HSE International ISSUE 109 | Page 38

HEALTH & WELLBEING : BRITISH TINNITUS ASSOCIATION

SHARE YOUR SOUND HITS THE RIGHT NOTE !

The British Tinnitus Association launches new tinnitus awareness campaign .
# ShareYourSound
# ShareYourSound
# ShareYourSound
# ShareYourSound
# ShareYourSound
# ShareYourSound

Share Your Sound is the latest tinnitus awareness campaign created by the British Tinnitus Association ( BTA ). The charity officially launched Share Your Sound on 9 October .

The BTA want to encourage people to share their tinnitus experience , talk about the condition to others , seek help if they ’ re struggling and to help reach a vital audience – GPs .
Because tinnitus effects people differently , it can be hard for anyone who hasn ’ t experienced the condition , be that friends , family or GPs , to appreciate the true impact it can have and this can lead to feelings of isolation .
As part of the campaign , the BTA has designed a series of images which it hopes people will use to show others what their tinnitus is like . They ’ re a really useful talking point , allowing tinnitus patients to share their story in a visual way and making it easier for people who haven ’ t got the condition to understand . Emily Broomhead , campaigns manager for the BTA , said : “ As part of our Share Your Sound campaign , we really want to get more people talking about tinnitus , by uniting the tinnitus community , empowering those involved to talk more openly , and making sure people know that there is help out there .
“ Our downloadable images are a great way to get people talking about tinnitus and to help those with the condition to really try and demonstrate to those around them how their tinnitus sounds and how it impacts their day to day life .
“ We also want to use the campaign to reach out to GPs . Because when we talk to people with tinnitus , the feedback we often get is around the lack of information offered by GPs about how to manage tinnitus and where to go for support . Following on from Tinnitus Awareness Week in February , when we launched our Tinnitus Guidance for GPs , we want to continue proactively supporting them to provide the best possible care for tinnitus patients .
“ We have a Share Your Sound pack which we ’ ve created for people to take to their GP to help us reach as many as possible . By doing this they will be helping to ensure that their GP has the most up-to-date tinnitus guidance . We ’ d also love as many people as possible to get involved with the campaign on social media too .
“ We ’ re doing lots of things throughout October to raise awareness of the campaign , so please do follow us at @ BritishTinnitus on Twitter and www . facebook . com / BritishTinnitusAssociation on Facebook . You can also use the hashtag # ShareYourSound .”
CASE STUDY Stephen Holt , original front man of the famous 90s Manchester band Inspiral Carpets , explains his personal connection to tinnitus and why it is so important for people to talk about the condition to ensure no one suffers alone .
“ When I re-joined Inspiral Carpets in 2011 , I was made aware my fellow band mate , Craig , had been suffering with tinnitus for many years . This had been caused by years of
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HSE INTERNATIONAL