e-zine september/october 2016 - saslhaupdate: new council portfolio public sector representative...

SASLHA EZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

E-zine September/October 2016

Interview with Prof. Juan Bornman

PINTREST

SAJCD

What’s in this issue? Ethics Q & A Introducing the

new Council Portfolio – Public

Sector Representative

Competition

Time!

Celebrating

your

achievements

Rural Health Awards


EDITORIAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Message from the PR and Marketing Committee

The end of the year is approaching with rapid progression. As we head towards the last

few months, SASLHA would like to reflect on the activities of the year. This issue

features new developments within the SASLHA Council – the portfolio of Public Sector

Representative; it gives you a closer look at one of our most distinguished women within

the profession – Prof Juan Bornman; and celebrates the work of our rural health care

colleagues.

With this theme of reflection and celebration in mind we also bring you – our members –

a competition and an opportunity to reflect on and showcase your amazing work. For

more details about how to enter the competition see page 12.

We wish you strength and everything of the best for the last stretch.

PR and Marketing Committee

Should you wish to contribute to the E-zine in any way contact the PR &

Marketing committee.

Feedback about this issue will be greatly appreciated.

Please email: [email protected]

SASLHA & Social Media

Have you seen SASLHA’s Pinterest and Facebook pages?

Join the conversation today!

https://www.facebook.com/Saslha-839763076138617/

https://www.pinterest.com/SASLHA1

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/Saslha-839763076138617/

https://www.pinterest.com/SASLHA1


Update: New Council Portfolio

Public Sector Representative Introducing Helena Van Heerden

Helena van Heerden is the Head of

Department at the Speech Therapy and

Audiology Department, Steve Biko Academic

Hospital, Gauteng. Helena obtained her

undergraduate degree in Speech Therapy

and Audiology in 2004 at the University of

Pretoria. She also did a postgraduate

diploma in Foundation Management in

2014. She completed her community service

at the clinics in Region C, Gauteng. After her

community service, she continued to work

as a permanent therapist in Region C at

Laudium clinic for 6 months. During this time

she recognized the great need for accessible,

quality services, and also developed a

personal passion to empower people to

expect and insist on these services.

Helena started to work at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in June 2006. During this

journey at Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Helena continued her dedication to

improve service standards, which cumulated in her being elected the overall winner of the

Employee of the Year Award at the Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital’s Service

Excellence Awards in 2014.

Helena was appointed Assistant Director: Speech Therapy and Audiology, at Steve Biko

Academic Hospital in September last year. Her department has achieved much during the

past year. The hearing aid waiting times were reduced from an average of 490 days to only

31 days and the first few electronic larynxes ever, were issued to patients with total

laryngctomies at the hospital.


Helena contributed to the profession at a provincial level and was elected as the Gauteng

Marketing workgroup chairperson in 2010 until 2015. The Gauteng Marketing workgroup

contributed significantly to marketing our profession in the public sector. The Chatterbox

newsletter has been circulated widely every second month for the past 6 years. The

Chatterbox newsletter is known for celebrating our achievements and reminding us why we

love our work. Helena was also elected the chairperson of the Gauteng Speech Therapy and

Audiology Executive Committee in 2012 and has represented Gauteng at the National

Rehabilitation Forum since 2013.

Helena became involved in SASLHA in 2013, when she was co-opted into the Ethics and

Standards committee. In 2016, she was nominated to establish the new Public Sector

committee, focusing on supporting Speech Therapists and Audiologists to improve service

delivery in the public sector.

Helena is married to Francois and they have 2 beautiful sons, Morné (9) and Markus (7).

She loves to spend time with her family, reading (while eating dark chocolate) and making

arty things. Her favourite book – too many to choose! One of her favourite genres is

steampunk. Her favourite movie is Braveheart and her favourite TV series is Game of

Thrones. Her motto: “Face your fears and live your dreams”.


Interview with Professor Juan Bornman Our South African women have been celebrated both at home and internationally. Our own Prof

Bornman, from the University of Pretoria, was named as a Fellow by the International Society for

Alternative and Augmentative Communication (ISAAC) at their conference in Toronto Canada. Prof

Bornman is known for her clinical skills, her anecdotes, as well as her scientific contributions to the field of

AAC. Having contributed countless articles, book chapters and authored three books she is known both at

home and abroad for her skills as communicator. She has empowered her students, service providers,

clients and their families. To quote Prof Rose Sevcik, from Georgia State University, USA, ‘She has the rare

ability to establish the critical links between research findings and clinical practice.’

