Praise for Audiology services at Newark Hospital

Newark resident Lynn Roulstone has praised the Audiology department at Newark Hospital after being fitted with Bluetooth hearing aids which she felt gave her a new ‘lease of life’. 

Lynn, 70, has struggled with her hearing since contracting a nasty bout of measles as a child, her hearing worsened as she got older, and she began to wear hearing aids in her forties. 

She moved to Newark from Kingston in 2021 at a time when she was struggling with hearing aids she’d had fitted at a previous hospital, and as such she was struggling to hear and communicate with people.  

By the time Lynn booked an appointment to see the audiologist at Newark Hospital, she had stopped going out and become very withdrawn due to her inability to participate in conversations. Upon learning her situation, the audiology team booked her in for an emergency appointment where they immediately offered to fit her with Bluetooth hearing aids. 

Bluetooth hearing aids come with a range of features and can be connected to a mobile phone so users can adjust the volume, connect to a hearing loop system and even select a restaurant setting which drowns out external noise, allowing them to focus on the conversation in front of them.  

The hearing aids were introduced to the department in 2021 and Lorna Szlumper-Morris, Specialist Audiologist and Lead for Audiology at Newark Hospital said: “The team have received really good feedback from patients about the Bluetooth hearing aids and we feel they are a great addition to our audiology service. I’m glad that we can use this technology to help people like Lynn, who was really struggling before having them fitted.” 

Noticing the difference straight away, Lynn was able to start living her life again.  She now volunteers for the local Oxfam Bookshop, is a member of the Newark Rambling Society and the U3A and attends a lip-reading class. Her most recent achievement was being elected as a Newark Town Councillor in May 2023. She said: “The hearing aids have changed my life. I would never have become a councillor if it weren’t for them.” 

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, people with hearing loss are more likely to develop Dementia, though they aren’t sure why this is. Lynn volunteers for the Alzheimer’s online Dementia Support Forum where she highlights the importance of recognising that hearing loss can be a contributing factor to developing Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of Dementia. As part of her role in welcoming new members, she encourages those suffering from hearing loss to make an appointment with their audiology department.  She stresses that: “It is so important that you get your hearing checked if you think there is something wrong.” 

Lynn highly recommends that those experiencing hearing problems go to see the audiology team at Newark Hospital and continued: “The team are friendly and helpful and took the time to explain. I am so grateful that the Trust provided me with my Bluetooth hearing aids, which have given me the opportunity for a new lease of life.” 

The state-of-the-art audiology facility at Newark Hospital became operational early in 2022 and was introduced as part of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust’s continuing programme of works to expand and improve the range of services available at Newark Hospital.  

The facility provides a service Monday to Friday between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, offering appointments for hearing assessments, hearing aid fittings and follow-ups, tinnitus management, paediatric assessment and hearing rehabilitation. New patients will need a referral from their GP to access the service. 

Patients are encouraged to ‘Ask for Newark’ and speak to their GP when being referred for any hospital treatment to see if they can benefit from the ever-increasing range of outpatient appointments, procedures and operations available at Newark Hospital.