Gift of Hearing

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One reason an individual might not want to admit or acknowledge their hearing loss is because they think hearing loss is somehow shameful or embarrassing. It is important to let them know that hearing loss is actually quite common. One out of every five individuals suffers with some degree of hearing loss, there’s a high chances that you know at least one individual who has some hearing impairment.

We are an audiology & hearing aid centre based in Nairobi, we encourage each one of you with a hearing impaired relative during this festive season as family and friends gather for warm conversation, laughter and exchanging gifts, the best gift of all this holiday season might not come wrapped in shining paper and adorned with a bow; it might just be the gift of hearing.
If you have a loved one with untreated hearing loss, you are most likely all too familiar with the challenges hearing loss presents.

Annita Kibobori

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Annita Kibobori

Audiometrist & Hearing Aid Specialist

Annita studied biomedical engineering and later got into hearing healthcare studies. She has an expansive knowledge in hearing aid, tympanometry and pure tone audiometry; she has been working in the hearing healthcare industry for past seven years. Previously before joining us, she was working with a Nairobi based hearing centre. As an audiometrist, Annita performs pure-tone audiometry and tympanogram. As a hearing aid specialist, Annita specializes on:-

  • Repair and maintenance all models of hearing aids and assistive devices.
  • Manufacture of custom shells and soft earmoulds.
  • Fitting of hearing aids
  • Assembling of hearing aids.
  • Giving technical advice to hearing aids users.

For her professional skills, Annita has been to South Africa for technical and professional level courses.

NTV – Hearing impairments

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MediaMax -Ear specialist with a cause

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Richard Mwangi has seen  some of the worst things that can come out of a person’s ears.

Yet when he speaks about it, there is a tinge of excitement in his voice, a clear passion for the work he ventured into in 2013.

Mwangi, the CEO, Incus Ear Limited has vast knowledge on ear health care in Kenya. Sitting in his office on Ngong Road, he says what makes him proud of his work is when the face of a person who did not have the ability hear lights up with joy when he treats them.

Attending Kenya Medical School ten years ago did not only equip him with knowledge on pharmacy but also revealed an uncomfortable truth. While studying pharmacy, Mwangi learnt of ototoxic drugs (medication that can damage the ear) and their adverse effects on hearing. After the training, he practised pharmacy for six months before venturing into the provision of ear healthcare services.

NTV – Affordable Hearing Healthcare

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Daily Nation – People with hearing impairment

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People with hearing impairment in conversation at the start of the 2014 International Deaf Awareness Week march in Nakuru on September 22, 2014. They were participating in a campaign themed “Strengthening Human Diversity” that sought to recognise, accept and understand differences among people with various social, political and economic needs.

Kenyans who suffer from hearing impairment – about 640,000, according to the Ministry of Health – and need to get assistive devices such as hearing aids have to pay for them.

Most local health insurers, including the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), do not have a cover for hearing problems.

Our Audiologist training Mnazi Mmoja Hospital – Zanzibar

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Mnazi Mmoja is a 440 bed, government run hospital servicing the main island of Zanzibar. It is located in Stone Town, the island’s capital.

Our consultant audiologist Richard Mwangi was among the foreign doctors who helped them in setting up a newborn hearing screening.

 

Newborn hearing screening can detect possible hearing loss in the first days of a baby’s life. If a possible hearing loss is found, further tests will be done to confirm the results. When hearing loss is confirmed, treatment and early intervention should start as soon as possible. Early intervention refers to programs and services available to babies and their families that help with hearing loss and learning important communication skills.

That is why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all babies receive newborn hearing screening before they go home from the hospital.

Jedidah Brooke Wanjiru

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Jedidah Brooke Wanjiru
Consultant Speech & Language therapist
Clinical Child Neuropsychologist
Counselling Psychologist

Masters in Speech and Language pathology (KU)
Counselling Psychology (UON)
Clinical Child Neurology (KU)

 

At speech therapy department, we work with patients who have problems with speech. Our patients may be unable to speak at all or they may speak with difficulty or have rhythm and fluency problems, such as stuttering. We also work with those who are unable to understand language or with people who have voice disorders, such as inappropriate pitch or a harsh voice.
We record initial patient evaluations and diagnoses, treatment progress, any changes in a patient’s condition or treatment plan, and, eventually, we complete a final evaluation when the patient finishes the therapy. We specialize in working with children and adults.

Other services at speech therapy department include:-

  • Hearing impaired.
  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Speech/Language delay.
  • Specific learning disabilities.
  • Stammering.
  • Voice disorder.
  • Post traumatic stress disorder.
  • Autism/ social interaction difficulties.

Speech Therapy in Kenya

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IncusEar Hearing & ENT  Centre is the only audiology & speech centre in Kenya and in Africa at-large practicing speech therapy in a sound treated (soundproof room) in line with international standards. Our speech therapists are well educated in the study of human communication and development.

We assess speech, language and cognitive-communication to identify types of communication problems and the best way to treat them.

Remediation

In our speech therapy room, our speech therapists will work with your child on appointment and one-on-one basis within  specified time frame of your appointment.

Our speech therapists use a variety of strategies, including:

 

  • Language intervention activities: The SLP will interact with a child by playing and talking, using pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate language development. The therapist may also model correct vocabulary and grammar and use repetition exercises to build language skills.

 

  • Articulation therapy: Articulation, or sound production, exercises involve having the therapist model correct sounds and syllables in words and sentences for a child, often during play activities. The level of play is age-appropriate and related to the child’s specific needs. The SLP will physically show the child how to make certain sounds, such as the “r” sound, and may demonstrate how to move the tongue to produce specific sounds.

When Is speech therapy needed?

Children might need speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:

  • Hearing impairments
  • Cognitive (intellectual, thinking) or other developmental delays
  • Weak oral muscles
  • Chronic hoarseness
  • Birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate
  • Autism
  • Motor planning problems
  • Articulation problems
  • Fluency disorders
  • Traumatic brain injury

Therapy should begin as soon as possible. Children enrolled in therapy early (before they’re 5 years old) tend to have better outcomes than those who begin therapy later.

This does not mean that older kids can’t make progress in therapy; they may progress at a slower rate because they often have learned patterns that need to be changed.