Prof Bornman graciously offered her time in answering some of Sophia Venter’s questions.

1. This award has come after a lifetime of service and

advocacy for people who are unable to voice themselves using

speech. How did your love for AAC start?

As a young student I had a dream to teach a very special little

girl with Down Syndrome literacy skills. She had then (and still

has now) a fascination with by everyone’s birthdays and to this

day never fails to remember which birthday belongs to which

person. After being one of my bridesmaids many moons ago she

has added our anniversary as one of her important dates. I

thought that if I could help her to read the names of important

people in her life and match it to their birthdays and telephone

numbers I could increase her functional literacy skills and

therefore her quality of life. However, the complex analysis and

synthesis skills required for reading seemed too difficult. This

challenge related to traditional reading and writing forced me to

look for other alternatives and so I discovered a fascinating

world of different symbol sets and symbol systems that open-up

the world for many individuals who cannot rely on traditional

orthography. Through this process I also realised the value of

written communication to achieve one’s dreams, ambitions and even to have one’s basic human rights

met. Today this little girl is 34 years old, has a supportive family, large circle of friends, as well as a doting

boyfriend. Now isn’t that quality of life?

2. Which women have been the most influential in your career?

What an unfair question in a profession dominated by women! It would have been much easier to make a

list of the men and I would’ve had to single out Professor Isak Hay, former Head of the Department of

Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology for accepting me into the programme six weeks after all the

other girls had already started. I remember walking into his office starry-eyed after just hearing about the

life of a “speechie “and knowing that that was what I wanted to be. He looked at me in his dry engineer-

like manner and said “I have just one question for you: What is audiology?” I replied: “I have no idea, but I

promise I will find out”. You can imagine my surprise when he phoned six weeks later to say that one of

the girls had discontinued her studies and that I could join the group the next morning if I still thought that

this was what I wanted to do. For the record I even did my fourth year thesis in audiology, thanks to Prof

Hay.


As I ventured into the AAC field later in my academic life I was fortunate to stand on the shoulders of

giants. There is an African saying “as jy vining wil loop loop dan alleen, maar as jy ver wil loop, loop saam

met ander mense”.

Loosely translated this means if you want to walk quickly in life, you should do it by yourself, but if you in it

for the long haul, you should be surrounded by others. I am definitely here for the long stretch and many

amazing women have walked with me…. as mentors, as peers, as colleagues, as friends, as students and

former students, as international collaborators, as persons who use AAC and their family members.

3. What was the biggest challenge you faced in terms of AAC in the South African context?

This question threw me a little – I guess I’m more of an optimist – I look at the glass as half full – therefore I

try to focus on the opportunities, not the challenges. Challenges can be boring – because they are so

obvious. They glare you in the face. But the opportunities – now that excites me. Seeing how the flame of

intervention starts to burn brightly when parents realize that there is help for their child’s speech

development; seeing a young person with severe disability start dreaming about a job; helping therapists

brainstorm because two heads are better than one; watching a student grasp a difficult theoretical

construct, making resources and communication systems because the needs are huge. Carefully navigating

through multilingual issues…

I guess in the end it is all about leverage. Using the least amount of effort to create the greatest amount of

change. We should all use the opportunities provided to each one of us, each day, exactly where we are,

to create the changes we want to see. We might not be able to change the world but we can make a

difference.

4. On a personal note, working full time, being involved in so many projects, being a wife and being

a mother to your sons. How do you manage it all, without dropping the most important ball of

all, your family?

Wow, it’s a compliment if you think that I don’t drop the ball sometimes. Maybe we should have asked the

three men in my life… Accept that there will be good days and bad days! Know that you are not alone –

talk to other moms - that is a perfect remedy to remind you that one of the definitions of being a mom is

someone who has a guilty conscience! We try and eat breakfast and dinner together to catch up on each

other’s lives and interests. Don’t waste time at work and don’t multi-task at home, be in the moment and

retain a sense of humour! But the most important of them all is make sure that you marry your best friend.

Werner has remained my high school love, prince charming, rock, safety net, one-person support group,

the one who I will trust to pack my parachute any day.

5. What would be your take home message to our members?

Don’t be afraid of storms – learn how to sail your own ship! We live in a constantly changing world full of

uncertainty and it is quite alright that we often have to face stormy waters, fierce seas, and huge waves.

