My Ears

Care for kids’ earsStrong hearing, strong start.This storybook has been designed and produced by the Australian Government as part of the national campaign to increase awareness of ear disease and hearing loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This illustrated story has been created for you to educate young children (up to Year Two) about the importance of ear health.

Middle ear infections (known as otitis media or OM) are a significant problem in Australia - especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Left untreated, ear infections can lead to hearing loss which may limit a child’s social, emotional and physical development, as well as educational outcomes.

Children with infected ears may not display symptoms, hence the key message ‘get your ears checked regularly and follow your health professional’s advice about treatments’ is reinforced throughout the storybook. In addition, it is important kids know what to do if their ears are sore.

We hope you enjoy sharing this storybook with your students or childcare group and encourage you to visit the Care for Kids’ Ears website to find out more.www.careforkidsears.health.gov.au

A range of additional resources is available within the Care for Kids’ Ears kit to assist in child ear health education, including:

1. Information booklet (with an overview of the campaign, key messages and ear health summary).

2. Flipchart (with suggested topics for discussion and interactive activities).

3. Memory cards (a fun interactive activity for students).

4. Poster (to help promote the ear health message).

5. Teachers’ fact sheet (to assist teachers of children with hearing loss).

6. Colouring in sheets and dot to dot sheets (to support key messages).

7. I Love My Ears stickers (to reward and recognise children).

Care for Kids’ Ears resources are based on the Recommendations for Clinical Care Guidelines on the Management of Otitis Media in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations (updated 2010), prepared by the Darwin Otitis Guidelines Group in collaboration with the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) Otitis Media Technical Advisory Group, for OATSIH, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, ACT.

ISBN: 978-1-74241-607-6 Online ISBN: 978-1-74241-608-3 Publications Approval Number: D0743

© Commonwealth of Australia 2013

This work is copyright. You may reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to the Online, Services and External Relations Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or via e-mail to copyright@health.gov.au.

My Ears

Ernie and Kathy are best friends.

They see each other every day.

Together they laugh, play and tell stories.

Ernie looked over to Kathy and said:“Kathy, did you know?

My mummy told me, this tree is really old, much older than we can see.”

Kathy didn’t reply.

She sat quietly, looking into the distance, rubbing her ear.

“Kathy, Kathy, look at me.What’s wrong with your ear?”

“I don’t know Ernie.It’s sore and I can’t really hear.”

The two children stood upand together they walked across the park to Kathy’s house.

Ernie said to Kathy:

“A sore ear is no good.No play for you.

We should tell someone. Your mum, I think, and a doctor too.”

“Mum, mum,I need your help. I have pain in my ear.”

When they got home, Kathy’s mum and grandmother were sitting at thetable having a cup of tea.

“It’s okay Kathy,there’s nothing to fear.We’ll go see the doctor. She’ll fix your sore ear.”

health worker

Ernie, Kathy and Kathy’s mum went into town to visit the Health Care Clinic.

The health worker smiled warmly and said:“Hi Kathy, it’s good that you’re here.

Let me get the doctor to have a quick look at your ears.

Ernie, she’ll check your ears too, when you are at the clinic, it’s the best thing to do.

You should get them checked, at least twice a year.Even if they’re not sore, it’s a good idea.”

The health worker pointed to the poster on the wall of the clinic and said:

“You see Kathy and Ernie, it says on the wall, taking care of your ears is most important of all.

Blow your nose to keep it clear then put your tissue in a bin that’s near.

Eat fruit and veggies every day to keep you strong for school and play.

Washing every day is important too, so your ears will be happy, and so will you.”

health worker

“Ernie and Kathy, you both have a sick ear,I will look after you both until it disappears.

It is important we treat them today, so your ears get better and you can hear okay.

Sometimes ears can be sick with no pain, so when you’ve finished your treatment, you should get them checked again.”

The doctor checked Kathy and Ernie’s ears and said:

When Kathy and Ernie got back from the clinic they saw Kathy’s dad. Ernie kicked the ball and said:

“When your ears are healthy you can hear your parents and teachers okay,and hear the music your family plays.

You can hear stories and songs from people you meet,and play sport with your friends down the street.”

Thank you for reading this story. Here are a couple of questions to remind your students of the ear health messages.

•What was wrong with Kathy?•What did she do to fix it?•What was wrong with Ernie?•Why is it important to have healthy ears?•What can you do to prevent getting a sick ear?

For more details, please visitwww.careforkidsears.health.gov.au D

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All information in this publication is correct as of January 2013