HEALTH

THE Sleep Health Foundation estimates that poor sleep costs Australia $14.4 billion each year, with a further $36.6 billion related to loss of wellbeing.

A new report, Rise and try to shine: the social and economic costs of sleep disorders, found that around 1 in 10 Australians have a sleep disorder that can have a serious effect on their health, wellbeing, safety and productivity.

The costs were distributed across three major sleep disorders – obstructive sleep apnoea, insomnia and restless legs syndrome.

The report calls for action to address the significant costs of poor sleep by implementing the 11 recommendations of the federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Sleep Health Awareness. What? Huh? Pardon? If these are common phrases you hear at home, then listen up, writes MICHELLE LAWSON.

To better understand the feelings experienced by those with hearing loss, researchers asked a group of those affected what it felt like to be heard and when it mattered most.

They found that one in every two said that to be heard was to be acknowledged.

If it has become a running joke that your partner didn’t hear you when you asked to take the bins out, then it’s likely you are living with someone with hearing loss.

For those suffering from untreated hearing loss, everyday scenarios such as watching TV, or simply having a conversation over dinner, are a challenge.

However, to be heard is not only about the mechanics of sound, speech and hearing; it is also about having your opinion, feelings or position valued and understood.

Results from the Connect and Be Heard Report found that eight out of 10 Australians acknowledged that the place where they most wanted to be heard was at home, yet our own castles seem to be a space where many feel the most overlooked. Four in ten said they were struggling to be heard at home.

While people often hide the tell-tale signs by turning up the volume or asking a person to repeat themselves, the toll of living with someone with hearing loss is felt by all. It’s important to understand the effect that hearing loss can have for both the affected and those around them.

Hearing loss is not just the absence of sound in your life, it is being out of reach from the people who matter most to you.

A person experiencing untreated hearing loss can quickly find themselves on the outside of life; “invisible” while standing right in front of the people they love most.

The most important first step is to bring up the conversation gently.

The Gottman Institute has penned the term “soft start up” which includes using words like “I feel” when addressing issues or conflicts.

A conversation could sound like, “I feel I’m shouting at you because you can’t hear me.”

Taking this approach can get the conversation off on the right foot so they can see that changes have been noticed. Encourage them to take action.

Despite many Australians experiencing hearing loss, it can take multiple prompts and reminders from family members for people to book a hearing appointment.

Hearing can often be easily addressed. An initial hearing check is free and takes just 15 minutes.

There are different types of hearing tests available, depending on each individual’s hearing loss situation.

For many, hearing loss will be manageable, and technology even allows some to use almost invisible solutions.

For those who need hearing support, the clinician will recommend a 60-minute comprehensive hearing test and a consultation to review solutions to best support your hearing, lifestyle and budget.

Finally, make broader health discussions and health goals a part of your everyday relationship. Set a yearly reminder on your calendar, just like you would a routine dental check-up.

There has never been a more important time to have these conversations.

If there is one regret, it’s usually that people wish they had addressed their hearing loss concerns sooner.

Michelle Lawson is managing director of Connect Hearing. Visit connecthearing.com.au

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PARKINSON’S disease affects about 100,000 Australians and is the secondmost prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, with more than 10 million people suffering globally. The disease is characterised by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine. There are currently no early diagnostic markers and existing treatments can only lessen some symptoms and do not slow its progression.

Research increasingly points to the gut microbiome, bacteria that live in the gut, as playing a key role in the development of Parkinson’s, with evidence showing that changes in gut function often comes many years before the onset of classic symptoms such as tremors.

The gut microbiome contains billions of different bacteria which help in the digestion of food.

A significant issue for those with the disease is a slow-down in digestive tract movement, leading to constipation, a common complaint, with up to 70 per cent of Parkinson’s disease sufferers experiencing constipation.

Group leader of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Queensland, Dr Richard Gordon, and his team have begun a human trial in south-east Queensland to treat constipation and gut dysfunction in people with Parkinson’s disease.

The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a prebiotic medication for the treatment of constipation and restoration of the gut microbiome in people with Parkinson’s. About 50 participants will be recruited to the study across three sites in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

As with all clinical research, participants must meet specified criteria, have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, have three or less bowel movement days a week and be in reasonably good health.

Participation is voluntary.

Contact Helen Woodhouse 3346 5043

CLINIC PIONEERS LASER CATARACT TREATMENT

A BRISBANE clinic has become the first Australian practice to offer a surgical laser procedure that considerably improves vision outcomes compared to standard cataract surgery.

Described as a clouding of the lens in the eye, cataracts are a leading cause of impaired vision for

Australians over 55, with surgery the only way to treat the condition.

CAPSULaser, a pain-free, noninvasive procedure that uses laser to perform a critical component of the cataract procedure, uses new intraocular lens technology which can be seamlessly integrated into current cataract surgery.

It eliminates the need for a twostaged procedure, making it faster and more comfortable for patients.

Ophthalmic surgeon and founder of Brisbane’s OKKO Eye Specialist Centre, Dr Matthew Russell, said it was the first time Queensland residents had access to any type of laser technology that could be used to perform cataract surgery.

Dr Russell, who has performed more than 20,000 surgical procedures during the past 15 years, said

CAPSULaser would likely become a routine part of cataract surgery over time.

It enables surgeons to perform highly accurate and consistent capsulotomies in less than one third of a second, ensuring precise size, circularity and position of the lens implant.

The laser precision allows surgeons to pre-select the intended capsulotomy size from 4.0mm to 5.5mm in 0.1mm increments, allowing for consistent capsulotomies during every surgery.

One of the first Australian patients to undergo the procedure with Dr Russell, was 65-year-old Peter Hall from Sinnamon Park.

He said his vision had been declining but the new procedure had lifted the hazy, fuzzy film that made it particularly difficult to see things in the distance, such as the signs in the supermarket aisles.

“The procedure was a walk in the park. It took just a few minutes and there was no discomfort or pain,” he said. “It has given me a much clearer view of the entire world. Colours are brighter and whites are whiter, and at night I can even see the stars.”

Visit okko.com.au

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