By Salt 106.5 Network Tuesday 5 Nov 2024NewsReading Time: 2 minutes

Have you heard about the issues impacting the ears of First Nations children?

Key Points:

• For our First Nations children, ear infections are typically more common and last longer.
• Hearing Australia aims to reduce the rate of preventable hearing loss in our First Nations children by 50%, by 2029.
• Listen to the full interview with Kirralee Cross in the player above.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia experience some of the highest rates of middle-ear infection in the world,” Kirralee Cross told Hope Mornings.

Kirralee Cross is part of Hearing Australia’s First Nations Services Unit. Recently, Hearing Australia checked out the assessments of 19,000 First Nations children across Australia.

For our First Nations children, ear infections are typically more common and last longer.

Some of the alarming findings include:

• More than 1/4 of children had undiagnosed ear disease
• 1-in-5 had undiagnosed hearing loss
• Children under 2 years had more ear trouble than older children, with those in remote locations having more problems than peers in regional or metro areas.

“Ear infections are very common in children but for our First Nations children, they start earlier, they [are] typically more often and last longer,” Kirralee said. “This can really have an effect on their ability to listen, connect and yarn with others.”

Left to right: A young HAPEE client, the Hearing Australia team performing tympanometry. Images supplied by Hearing Australia and used with permission.

Many social and environmental factors contribute, including overcrowded housing. “But the big one is the limited access to services. “Middle-ear disease can be really hard to detect and there are not always symptoms.” “That’s why we are encouraging parents, carers and those in the community to get their children’s ears checked regularly.”

Hearing Australia aims to reduce the rate of preventable hearing loss in our First Nations children by 50 per cent, by 2029.

Hearing Australia is responding to these ear issues in our Indigenous communities through its HAPEE program (Hearing Assessment Program Early Ears). “The program offers free hearing checks to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are not yet attending full-time school, as well as providing ongoing support and advice for parents.” “What Hearing Australia want to do is to close that gap, so our First Nations children have the same ear health and hearing outcomes as the general population.” “Hearing Australia’s aim is to help reduce the rate of preventable hearing loss in our First Nations children by at least 50 per cent, by 2029.” Listen to the full interview with Kirralee Cross in the player above.

Article supplied with thanks to Ben McEachen. Ben is Hope 103.2’s Mornings host. Ben was a full-time movie reviewer for more than a decade, including for Open House, The Big Picture, The Advertiser and Empire. Before Hope, he was deputy editor of Eternity News. Feature image: All images supplied by Hearing Australia and used with permission.