But these conditions teach us how to sail our ships. Rather than hoping for calm waters and not living life

to the full for fear of what might lie ahead – learn to sail your own ship. Be the best that you can be –

there is only one original you. And if you can’t make it better, laugh at it. And if laughter doesn’t help, try

chocolate. Chocolate is the answer, no matter what the question is!


South African Journal of

Communication Disorders ‘Rainbow nation, so what?’ By Sophia Venter

We all know that South Africa is a country with a variety of cultures and languages. We do

not need to be told by global academics that we have to be culturally sensitive. We all

know that there is a discrepancy between the predominantly English and Afrikaans

speaking speech and language therapist and audiologist and most of our clients. Clients

who most likely speak one of our other nine official languages as their primary language

and who are exposed to a kaleidoscope of languages and cultures. We know there is a need

for standardized tests, which take into account both the South African context and the

multiple languages that our clients speak. We know that children are being educated in

languages which are not the same as the language(s) which they are exposed to at home.

These are the issues that each speech and language therapist and audiologist working in

South Africa is deeply aware of. But what can we do about it? The research freely available

is not being done within the South African context. Or is it?

The South African Journal of Communication Disorders (SAJCD) is an online Open Access

journal, initiated and sponsored by SASLHA. The latest edition of the SAJCD is focused on

showcasing the research that is currently being done by South African researchers within

our rich cultural and linguistic landscape. Heila Jordaan and Ramona Kunene-Nicolas from

the Wits Speech and Pathology and Audiology Department and Wits Linguistics Department

respectively, have united their forces in order to produce the special edition of the SAJCD.

This issue highlights studies being done regarding language acquisition within our country.


The five articles contained within this special

edition of the SAJCD are all focused on the

various aspects of language acquisition. Speech

processes, grammatical development, predictive

comprehension, phonological processing and the

development of qualifiers are all investigated

within either isiZulu, isiXhosa or Northern Sotho.

Do you want normative data on isiXhosa

grammatical development? Do you want South

African studies that prove that developing three languages simultaneously does not cause a

language delay? Do you want information regarding typical development of isiXhosa

phonological development?

I think you all get the point. I challenge you to use the resources at your disposal. It is as

easy as Googling ‘South African Journal of Communication Disorders’…. Have we

investigated every angle? Certainly not. Have we got all the answers? Not by a long shot.

Are we setting the course in the right direction?

Rainbow nation, guess what…


Rural Health Awards 2016

Rural Health Awards 2016

The annual Rural Health Conference (RHC) celebrated its 20th anniversary in Grahamstown on 7th August,

2016. Started by rural doctors coming together to workshop and share their experiences and challenges;

with meetings held in rural traditional huts or tents, the conference grew into the Rural Doctors

Association of South Africa (RuDASA). From humble beginnings the conference has grown into a vibrant

multidisciplinary conference partnered by RuDASA, Rural Rehabilitation SA (RuReSA), the Professional

Association of Clinical Associates (PACASA) and recently the Rural Nurse Association (RuNurSA) has added

to our mix. Delegates come from all over SA and may be people working in rural areas, universities

engaging in rural health and development, and NGO’s from the health advocacy movement. This unique

mix has created an exciting exchange of ideas, a co-ordinated approach to “rural proofing” health policy

(through the Rural Health Advocacy Project) and broad reaching impact on primary health care and

university curricula. One of the highlights at the RHC 2016 is the Gala Dinner and Awards. These Awards

are the opportunity for peer recognition for outstanding service for those working in poor, undeveloped

rural areas; and each year we are astounded at the hard work, creativity, and generous hearts of our

Award winners.

The Awards in 2016 were given for:

“The Rural Doctor of the Year”: Dr Nomlindo Makubalo, EC

“The Rural Rehabilitation Person of the Year”: Lineo Lecheko , Audiologist , Zithulele Hospital EC

“A Lifetime Achievement Award” from RuDASA: Dr Victor Fredlund, Mseleni Hospital KZN

Inaugural “Rural Nurse of the Year”: Sr Charlotte Stemmet, Mobile Clinic, Breede And Cape

Winelands, WC

Inaugural “The Clinical Associate of the Year”: Prince Maletje Maleka, Street Medicine Project

Tshwane

www.rhc2016.co.za

http://www.rhc2016.co.za/


RuReSA Rural Rehabilitation Worker of the Year: Lineo Lecheko

Most rural communities dream of having passionate,

dedicated rehabilitation professionals who develop and

deliver high quality services to them despite their remote

locations. The community who live around Zithulele

Hospital are fortunate to have such a person in Lineo

Lecheko, an audiologist. Dineo (as she is called) graduated

from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and then went on to

do her community service year in Mthatha. Continuing to

work rurally, she joined Frontier Hospital in Queenstown

after completing her community service year. During 2010

she visited Zithulele Hospital with an outreach called Hear

Now South Africa. This was the first time an Audiologist

had been to Zithulele. In 2013 she returned to join the

Zithulele Hospital Clinical Team and is still making a

significant contribution to the community and the team

she works with.

