Part of the community

Part of the community

With demand for quality childcare constantly on the rise, local workers and residents will be happy to learn a new early learning centre has opened right here in Docklands.

Located at Harbour Town Melbourne, Giraffe Early Learning Centre caters for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

According to owner Jacqui Scheinberg, the centre aims to become a key part of the local community.

“We really aim to create an environment that’s very supportive for the children and families,” she said.

“Having four kids myself I have a real vision of what I would have liked for my own children and that’s what I’ve created here,” Ms Scheinberg said.

Having opened her first childcare centre in Sydney in 2009, the new centre in Melbourne caters to the growing number of Docklands and inner-city families, along with parents working in the city.

The Docklands centre opened in July this year and Ms Scheinberg said spaces were still available but were expected to fill quickly.

With its convenient Harbour Town location, Ms Scheinberg said working parents could find cheap parking at the shopping centre, drop their children off at Giraffe Early Learning Centre and then jump on the free tram and head to work.

Ms Scheinberg said the centre was focused on ensuring children were comfortable and settled in their new environment.

“Something we do that a lot of centres don’t, is our long transition periods into the centre. We encourage families to visit as many times as they need to in order for their children to feel comfortable with us,” Ms Scheinberg said.

She said the centre’s purpose-built, open-plan classrooms also promoted a sense of community across the centre.

At the same time, the “magnificent” rooftop outdoor play area was also a highlight, Ms Scheinberg said.

With play equipment, a sensory garden, a sandpit and plenty of space to run around, the space offers children a great play environment.

“Many of the children we care for live in apartments and have very little outdoor play space at home, so having such a big outdoor area for them here was so important,” Ms Scheinberg said.

Giraffe Early Learning Centre currently has childcare places available and welcomes enquiries.

The centre is located at level 1, 25 Star Crescent at Harbour Town Melbourne in Docklands.

Visit http://www.giraffedocklands.com.au or call the centre on 9670 0880 for more information.

 

What’s did you say? Can you repeat that?

If your hearing is not what it was, it may be time to see Dr Moh Dadafarin and his highly-qualified team of audiologists for a hearing test.

Relatively new to the CBD, Ear and Hearing Australia is well established in Melbourne, with five major clinics and nine visiting sites.

Dr Dadafarin himself has 30 years at the top of the field and is one to the most highly-qualified practitioners in Australia. He’s passionate about better hearing and he sets his business apart from competitors with his personal approach.

For Moh and his team, it’s all about going over and above so that first-time visitors become life-long customers who are happy to refer their friends and family.

“What makes us different is the way we look after people,” Dr Dadafarin said.

“We are known as a premium hearing service provider in Melbourne. Focusing on clients and their hearing needs, our audiologists provide a high level of care and employ holistic approach for optimal treatment outcomes.”

He added: “We look at the whole person. We don’t just look at people’s ears or their test results. Instead, we look at their hearing difficulties, their hearing and social needs and look at their lifestyle before we recommend any treatments.”

“So, based on who you are and what your needs are, we can recommend the most appropriate treatment options. This could be a hearing aid or could simply be an assistive listening device and/or learning some listening techniques.”

Hearing aids, as the most common option for treating hearing loss, have been shown to improve people’s quality of life, provide better self esteem, and improve mental health.”

“And hearing aids have changed dramatically. People can now have invisible hearing aids that work like contact lenses,” Dr Dadafarin said. “A revolutionary 100 per cent invisible device that can be worn 24/7 for months at a time, with no battery to change and with no need for daily insertion and removal.”

Ear and Hearing Australia is one of the few practices accredited to fit the new Lyric brand “invisible” hearing aids.

“Proudly independent, we are not aligned with any hearing aid manufacturer. Instead, we give you unbiased advice for your hearing needs and offer you the most appropriate hearing solutions, hearing aids and assistive listening devices (if needed) from a wide range of brands for optimum audiological outcomes,” Dr Dadafarin said.

“We have a team of leading audiologists specialised in all aspects of hearing loss with masters and/or doctorate degrees in audiology, with up to 30 years of experience each, employing research and advances in technologies to offer the latest hearing loss treatment options.”

Dr Dadafarin said the extra time spent with patients paid off for everyone.

“We spend lots of time with people to assess their individual needs and discuss their options in details. If we proceed to a fitting, we spend lots of time programing, adjusting, and optimising the aids and making sure clients can manage their hearing loss and their hearing aids easily,” he said.

“As part of our ongoing support, we may offer our clients complementary hearing workshops and unlimited appointments in the first 12 months followed by yearly assessments or adjustments for the normal life of their hearing aids.”

As a one-stop-shop, Ear and Hearing Australia offers hearing tests, electrophysiological assessments, independent advice, hearing aid fitting, tinnitus assessment and ongoing support.

Wax removal is another service offered on-site. And it’s not the usual washing and syringing either. The team uses microscope-guided suction to safely remove earwax.

Dr Dadafarin recommends that people over 50 have regular hearing tests but everyone is welcome at the new LaTrobe St clinic. No referral is necessary and the clinic treats both government-funded and private patients.

“Anyone over the age of 50 should have a regular hearing test, especially if they notice that their hearing is not as good as it use to be or if they are struggling in noisy situations,” he said.

Ear and Hearing is located at 414 LaTrobe St. Ring 9329 5055 for an appointment or visit http://www.ear-hearing.com.au

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