Report to Nova Scotians

Transcription

1 Every Person Deserves a Voice. Every Voice Deserves to Be Heard.

2 Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres Sites A = Audiology Services S = Speech-Language Pathology Services Amherst (A & S) 8 South Albion Street (9) Antigonish (A & S) St. Martha s Regional Hospital (9) ext 497 Bridgewater Site (A & S): South Shore Regional Hospital (9) ext 48 Site (S): 4 Glen Allan Drive, Suite 8 (9) Dartmouth Site (A & S): 45 Alderney Drive, Suite 66 (9) Site (S): Dartmouth General Hospital (9) Digby (S) Digby General Hospital (9) 45-5 ext 365 Evanston (S) Strait Richmond Hospital (9) Halifax Halifax Community Clinic (A & S) (9) 49-8 IWK Health Centre (A & S) (9) IWK Health Centre (A) Newborn Hearing Screening (9) QEII Health Sciences Centre (A & S) Dickson Building (9) QEII Health Sciences Centre (S) Halifax Infirmary (9) QEII Health Sciences Centre (S) NS Rehabilitation Centre (9) Kentville (A & S) Site : Webster Street (9) Site : Valley Regional Hospital (Inpatients Only) Liverpool (S) Queens General Hospital (9) ext 46 Lower Sackville (A & S) Cobequid Community Health Centre (9) Lunenburg (S) Fishermen s Memorial Hospital (9) ext 34 Middleton (S) Soldiers Memorial Hospital (9) ext 33 Musquodoboit Harbour (S) Twin Oaks/Birches Continuing Care Centre (9) New Glasgow (A & S) Site : Provost Street (9) Site : Aberdeen Professional Centre (Inpatients Only) Pictou (S) Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital (Inpatients Only) Sheet Harbour (S) Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital (9) Shelburne (S) Roseway Hospital (9) ext 69 Springhill (S) All Saints Hospital (Inpatients Only) Sydney (A & S) Site : Health Park 45 Weatherbee Road, Ste 6 (9) Site : Cape Breton Regional Hospital (Inpatients Only) Sydney Mines (A & S) Harbour View Hospital (9) Truro Site (A & S): Colchester Regional Hospital (9) Site (S): 64 Prince Street, Suite 4 (9) Waterville (S) Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre (9) ext 6 Windsor (S) Hants Community Hospital (9) Yarmouth (A & S) Western Regional Health Centre (9) ext 364 Administrative Office 5657 Spring Garden Road Suite 4, Box Halifax, NS B3J 3R4 (9) Visit us online at or call toll-free

3 Message from the Board of Directors Chair and the CEO Perry Jackson Chair, Board of Directors Lynn Fraser CEO We are very pleased to present our Annual. Our annual Consumer Satisfaction Survey was completed in May with very positive results. Ninety per cent of respondents indicated that wait times from point of referral were acceptable, and 99 per cent cited satisfaction with the services they received from Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres (NSHSC). In keeping with our strategic plan, initiatives have been undertaken to enhance services for adults with communication disorders. In September, a survey of continuing care providers throughout the province provided valuable information about service priorities in the sector. With a strong participation rate (45 per cent of invited facilities responded to the survey), the survey findings are considered valid and will provide valuable insights for the strategic planning team in determining next steps in enhancing service delivery for adults. In July, Health Canada and Société Santé en français announced funding for 67 projects nationwide to improve French-language health services. Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres was successful in its request for funding to provide preschool speech-language services to francophone and bilingual children in the province. NSHSC was one of four organizations in the province to receive federal funding to improve Frenchlanguage health services. The three-year grant of $67, will allow us to promote healthy speech and language development among French-Acadian communities, provide parent education and training, promote early referral and provide direct speech-language services, as well as outreach services in the province. The project, entitled Parlons ensemble: Un bon départ pour votre enfant, will be modeled after our successful Sound Start initiative implemented for English preschool children throughout Nova Scotia. Each year, the Centres Board presents a scholarship to a third-year graduate student at the Dalhousie School of Human Communication Disorders who has demonstrated strong community involvement and academic excellence. Nicole Jackson, a third-year Audiology student, was presented with the Dr. George and Lenore Mencher scholarship. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our volunteer Board and to our caring and dedicated staff for their respective contributions to our success over the past year.

