will help people in a
way in which they wish to be
supported and one of the services they
may call upon is that of the voluntary
sector.
This is why we, at the Tinnitus Group,
thought it important to find out what the
NHS is planning for our future.
There will be more meetings soon to
inform us about what is likely to
happen so as a support group we
intend to go along to the meetings so
we can report back to you.
Meeting
with
Pete
Newby,
Development Worker for Voluntary
Sector Single Point (Vspa)
On the 9th October 2014, our newly
formed committee, met with Pete
Newby, who was unable to attend our
members’ meeting
September.
on
the
17th
Pete works for NDVA as the
Development Worker for vSPA which
covers North Derbyshire, Hardwick
and Erewash Commissioning Groups.
This was launched in June.
They have been commissioned to act
as an intermediary between the
voluntary sector and health and social
care.
It has been more difficult to engage
GPs and health professionals because
they do not know or understand what
the voluntary sector does and what it is
about.
The vSPA telephone helpline will take
referrals from health professionals,
social care professionals and the
voluntary sector.
Their role is to match up the needs of
patients who have been referred to
them via health professionals, social
care and voluntary sector who may be
able to help them. They look at all the
issues which could include advocacy
support, possibly befriending, social
support or possibly transport or
something specific like benefits
support. They will know from the
database the different services that are
appropriate.
The Tinnitus Support
Group is on their database.
They do not recommend, but rather
signpost people to organisations that
may be able to help them by selecting
what they feel is appropriate for their
needs.
Then they telephone the
3
voluntary sector and link the two
together.
Of course there may be
times when they are unable to find a
suitable support for the person
because the appropriate service
doesn’t exist in that area.
They are going to put together a
Needs and Gaps analysis for the CCG
informing them how many times they
have been asked for something they
cannot put together.
The committee asked various pertinent
questions about Vspa which Pete
answered.
******************************
The
Benefits
of Music
By Lindsay Knott
The benefits of music to help manage
tinnitus was one of the (many)
interesting and useful things I learnt
from attending the Workshops run by
our group earlier this year. One of my
happiest – and happiness-inducing
memories was Audrey bopping in her
chair along to ‘Happy’ by Pharrell
Williams.
So I was really looking forward to
listening to a programme on my local
radio station this morning (26th
October) billed as the ‘Nation’s Top
Ten songs that make people feel
better and happier’. As each song
came on, interspersed by news and
personal experiences of the effects of
music – I scribbled them down.
This is the result – in reverse order as
they say:
10: The End is Near by Frank Sinatra; 9:
The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley; 8:
Billy Jean by Michael Jackson; 7: Angels by
Robbie Williams; 6: Three Little Birds by
Bob Marley; 5: Let it Be by The Beatles; 4:
a song which I did not recognise but which
the presenter walked down the aisle to; 3:
Happy by Pharrell Williams; 2: Dancing
Queen by Abba and number 1: Queen's
Bohemian Rhapsody.
What do you think of this list? Do you
have your own favourite songs or other
types of music (or indeed sounds) that
you listen to if you aren’t feeling well or
are fed up, or stressed?
To be honest I was a bit disappointed;
they were a little downbeat for me (and
Audrey felt the same).
I looked on the internet and after quite
a search I discovered that A ComRes
survey for BBC local radio for Faith in
the World Week 2014, which is
exploring the healing power of music,
offered 1,000 people these 10 choices.
More than two-thirds of those polled
said they like listening to music when
they do not feel well and nearly nineout-of-ten agreed that listening to
music can make people feel better
when they are sick or facing difficult
times.
Nothing is ever quite what it seems –
Bohemian Rhapsody’s subject matter
is a man's confession to a murder.
And a previous poll in March 2009
which attracted thousands of listeners
as part of a 6 Music special, examining
the effect of music on peoples' moods
and the link between mental health
and music was topped by the Smiths ‘I
Know it’s All Over’ as the best song for
when people were ‘down in the
dumps’. On a more positive note, there
has also been recent radio coverage of
the benefits of hip hop music on
mental health.
4
It did get me thinking more though. I
have songs that ‘come to mind’ or that
I find myself singing without planning
to at certain times. These seem to be
in three categories : when I need
comforting it’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ by
REM or ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water‘
by Simon and Garfunkel; ‘Don’t Give
Up‘ by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush;
when I feel the need to be a bit
tougher it’s ‘I Will Survive by Gloria
Gaynor‘; and ‘Something Inside So
Strong’ by Labi Siffr and ‘Sisters are
doing it for themselves’ by the
Eurythmics; and when I just am - or
want to be - cheerful it’s ‘Dancing in
the Street’ by Martha and the
Vandellas, ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Berkley’,
‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnson or
many 1970’s disco music.
And two further important lessons for
myself in my day to day management
of my tinnitus: I need to actively listen
to more music but most of all, despite
my tinnitus I CAN STILL hear music in
all its variety and with all its benefits.