Last year Dineo was fortunate enough to have a

community service Audiologist join her “one woman

team” for the first time. Pamela Ntutuka shares her

experience of working with Dineo: “For the year that I worked with Dineo at Zithulele Hospital I was in awe

at her skills and the manner in which she treats her patients. She is extremely hard working, motivated,

goal driven and passionate about her profession. Running a department can be strenuous and

overwhelming but there is never a challenge too big for Dineo and she always give her very best to every

patient that she sees. I value how she always goes the extra mile to ensure that the patients of Zithulele are

satisfied with audiological services and are receiving effective management”.

Dr Ben Gaunt, the clinical manager at Zithulele Hospital, further echoes Dineo’s commitment to her

patients, describing her as an excellent team player, reliable (an essential trait when building a new

service) and an incredible asset to the community. “She has largely set up and runs what is practically a

gold-standard audiology service despite our extremely rural location,” he says.

When Dineo arrived at Zithulele the services were still in the early development phase and the department

had not been able to procure much equipment. Hearing aids were, at that stage, only accessed via

Mthatha. Three and a half years later, the picture is very different!

Dineo’s drive and commitment to improve the Audiology service caught the attention of the provincial

Treasury, who helped directly to fund equipment worth more than 1 million rand. The department now

boasts a state-of-the-art booth, OAE, Tympanometer, ABR and a Kuduwave mobile machine.

This has given the service the ability to screen newborns, provide clinic outreach services, school outreach

services and provide hearing aid fittings at Zithulele hospital. Ben Gaunt explains how she “has been a

critical partner in their MDR TB programme and this has led to the hospital having one of the most reliable


screening programmes and generally excellent audiology outcomes.” Dineo has decided to document this

work and is currently doing her Masters on this topic.

Above all, it is Dineo’s heart for her work and the

people she serves that makes her a fitting candidate

for the RuReSA Award this year. As her colleague

Pamela put it: “She has impacted the clinical team and

majority of the patients positively. I remember last year

most patients who had been fitted with hearing aids by

Dineo a long time ago would walk to the hospital from

as far as Jalamba or Nzulwini every time after

harvesting season and give her something from their

gardens to show how grateful and appreciative they

are for the services she offered and the respect she

shows to patients. Hearing aid fittings give her

particular pride and joy. She always used to say that

"making someone hear again and seeing how happy

they are when they are connecting to the hearing world

again is her greatest achievement and it gives her great

satisfaction with her work " .

Dineo is the epitome of a rural audiologist. Having

spent her early childhood in a rural area, she is well

acquainted with the needs of rural communities. She

has not forgotten that and has chosen to use her considerable skills and passion for the benefit of others.

In so doing, she is uplifting the quality of life of many, and inspiring other clinical professionals to follow

her lead.

The RuReSA Award was sponsored by Discovery Health and Dineo’s attendance at the Award ceremony was

sponsored by Rural Health Advocacy Project.

Dineo response: I am truly humbled and honoured, thank you for those that nominated me and making me

sound so wonderful, and thank you for the people who organise the Awards… working in rural has been fun

and challenging experiences. Some ideas have been out of the Audiology Box, and are inspired by my team.

Thank you to my mom, who has always been there to support me.

RuReSA Rehabilitation Worker of the Year:

www.ruresa.com

RuReSA: [email protected]

Maryke Bezuidenhout (Chair): [email protected]

Lineo Lecheko: [email protected]

Shannon Morgan; [email protected]

Ben Gaunt: [email protected]

http://www.ruresa.com/





COMPETITION TIME!!

SASLHA Celebrating Your Achievements

Celebrating our local heroes in Speech Therapy and Audiology

SASLHA brings you an exciting opportunity to showcase your work and contribution to the

profession. We recognise that there are many Speech Therapists and Audiologists doing

great work which often goes unnoticed. During October/November we will be running a

competition for all Speech Therapists and Audiologists. This is one way for us to celebrate

and acknowledge the work that is being done.

