Conference Program - Saturday
The Conference will be held on Saturday 14 March 2020. Please see the following for the preliminary Conference program.
| Time | Content | Speaker |
| 0845 - 0900 | Welcome and Introduction | Audiology Australia |
| 0900 - 1000 | Evidence-Based Interventions for Adult Aural Rehabilitation - That was Then, This is Now In 2007, Arthur Boothroyd published the often-cited “Adult Aural Rehabilitation: what is it and does it work?”. More than a decade on, this presentation will examine developments in adult aural rehabilitation (AR) to improve auditory function, activity, participation and quality of life through research relating to the four cornerstones of AR intervention: hearing aids and other listening devices (sensory management), knowledge and skill (instruction), auditory and cognitive training (perceptual training), and motivational engagement (counselling). Self-management and behavior change are at the core of many of these interventions. There will be a focus on the need for high-quality research to provide rigorous evidence to inform clinical practice and national guidelines. Much of this new research has a theoretical underpinning (e.g. behavior change theory) to better guide the development and evaluation of interventions, increasing likelihood of implementation of research into clinical practice. The role of new and emerging technologies that support e- and m-health delivery of interventions to increase access, personalization, engagement, and empowerment of patients will be highlighted. Looking to the future, the requirement for a set of relevant and appropriate outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness hearing healthcare services will be discussed. This talk highlights the need for high-quality evidence, underpinned by contemporary theory, to increase the likelihood that translational adult aural rehabilitation research that aims to benefit patients will be applied in future clinical practice. | Dr Melanie Ferguson |
| 1000 - 1045 | Tools for Managing Real-Life Hearing Hearing happens in real-life, not in a clinic. This presentation will explore three different, complementary tools which can enable you to optimise hearing outcomes and provide the best person-centred care for your clients. SoundSense Learn is a user driven control which enables the client to select the sound which works best for them “in the moment”. These choices provide Real-Life Insights into their listening world, to empower you, the clinician, to provide more effective and targeted counselling. The third tool available provides the opportunity to deliver these services at a location which works for the client. Ultimately, the goal of a hearing device is to provide the client with a natural hearing experience and an accurate representation of the real world. The technologies in today's devices make this goal more achievable than ever before. | Valerie Smets |
| 1045 - 1115 | Morning Tea | |
| 1115 - 1145 | Harnessing mHealth Technologies to Empower Hearing Aid Users to Self-Manage their Hearing Loss mHealth technologies have the power to personalise hearing healthcare and increase user interaction, resulting in a more person-centred approach. This can lead to an increased sense of autonomy and empowerment. These themes emerged from several studies that examined hearing aid users’ experience of (i) smartphone-connected hearing devices, and (ii) an mHealth programme to improve knowledge about hearing aids and communication. The everyday experiences of adults with hearing loss were assessed after they used smartphone-connected hearing devices in the real-world for several weeks. A key advantage was that the smartphone app gave the user control to fine-tune their device to meet their individual needs. By being able to control the sound quality, participants were more likely to participate in conversations, and stigma was reduced as smartphones are a part of everyday life for many. For beliefs of capability, empowerment emerged as a key theme, as participants reported they could control and use their listening devices how and when they wanted. High-quality education is one of five key components that promote successful self-management of long term conditions. An online, freely available multimedia education programme (C2Hear) was repurposed for mobile technologies (m2Hear) to develop a personalised intervention. Participants reported that m2Hear was a concise and comprehensive resource that facilitated knowledge of hearing aids and communication, and improved personalisation and accessibility. Finally, m2Hear improved confidence to self-manage hearing loss, and empowered participants. Mobile-delivered hearing interventions, which users can control themselves, have the power to improve participation, self-efficacy, autonomy and self-management, which empowers the user. | Dr Melanie Ferguson |
| 1145 - 1230 | Vestibular Physiotherapy and the Hearing-Impaired Client In the world of Vestibular Physiotherapy ascertaining the presence and nature of hearing dysfunction is an important part of the clinical reasoning process. For example, patients suffering from Meniere’s disease may report fluctuating hearing loss, aural fullness and tinnitus, as well as vertigo. Frequently I am referring patients for audiometry as well as the usual vestibular function tests. Clearly there is a role for audiology in the multi-disciplinarian management of the dizzy patient. My presentation will outline how Vestibular Physiotherapy assists those clients with hearing problems that also present with dizziness, vertigo and imbalance. Improved liaison between the audiologist and vestibular physiotherapist can only improve clinical outcomes. | Steven O'Connell |
| 1230 - 1330 | Lunch | |
| 1330 - 1500 | Managing Complex Paediatric Cases in a Trans-Disciplinary Team At the Shepherd Centre we work in clinical teams of audiologists, listening and spoken language specialists and child and family counsellors in order to give children with hearing loss the best access to sound. We are committed to enable children who are deaf and hearing-impaired to develop spoken language so they can fully participate in the world, and in doing so, reach their full potential. The aim of this talk is to present how we work together as a team in the management of complex cases. This includes case studies of the management of unilateral/minimal hearing loss, moderate/severe hearing loss, complexities of hearing device compliance, and teleintervention. Examples will be provided on how we work together in tracking cognitive development in children with hearing loss including listening, play and thinking skills, social cognition (or theory of mind) and executive functions. Further we will discuss how we incorporate developing these skills in our management. | Joanna McAdam and Pia Watkins |
| 1500 - 1530 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 1530 - 1630 | Vestibular Migraine and More | Jessica Vitkovic |
| 1630 - 1700 | Audiological Management of Meniere's Disease | Celene McNeill |
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