Why not share your favourite,
inspiring, cheering or comforting songs
(or other sounds) with other members
of the group – we could do our own
poll.
Lindsay Knott
*******************************
RESEARCH NEWS
The Hearing Brain
Report by Dr Dave Langers,
Nottingham Biomedical Research
Unit Autumn 2014
Our ears capture sound but it’s our
brains which process and make sense
of the sound around us. This feature
highlights our work into developing a
better understanding of the hearing
brain.
Our BRU features two research areas
that focus on the role of the brain in
hearing disorders. Our advanced
imaging
and
translational
neuroscience theme is working to
improve methods of measuring
hearing–related brain function, using
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
and Near Infrared Spectroscopy
(NIRS). The sensorineural Plasticity
and rehabilitation theme is using these
developed methods to study brain
organisation in individuals with hearing
disorders.
In combination, the work from these
themes
is
developing
an
understanding of how the brain adapts
to hearing loss or deafness. It is also
building our understanding of how
changes in
brain
function are
involved in a
Photo - Sensorineural Plasticity and Rehabilitation
number
of
hearing-related
phenomena, such as tinnitus. We
recently completed a number of MRI
Studies into the structure and function
of the brain. In close collaboration with
the
Nottingham-based
Medical
Research Council (MRC) Institute of
Hearing Research, we carried out a
comprehensive review of all existing
MRI studies that looked at changes in
brain shape and volume related to
tinnitus. This review showed that there
are
inconsistent
and
even
contradictory findings across studies.
The presence or absence of hearing
loss in tinnitus is one factor that has
often not been accounted for. This
may
explain
some
of
the
5
inconsistencies. Based on the lessons
we learned, we are now working
towards disentangling the effects of
hearing loss and tinnitus through our
own experiments to resolve this issue.
Another department concerns brain
function. Sound that is sent to the
brain is spilt into parts, corresponding
with
frequency
components
or
“pitches”. We have recently succeeded
in mapping which areas of the brain
process which parts of the incoming
sound
(the
brain’s
tonotopic
organisation).
Changes
in
this
mapping have been implicated in highfrequency hearing loss and tinnitus.
Our work will now allow us to delve
further into such hearing disorders.
Discussing our research with
Tinnitus Support Groups
By Kate Greenwell and Kathryn Fackrell
During the past year, we were invited
to speak at several tinnitus support
groups across the country.
These
included Chesterfield and North
Derbyshire, Manchester, St Helens,
Aintree,
West
Middlesex
and
Cambridgeshire.
We were invited to talk about our own
research as well as other research
being carried out at our unit. Meeting
members of these groups has been an
immensely interesting and helpful
experience for us as postgraduate
students. We have learnt so much
about what it is like to live with tinnitus
and how it can affect people’s lives.
We have been amazed at how
supportive the groups have been and
how willing people with tinnitus are to
be involved in research.
We also used these talks as an
opportunity to gather feedback on our
future research plans. This has helped
make sure that our research stays
focused on topics that are important to
people living with tinnitus.
Finally NHBRU report on their current
funding for tinnitus counselling.
Funding success for new study on
counselling for tinnitus
We have been successful in achieving
funding for developing a set of
counselling tools for people with
tinnitus. Led by Dr Derek Hoare, the
project received £260,000 from the
Research for Patient Benefit scheme
which is funded by the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The first year of the 2-year project will
involve working with patients and
audiologists to find out what aspects of
counselling are most important. This
will lead to the creation of a care
manual for audiologists to work with.
The second year of the project will see
the testing of the care manual in a
small clinical trial at a number of NHS
audiology departments. The project
will start early next year.
Audiology and Tinnitus
Membership Evening at Chesterfield
Royal Hospital on 22/10/14
Over 100 people attended the meeting
at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, to
which we were invited, thanks to Barry
Whittleston, Public Governor for
Bolsover, who attended our Tinnitus
Awareness Meeting in February of this
year. We were also pleased to see
many of our members too.
After
6
speeches by Deborah Farr, Adult
Audiology Service Lead and Claire
Roberts, Hearing Therapist, Joanne
spoke on behalf of our group
explaining the help and support we
can give to people experiencing
tinnitus.
Deborah Farr said there are 56,500
people in North Derbyshire with
hearing loss. They service 14
community locations throughout North
Derbyshire. Deborah spoke mainly
about people with hearing loss (not
tinnitus) and their holistic care. She
mentioned the Any Qualified Provider
(AQP) services saying that in 2012 the
CCG decided that they were going to
tender audiology services. Those over
the age of 55 and with a minimum
criteria of hearing loss due to age, are
able to have a choice.
Anyone
younger or with complex problems will
still be referred to the hospital.
Claire
spoke
about
tinnitus,
acknowledging that the knowledge of
tinnitus is theoretical.
