The Western Australia Chapter Conference & Workshops will be held at Rendezvous Perth Scarborough in Perth on Sunday 19 & Monday 20 February 2023. Please see below for the Western Australia Conference Day Program and the Workshop Day Program.
Western Australia Workshop Program
The Western Australia Workshop Day will be held on Sunday 19 February 2023. All times are in AWST time (WA time).
3 CPD Points per Workshop (Category 2.2)
| Time (AWST) | Details | Speaker/s |
| 0815 - 0845 | Workshop A Arrival & Sign In | |
| 0900 - 1045 | Workshop A: Working together - counselling caregivers of children who have hearing loss Inherent within every paediatric audiology appointment is the possibility for caregivers and audiologists to come together to merge ideas, thoughts, and emotions to enable optimal well-being for the child. However, we all know some appointments are less than ideal and don’t go to plan (our plan). Thoughts and emotions collide, tension can rise, and we are left with uncomfortable feelings that can be difficult to process. This workshop will explore the essential ingredients that promote well-being for the children on our caseloads by determining how our actions, thoughts and emotions facilitate this within a clinical setting. Come along prepared to role play and practise those difficult clinical scenarios we all know and experience. | Pia Leeming (Perth Children's Hospital) |
| 1045 - 1115 | Morning Tea | |
| 1115 - 1230 | Workshop A: Working together - counselling caregivers of children who have hearing loss (continued) | |
| 1230 - 1330 | Lunch | |
| 1230 - 1330 | Workshop B Arrival & Sign In | |
| 1330 - 1530 | Workshop B: Why aren’t we talking about implants? Your role in the shared care of Cochlear Implant candidates & recipients Think about your client, they’ve been using hearing aids for years or even decades but are no longer benefitting from them. You’ve optimised their hearing aids, upgraded their device to the latest technology, you’ve used every trick in your audiological toolkit, but they are struggling with their hearing and it is adversely impacting their life and wellbeing. And they keep coming back to see you. In this workshop, Ear Science Researchers and Implant Clinicians will empower you with the skills and tools to identify a cochlear implant candidate and support your client through an implant journey. You will hear from implant recipients and their significant others, learn the latest research findings and participate in hands-on activities using practical tools to build your experience and confidence. • Broaching Implants with your client • Understanding the outcomes you can expect for your client • Managing your client’s expectations of their implant • Supporting your client once they receive an implant, a shared care model | Dr Cathy Sucher (Ear Science Institute Australia) |
| 1530 - 1600 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 1600 - 1700 | Workshop B: Why aren’t we talking about implants? Your role in the shared care of Cochlear Implant candidates & recipients (continued) |
Western Australia Conference Program
The Western Australia Conference Day will be held on Monday 20 February 2023. All times are in AWST time (WA time).
6 CPD Points (Category 1.1)
| Time (AWST) | Details | Speaker/s |
| 0815 - 0845 | Arrival & sign in | |
| 0845 - 0855 | Welcome and Introduction | Emma Chaffey (Audiology Australia previous Chapter Chair) |
| 0855 - 0930 | The Hearing Australia CSO Program for complex clients This presentation will provide an update on the services and rehabilitation programs provided to clients who are referred to Hearing Australia under the complex needs criteria. It will also include referral considerations and touch on the implantation pathway. | Becky Kirby (Hearing Australia) |
| 0930 - 1030 | Genetic conditions and hearing loss Tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular basis of hearing and hearing loss. Through recent advances, we have begun to understand the fascinating biology of the auditory system and unveiled new molecular mechanisms of hearing impairment. Inherited hearing loss is characterized by impressive genetic heterogeneity. An abundance of genes carry a large number of mutations, but specific mutations in a single gene may lead to syndromic or non-syndromic hearing loss. Some mutations predominate in individual ethnic groups. Molecular diagnosis, which is already a reality for several hearing-associated genes, will doubtlessly continue to increase in the near future, both in terms of the number of mutations tested and the spectrum of genes. Genetic analysis for hearing loss is mostly used for diagnosis and treatment, and relatively rarely for reproductive decisions, in contrast to other inherited disorders. For clinical and laboratory diagnosticians, it is challenging to keep abreast of the unfolding discoveries. | Nick Pachter (Genetic Services of Western Australia) |
| 1030 - 1100 | Morning Tea | |
| 1100 - 1200 | Current trends in the management of conductive hearing loss in the indigenous population | Prof Peter Friedland (University of Western Australia) |
| 1200 - 1230 | Solution Suites | |
| 1230 - 1330 | Lunch | |
| 1330 - 1530 | Research in the West - an update | Facilitator: Helen Goulios (University of Western Australia) |
| 1330 - 1415 | Audiological research at the University of Western Australia UWA’s renowned Auditory Laboratory founded in 1962, has been a world leader in hearing research with multiple discoveries of inner ear physiology, which underpin our understanding of the cochlea and causes and treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus. The scope of auditory research at UWA broadened immensely with the inception of the Master of Clinical Audiology course in 2000 and this session brings together four UWA Academics to discuss their fields of research and what their work means for Audiologists. | Panellists: Helen Goulios, Helmy Mulders, Robyn Choi, Emma Chaffey (University of Western Australia) |
| 1415 - 1445 | Tinnitus in the Australian workforce Tinnitus is common in the Australian working population with certain workers more at risk. This talk will present the findings on tinnitus collected during the Australian Workplace Exposure Survey (AWES) – Hearing. This includes an estimation of the prevalence of tinnitus in the Australian working population and a look at which workers are more at risk of developing the symptom. Workplace practices and exposures that increase the risk of tinnitus will also be given. | Kate Lewkowski |
| 1445 - 1530 | Brain and Hearing research: What’s new? The Brain and Hearing research group at Ear Science Institute Australia has a vision to develop new knowledge and seek clinical strategies to enable people living with challenges associated with their hearing, cognitive and mental health. Working with clients and clinicians to inform our research, we aim to translate our research findings into clinical practice. In this session we will provide a snapshot of some of our latest research on hearables, cochlear implants and informed decision-making. | Melanie Ferguson, Cathy Sucher, Ellen Bothe & Matt Zimmerman |
| 1530 - 1600 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 1600 - 1700 | Audio-vestibular symptoms relating to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 We know that some viruses are capable of damaging the auditory system. There are many reports of an association between SARS-CoV2, COVID-19 and audiovestibular symptoms, but the quality of evidence is generally low and it is unclear if SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19 damages the audiovestibular symptoms. This presentation will review the evidence and summarise our most recent studies on the topic. | Prof Kevin Munro (University of Manchester) |
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