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World Voice Day 2010

World Voie Day (branding)

 

The British Voice Association's contribution to World Voice Day 2010

 

Dealing with Dysphonia - leaflet

For World Voice Day 2010 our focus was on providing information about voice disorders and voice clinics for General Practitioners. We have designed a leaflet, Dealing with Dysphonia, explaining to them why referral to a voice clinic is valuable for the client and cost effective for them. Many of our clients ask to be referred to a voice clinic but many are met with a lack of knowledge and understanding about both voice disorders and why voice clinics are the best option for referral once a diagnosis of cancer has been excluded.

The leaflet is available to download from our 'Free Resources' section.

 

World Voice Day poster

Copies of the World Voice Day poster, jointly commissioned by the British Voice Association and Voice Care Network, were made available through the BVA office.

 

 

World Voice Day 2010 News – UK and around the world

 

UK, Manchester
Sara Harris gave a short radio interview on World Voice Day and voice care for 'Hospital Heartbeat' a radio programme which links to UHSM hospital (known locally as Wythenshawe Hospital) in South Manchester.

 

UK, Epping

World Voice Day at St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping

World Voice Day hit just the right note on 16 April with an information display and expert advice by speech and language therapists at St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping. Patients, visitors and staff had the opportunity to learn more about how their voices work and how to take care of them.

Supported by the British Voice Association, World Voice Day is a celebration of the voice and an opportunity to raise awareness of how to keep it in tip top condition. Smoking, shouting, talking above the noise at sports and social events can all harm the voice as can drinking too much alcohol, coffee or tea.

Speech and language therapist Linda Collier said: “Our display in the reception area at the Epping Forest unit was an excellent opportunity to meet with lots of different people to talk about how to look after your voice. It is, after all, a very valuable resource and following a few helpful tips can make a real difference.”

 

UK, Plural Publishing

On World Voice Day, for one day only, Plural Publishing generously offered a 10% discount on any voice book, or 15% on two or more books. We hope people were able to take advantage of this offer and thank Plural for joining in the World Voice Day spirit.

 

UK, British Voice Association
Kim Chandler, the BVA Communications Officer, circulated an email to her extensive list of contacts including a picture of the vocal folds and some good reminders of how extraordinary our voices are, what they do for us and how frustrating and distressing it is when we lose them.

 

Around the world

USA, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

The main focus of World Voice Day in the US was "Love your Voice". Their AAOHNS World Voice Day team developed some attractive patient materials including a podcast and an interactive quiz. They do not charge for anyone wishing to use these materials.

 

USA, New York
The Voice and Swallowing Institute of the New York Eye and Ear Hospital, in coordination with MusiCares have, for the last three years run a free vocal health screening for singer’s with no health insurance. The screening sessions run between 9.30am and 2.30pm and because of the enormous response (75 in the first year) they have had to develop selection criteria and restrict their numbers to 45. KayPentax support the day by supplying extra stroboscopy units to make up four examination stations. Each station is staffed by a voice therapist. The singers fill out a questionnaire for discussion with the therapist. They then receive a stroboscopic examination of their larynx which is interpreted by an ENT surgeon and the voice therapist. At the end of the session each singer receives a summary of their diagnosis and recommended treatment together with a resource packet containing their stroboscopic photos, information on vocal care and the contact information for MusiCares in case they require financial support for further treatment. The feedback from singers has been universally positive and the teams have picked up a high proportion of pathology which might otherwise have gone untreated. The New York Eye and Ear Hospital is to be congratulated on this initiative and I am sure they have many extremely grateful singers.

 

Kenya, Nairobi
Emma Shah, Speech and Language Therapist based at Nairobi Hospital, Kenya sent us a report of the World Voice Day events their Hospital Department set up this year to celebrate healthy voices and voice care. They began World Voice Day events on Monday, 12th April when Consultant ENT Dr Omamo and ex-voice client and singer Linda gave an interview to the Daily Nation, a national newspaper, about the voice clinics and their importance for accurate diagnosis. She also gave a live interview on one of the early morning TV programmes later in the week. On World Voice Day, (16th April) Nairobi Hospital hosted Love your Voice, an event with speakers Elizabeth Kruger, Speech and Language Therapist, David Kairie, (who has had a laryngectomy), Carol Nderitu, a performance poet with a poem especially adapted for World Voice Day, Fed Ngugi, a teacher, a famous Burundian singer and a Kenyan preacher/pastor. Two Speech and Language Therapists ran concurrent workshops, one for basic relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing and the other for people who have experienced voice problems. They shared ideas on how to manage vocal problems and keep their voices healthy and the therapist finished with a practical vocal warm up. The event was well attended by professional voice users, local radio presenters and celebrities as well as informal singers. The media were also present and many of the speakers gave interviews. The Hospital choir sang over the lunch break. Emma says: "It was a very creative, celebratory morning and lots of fun!"

 

Serbia, Belgrade
The Communication Disorders Care Centre in Belgrade made the British Voice Association Dealing with Dysphonia leaflet available viatheir website and propose to translate it into Serbian.

 

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