4 Audiology Services: Fall Prevention Healthy individuals can usually take their balance for granted. The day-to-day routines that require balance essentially go unnoticed and are natural to many people. Balance depends on information that your brain receives from three different sources: Eyes Muscles and joints Inner ears The inner ear is a series of passageways and chambers located in the skull. The parts of the inner ear concerned with balance and body orientation are called the vestibular system. Individuals with vestibular issues are at risk for falls. The risk of being seriously injured in a fall increases with age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 among older adults, fall-related injuries account for five times more hospitalizations than any other cause. In Canada, falls are the sixth leading cause of death among older adults. Between and 4,,66 seniors in Nova Scotia were hospitalized due to fall-related injuries. Two-thirds of falls requiring hospitalization occur in the home. Falls cause more than 9% of all hip fractures in seniors. Falls can have serious consequences: loss of mobility, loss of independence, and loss of life. Audiologists at NSHSC work in the community and conduct presentations in the areas of prevention. Audiologist Janine Verge recently conducted a workshop for the Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Hearing impaired people of all ages attended with mild loss to profound loss (an interpreter was present) and included hearing aid users and cochlear implant users. The talk was on vestibular (balance) issues for the hearing impaired. It addressed how hearing loss and vestibular problems can be related. Janine shared information on resources in the community for people experiencing vestibular problems. The majority of the talk then focused on fall prevention. Discussion was held around personal and environmental risk factors and looked at some Nova Scotia fall statistics. Janine then focused on ways to prevent falls. The Vestibular Program is offered at two provincial sites within Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres. They are located at the Dickson Building in the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax and at Health Park in Sydney. Left: Audiologist Janine Verge recently conducted a workshop on vestibular (balance) issues for the hearing impaired.

5 Helping Adults Participate in Conversation: Life History Book Project Life History Books (LHBs) are communication aids that tell an individual s life story, highlighting the people, places, accomplishments and events that are important to them through pictures and text. For many years, Speech- Language Pathologists (SLPs) have created LHBs to maximize communication between their clients and communication partners. Research has shown that individuals with aphasia or dementia benefit from access to LHBs because they are able to participate socially and interact more with people around them. In 9, NSHSC conducted a pilot project to demonstrate that implementation of the Life History Book Program can provide efficient, effective, and collaborative services for communicatively impaired clients following discharge from acute care (i.e. hospital). The Life History Books were used with adults who were at home or in a nursing home and whose communication problems interfered with their social participation. The pilot project was very successful. There were noticeable improvements in the communication skills of the adults who had communication problems. It was noticed that with their independent use of their LHBs in conversational interactions, there was spontaneous improvement in their spoken language when they referred to the pictures and text. Furthermore, through demonstration and training on how to use the LHB, family members identified many ways to support communication, gained a better understanding of their family members communicative abilities and strengths, and found social interaction using the LHB enjoyable. All participants said they would continue to use and build on the LHBs that were developed during the project. The project showed that a Life History Book program has the potential of helping many Nova Scotian adults with various communication problems, such as dementia and aphasia, increase their participation in conversations with family members, friends, and caregivers. Speech-Language Pathologist Jeannine Fillmore and Communication Disorders Technician Deirdre Curnew conducted the NSHSC Life History Book Pilot. Speech-Language Pathologist Jeannine Fillmore (left) and Communication Disorders Technician Deirdre Curnew

6 Thanks to Our Foundation In -, financial support provided by the Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Foundation enabled us to purchase the following equipment to help diagnose and treat hearing and speech disorders: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices for people with little or no oral speech, including:»» ALT-Chat Plus: This device provides both digitized (recorded) and synthesized (computer-generated) speech. A choice of three voice synthesizers allows speech output to meet the needs and lifestyle of the individual. These devices can be used with children and adults, using either touch screen or (visual or auditory) scanning.»» SuperTalker Progressive Communicator: A powerful voice output device that can be used with beginning communicators, as well as more advanced communicators.»» ipads and Special Software: This equipment is used to create personalized augmentative communication systems.»» Articulation Kits: These versatile kits are filled with activities and games to support home practice for families of children with articulation (speech) disorders. Thanks to the Foundation s Gift of Conversation program, we are able to provide 4 kits to be used in an upcoming pilot project with families. Immittance Bridge: This widely used piece of electronic equipment, which tests a person s middle ear system, is generally the first test used by an audiologist for every client. A plug is set in the person s ear, and by using tones and air pressure, the audiologist is able to gain important information about the middle ear, including whether or not hearing loss is present and, if so, the type of loss that is present. Real Ear Measurement System: This is a computer that allows the audiologist to gather specific acoustic information from a person s hearing aid by placing a small tube into the person s ear canal and taking measurements. This computer has a number of different functions, including testing the hearing aid itself, both on and off the client, as well as helping the audiologist select and program the correct settings for the hearing aid. The - Foundation grant also allowed us to upgrade our financial system, increasing security and improving our ability to allocate expenditures to the appropriate program. Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Foundation To find out how you can support the Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Foundation, including ways to become involved with our fundraising events, visit or call the Foundation at (9) , toll free