She spoke
about the random signals of silence in
the hearing system and that the nerve
fibres are firing all the time even in
quiet. With tinnitus, for some people, a
trigger happens and it alerts them to
the presence of their own tinnitus.
Some sounds are full of meaning for
us; eg a fire alarm or baby crying etc.
People start to tune into the tinnitus
and give it lots of attention
subconsciously.
She continued,
hearing loss can be a trigger for
tinnitus as you have to work hard to
hear.
Even lifestyle can raise
awareness of tinnitus. Claire said that
positive information can help to reduce
the threat and demystify tinnitus.
Claire finished her speech by saying
that there is ongoing support provided
in Audiology for people experiencing
tinnitus. They have a one-stop tinnitus
service which allows patients to be
seen by everyone concerned in their
treatment/pathway
within
one
appointment.
Happiness by Audrey
Happiness to me is
one of the most
important emotions –
an emotion you can
“spread” to others. As
the song goes “Spread a little
happiness”. And my favourite song of
the moment is Pharrell Williams
“Happy”. It makes me smile and want
to dance. All the songs I like are
happy and upbeat (I wouldn’t want it
any other way). I decided to look up
the definition of happiness and the
following is from Wikapedia.
Happiness is a mental or emotional
state of wellbeing characterised by
positive or pleasant emotions ranging
from contentment to intense joy. A
variety of biological, psychological,
religious and philosophical approaches
have striven to define happiness and
identify its sources. Various research
groups, including positive psychology
endeavor to apply the scientific
method to answer questions about
what "happiness" is, and how it might
be attained.
The United Nations declared 20 March
the International Day of Happiness to
recognise the relevance of happiness
and wellbeing as universal goals. In
2014 “Happy” (Pharrell Williams song)
7
became the anthem and inspired clips
from around the world.
The 2012 World Happiness Report
stated that in subjective well-being
measures, the primary distinction is
between cognitive life evaluations and
emotional reports. Happiness is used
in both life evaluation, as in “How
happy are you with your life as a
whole?”, and in emotional reports, as
in “How happy are you now?” and
people seem able to use happiness as
appropriate in these verbal contexts.
Using these measures, the World
Happiness Report identifies the
countries with the highest levels of
happiness.
Meditation has been found to lead to
high activity in the brain's left prefrontal
cortex, which in turn has been found to
correlate with happiness.
With happiness in mind, here are
some positive steps to happiness.
o Giving – if you want to feel
good, do good!. Helping other
people makes us happier and
healthier.
o Relating – Close relationships
with family and friends provide
love, meaning, support and
increase our feelings of selfworth.
o Exercising – Being active
instantly improves mood and
can even lift depression.
o Appreciating – Ever thought
there must be more to life?
There is – and it’s right in front
of you. Notice the world about
you. Be mindful of your feelings
and stop dwelling on the past or
worrying about the future.
o Trying out – Learning new
things give you a sense of
accomplishment.
o Direction – Goals motivate but
they need to be challenging and
achievable.
o Resilience – You can’t often
choose what happens to you
but you can choose your
attitude to what happens.
Resilience can be learnt.
o Emotion – Recent research
shows
that
regularly
experiencing joy, gratitude and
pride creates ‘an upward spiral’.
Focus on the glass half full.
o Acceptance – Dwelling on
flaws makes it much harder to
be happy. You must learn to
accept yourself, warts and all,
and be kinder to yourself when
things go wrong.
o Meaning – People who have
purpose in their lives – whether
it’s religious faith, being a
parent or doing a job that
makes a difference – feel more
in control and get more out of
what they do.
Lord Layard founded Action for
Happiness. The Ten Keys are derived
from an extensive review of the latest
research on psychological wellbeing.
[Published in Grace Magazine – Autumn 2014]
The
above
Positive
Steps
to
Happiness, together with the quote
below include so many of the
principles of self-help we discussed in
our group counselling workshops.
Happiness
thoughts.
is
the
quality
of
your
Hill, Chesterfield.
Tickets £10
available from the theatre box office
(01246 271540). See enclosed flyer.
My Favourite Teapot
I have a favourite
teapot and
I just cannot record
The many cheery cups
of tea
This old teapot has poured.
When friendly guests come by to
chat
Upon a winter’s day,
A steaming pot of fragrant tea
Can chase the cold away.
It must recall the happiness
That it has given me
By faithfully brewing for my guests
Delicious cups of tea.
[By Carice Williams – courtesy of Grace Magazine]
What makes you happy?
Please share your tips on what makes
you happy.
They say “happiness
makes the world go round!” so we
would love to hear from you.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE
AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR
TOO
Marcus Aurelius
And something else to make you
happy – in fact, to make you laugh!!
NOBODY’S FOOL
A comedy by Simon Williams
Performed by Chesterfield Theatre
Company on the 4th, 5th and 6th
December, at The Rose Theatre, Rose
8
We will be in touch again early in the
New Year. Audrey