What this competition entails:

You’ll have to tell us what you have achieved within this year and how your work/project

has contributed to the profession. You may nominate yourself or a colleague.

How to enter:

Download the attached form and provide us with details as to your achievements for the

year thus far.

You may send us photographs should you so wish. Please note that should you send us

photographs it is your responsibility to obtain the necessary permission from the individuals

depicted.

All completed forms must be sent to [email protected]

Closing date:

15th November 2016

Prizes:

Prizes up to the value of R1000 will be awarded.

T&Cs apply:

The judges’ decision is final. Prizes are not redeemable for cash and may not be

exchanged. All Speech Therapists and Audiologists are eligible to enter the competition.

Those who serve on the SASLHA National Council are not permitted to enter the

competition. By entering the competition – you agree that your name will be published in

future SASLHA e-zines and may be displayed on the SASLHA website.

SASLHA WORKING FOR YOU


Advancing your career?

Neurosensory has a number of positions available in regional and metropolitan Australia for enthusiastic and

motivated audiologists to join our growing clinical team. At Neurosensory we believe in enriching the lives of every

client, by improving how they interact with the world around them.

We are looking for clinicians who are committed to providing the highest standards of care for their clients; who

enjoy a busy, dynamic work environment; and who thrive on developing new skills.

Why choose Neurosensory?

A career with Neurosensory offers something different.

Our independence allows our clinicians to fit whatever device they believe best meets their clients’ needs.

Our broad scope of services allows our clinicians to develop specialised skills across a range of areas

including paediatric assessments and auditory processing, electrophysiology and balance, implantable

hearing devices, and tinnitus management.

We pay a competitive fixed salary which is based on your experience and expertise, and not the number of

hearing aids you fit.

The successful applicant must have:

A minimum 2 years’ experience in working as an audiologist.

A commitment to providing the highest standards in audiology.

A positive, fun and hard-working attitude.

All applicants must be, or eligible to be a full member of Audiology Australia Ltd. We will assist with the application

of the appropriate visa required to work and live in Australia.

To find out more about this opportunity please contact Angela Maher

via email [email protected] or phone +61 7 3835 8836.

Applications close 31st October 2016.


SASLHA on PINTEREST

Stuttering

Free PDF of "Sometimes I Just Stutter". A great book for older

students who stutter.

To download a pdf go to:

http://www.stutteringhelp.org/sometimes-i-just-stutter

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/22306960625361428/

Stroke

Difference between Ischemic stroke and

Haemorrhagic stroke explained in a

simple manner. Ischemic stroke is the

stroke caused by hypoxia in the brain

tissues while haemorrhage stroke is

stroke caused by excessive bleeding in

the brain.


http://www.stutteringhelp.org/sometimes-i-just-stutter




SASLHA on PINTEREST

Cochlear Implant

Infographic: How a Cochlear implant works. Great to use when explaining to others.


Join SASLHA on

https://za.pinterest.com/SASLHA1/



SASLHA on PINTEREST

Vestibular Disorders




SASLHA CONTACT DETAILS

PORTFOLIO NAME EMAIL

ADMINISTRATION JUDITH KOWU [email protected]

PRESIDENT ERIKA BOSTOCK [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ALISON DENT [email protected]

TREASURER ANNALINE JACK [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL LIASION OFFICER

INGRID VON BENTHEIM

[email protected]

ETHICS AND STANDARDS CHAIRPERSON

URSULA ZSILAVECZ

[email protected]

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

CHERILEE RUTHERFORD

[email protected]

RESEACH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

MERSHEN PILLAY [email protected]

CODING CHARIPERSON ALISON DENT [email protected]

PUBLIC SECTOR REPRESENTATIVE

HELEENA VAN HEERDEN

[email protected]

PR AND MARKETING CHAIRPERSON

SOPHIA VENTER [email protected]

ZONE1(Johannesburg/Southern Gauteng/ Free State/North West Province)

MELLISSA BORTZ [email protected]

ZONE 2 (Pretoria/Northern Gauteng/ Mpumalanga/ Limpopo)

KATHRYN FARMER [email protected]

ZONE 3 (Western Cape/ Northern Cape)

NASREEN ALLIE [email protected]

ZONE 4 (Kwa-Zulu Natal/ Eastern Cape)

DENISE KEMSLEY [email protected]


See you next time!

e-zine september/october 2016 - saslhaupdate: new council portfolio public sector representative...

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