7 May Month Activities May is Hearing and Speech Awareness Month and once again this year Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres staff worked diligently in the promotion of healthy hearing, speech and voice. Activities included: open houses in Digby, Shelburne and Yarmouth; a teddy bear clinic in Antigonish; a toy toolbox workshop in Windsor; a presentation for doctors in Bridgewater; an anti-smoking presentation at an elementary school in Yarmouth; and several information displays at various locations across the province SLP Lillian Majaess-Barnes (left) and SLP Technician Heather Robertson greet visitors at their information display at the Amherst Mall;. Audiology Technician Kim Saulnier demonstrates how newborn hearing screening is performed at an Open House in Yarmouth; 3. A display of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) materials at the Digby Open House; 4. SLP Carla Scholten (left) and SLP Technician Krista Wilson pose with their interactive display at the Hants Community Hospital; 5. Digby Open House attendees use an AAC device to request a piece of cake

8 Meet Our Staff Members Heather Grant and Patricia Babin, Audiologists Heather Grant and Patricia Babin are two audiologists working in our Sydney location. The duo have been together for almost years providing a complete array of screening, diagnostic and rehabilitative hearing and balance services to Cape Breton. Both feel fortunate to have such a supportive work environment. The most enjoyable part of my job is working with my colleagues. We have a fantastic team here in Sydney, says Heather. Patricia adds that working with NSHSC is like working in a very supportive small community. We have a diverse group of colleagues who are always willing to help or share resources and information for our clients best interests. Aside from busy clinical work, both clinicians find time to sit on various internal and external committees. Patricia notes, As an audiologist it is necessary to keep up with the latest technology and information in this field. Trying to balance that with a caseload has challenges, but it also makes each day interesting. NSHSC provides flexibility and support to take on new initiatives, says Heather. For example, I am involved in strategic planning, through which a project was developed to monitor the hearing of patients on chemotherapy. The pilot project will begin at this site in partnership with the Cape Breton Cancer Centre. Both clinicians are also dedicated to spending time with their families and both like exploring what Cape Breton has to offer. Simply put, Cape Breton is a beautiful place to live, says Patricia. The people are so friendly. Heather Grant reviews a client s video nystagmography (VNG) results. Audiologists record clients eye movements to obtain measures of their balance function. Patricia Babin (left) tests Hope Ford s hearing while her mom, Lindsay Quigley, looks on.

9 Meet Our Staff Members Lillian Majaess-Barnes, Speech-Language Pathologist This year, Lillian Majaess-Barnes will be celebrating her tenth anniversary working as Speech-Language Pathologist at our clinic sites in Amherst and Springhill. You do not have to be talking long with Lillian to know how much she enjoys her professional work as sole charge clinician based out of the Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centre on Albion Street. Lillian provides diagnostic and a wide range of treatment services to her caseload of preschool children and adults who come to her with many different types of speech, language, and voice problems. Her clients come from as far away as Advocate, Pugwash, Tatamagouche and Wentworth. She also provides speech-language services including dysphagia (swallowing) assessment to inpatients at Cumberland Regional Health Care Center and All Saints Hospital in Springhill. Lillian Majaess-Barnes When you ask Lillian what she likes the most about her work, she doesn t hesitate a second: My colleagues they re wonderful! In fact, she describes the staff at the centre as her family. We have seen our families grow up together; they are amazing individuals, great professionals and we make a phenomenal team. Lillian sees the collaborations she has with other professionals in the community as key to best clinical practice. Everyone brings their own perspective and expertise it s so important, especially for unique or complex cases. On a regular basis, Lillian connects with other NSHSC speech-language pathologists in the province to share ideas and learn about different clinical techniques and materials, work on clinical projects, or just problem solve together. Lillian has watched many new developments in speech-language services at the centres over the last ten years, and continues to take great pride in being a part of new clinical initiatives that will benefit her clients. Lillian s Adult Stroke Group: Back row (l-r): Heather Robertson (Technician), Lillian Majaess- Barnes (SLP) and Trudy Louise Brown (client); Front row (l-r): Darlene Beattie (caregiver), Margaret Casey (client) and Naomi Lamb (client)

10 French Speech-Language Services for Preschool Children In July, Health Canada announced funding for 67 projects across the country to increase access to health services in French. Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres was one of four organizations in Nova Scotia to be awarded funding. Our project, Parlons ensemble: Un bon départ pour votre enfant (Talking Together: A Sound Start for Your Child), will promote awareness of healthy speech-language development and provide early intervention for French-speaking preschool children who need help with speech and language disorders. It will be modeled on the successful implementation of A Sound Start for English-speaking preschool children throughout the province. The Health Canada and Société Santé en français grant of $67, is for three years. A significant component of the project will be the partnerships established with Acadian and francophone community organizations. Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres believes a team approach involving children, their families, community support networks and clinical staff will have a lasting impact, facilitating speech-language and literacy skills and helping children reach their full potential. Left: Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist Lisa Spinney Hutton holds one of the French-language public information materials being developed as part of Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres Parlons ensemble: Un bon départ pour votre enfant project.

11 Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres Summary Statement of Operations For the Months Ending March 3, Revenue 9 Department of Health and Wellness $,888,78 $,57,45 Out of Province Revenue 65,39 6,36 Contract Revenue 37,656 53,63 Recoveries 46,585 44,479 Miscellaneous,465,37 Investment Income 88,6 (49,984) $,64,884 $,765,46 Expenses Speech-Language Pathology 5,39,477 4,6,96 Audiology,87,473,47,35 Administration,474,843,3,46 ASD (Autism Services),4,56,84,3 Sound Start* 999,787 Investment Expense 4,399 4,45 Stroke Program 6,673 8,49 Capital Equipment Purchases 357,3 3,75 Mencher Scholarship,844 3,73 $,559,59 $,596,954 Excess of Revenue over Expenditure $83,93 $68,9 Statement of Financial Position March 3, Current Assets 9 Cash and Investments $,484,358 $,58,587 Accounts Receivable 44, ,78 Inventory 54,854 5,46 Prepaid Expenses 49,88 36,67,3,673,75,3 Capital Assets 88,76 87,58 Total Assets $,849,849 $3,47,64 Current Liabilities 635,77 95,85 Deferred Revenue and Contributions 88,58 87,49 Restricted Funds,6,56 765,456 Unrestricted Funds 89,865 53,889 $,849,849 $3,47,64 *The Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness reclassified the Sound Start Program from non-portable to portable in 9/.

12 Mission Persons with, or at risk for, hearing, speech, and language disorders will achieve an enhanced quality of life. Vision Prevalence and impact of hearing, speech, and language disorders is reduced. Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres Board of Directors Dr. Joy Armson Halifax Mr. Frank Barteaux Bedford Ms. Lynn Fraser (CEO, NSHSC) Halifax Mr. Perry Jackson (Chair, NSHSC) Canning Dr. David Kirkpatrick Halifax Mrs. Eva Landry St. Peters Mr. Bert Lewis (Vice Chair) Port Hawkesbury Mrs. Marlene Lovett Sydney Ms. Robyn McIsaac Avonport Mr. Philip Otto (Chair, NSHS Foundation) Hammonds Plains Mrs. Margaret (Peggy) Ouellette Arichat Mr. Harold (Sandy) Sanford (Past Chair) Halifax Mr. Douglas Stephens (Secretary-Treasurer) Hebbs Cross Mrs. Sheila Zive Halifax NSHSC Board of Directors: front row (l-r): Perry Jackson, Doug Stephens, Sandy Sanford, Peggy Ouellette and Lynn Fraser; Back row (l-r): Marlene Lovett, Frank Barteaux, Joy Armson, Eva Landry and Sheila Zive. Missing from photo: David Kirkpatrick, Bert Lewis, Robyn McIsaac and Phil Otto