The Western Australia Chapter Conference & Workshops will be held at Rendezvous Perth Scarborough on Thursday 12 & Friday 13 October 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 Thursday 12 October 2023. All times are in AWST time (WA time).
3 CPD Points per Workshop
| Time (AWST) | Details | Speaker/s |
| 0815 - 0845 | Workshop 1 Arrival & Sign In | |
| 0900 - 1030 | Workshop 1: A common language to communicate in. The NALguide: hearing aid features explained Improving a client’s knowledge about their hearing loss and rehabilitation options can foster increased participation in the shared decision-making process in client-centered care, influence hearing-aid purchase decisions, and improve uptake and self-management of hearing aids. The interactive hands-on workshop using the NALguide is intended to help you demystify hearing aid features for your clients. The workshop covers the development of a simple guide called “Hearing aid features explained” to support people in exploring the hearing aid features that could be used for their listening needs and discuss them with their family and clinician. Then discusses how this guide might be incorporated into your clinical practice to better support the early stages of the client’s journey, and when reviewing hearing goals and new technologies. This workshop will: - Describe the principles underpinning the design and development of the NALguide and findings from the NAL review of hearing device technology. - Conduct an interactive hands-on session discovering how you might use the NALguide to address the hearing needs of your clients. You will be provided with the NALguide workbook, however you may also want to bring your computer to gain access to the website during this workshop. Activities may include scenario planning, role plays and case studies. | Dr Paola Incerti (National Acoustic Laboratories) |
| 1030 - 1100 | Morning Tea | |
| 1100 - 1230 | Workshop 1: A common language to communicate in. The NALguide: hearing aid features explained (continued) | |
| 1230 - 1330 | Lunch | |
| 1230 - 1330 | Workshop 2 Arrival & Sign In | |
| 1330 - 1500 | Workshop 2: Facilitating empowerment and motivation in hearing healthcare Adult rehabilitation requires much more than the fitting of hearing aids. For successful client outcomes, a holistic approach is required, including preparing clients even before their hearing assessment. Recently, the concept of empowerment in hearing healthcare has emerged and has been defined, leading to the development of two measures: EmpAQ-5 with 5 items for clinical use, and EmpAQ-15 for research. Motivational tools, based on readiness and self-efficacy, have also been developed to increase motivational engagement for those with hearing aids. This interactive workshop will: - Describe the principles underpinning empowerment and motivation, and the current evidence base - Explain the empowerment measures and motivational tools, and offer hands-on use - Discuss how these measures and tools can be used in your everyday clinical practice | A/Prof Melanie Ferguson (Curtin School of Allied Health and Curtin enAble Institute) |
| 1500 - 1530 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 1530 - 1700 | Workshop 2: Facilitating empowerment and motivation in hearing healthcare (continued) |
Western Australia Conference Program
The Western Australia Conference Day will be held on Friday 13 October 2023. All times are in AWST time (WA time).
6 CPD Points
| Time (AWST) | Details | Speaker/s |
| 0815 - 0845 | Arrival & Sign In | |
| 0845 - 0900 | Welcome and Introduction | |
| 0900 - 1000 | Demystifying hearing aid features for your clients. The NALguide: hearing aid features explained The lack of standardized information about hearing aid technologies presents a barrier to those who wish to understand and make informed choices about which hearing aid technologies or features they may benefit from. This presentation discusses the NAL review that was conducted in order to develop a standardised approach to naming of features across device models and manufacturers and inform the design of a guide of hearing technologies to help consumers understand and make informed choices about which features they may benefit from. The NALguide is intended to be a living document that evolves through successive updates, and expands as needed. | Dr Paola Incerti (National Acoustic Laboratories) |
| 1000 - 1030 | Morning Tea | |
| 1030 - 1115 | The ear, balance and falls in older adults This presentation will discuss how not only the vestibular system but also the auditory system is associated with increased balance difficulties and risk for falls in older adults. As audiologists we frequently work with older adults, many with varying degrees of hearing loss, but what are the factors we need to consider when they report increasing balance problems in our clinics? We are aware of presbycusis, but have you heard of presbyvestibulopathy? I will discuss the newest (2019) diagnostic criteria consensus, present a case study including rehabilitation approaches, and discuss the evidence that shows an increasing degree of hearing loss can be associated with increased risk for balance problems. | Dr Barbara Heinze (Ear Science Institute Australia) |
| 1115 - 1145 | Remote-patient monitoring for dizziness Kate Lewkowski, winner of WA 2022 Innovator of the Year and the National iAwards (Community), will talk about the challenges of making a medical device. She will explore what happens when you take an idea seen in the clinic and applying technology to develop a solution. | Kate Lewkowski (Neurotologix) |
| 1145 - 1215 | A conversation about dizziness and the role of the audiologist | Dr Barbara Heinze (Ear Science Institute Australia), Kate Lewkowski (Neurotologix) & Andre Wedekind (Fiona Stanley Hospital) |
| 1215 - 1300 | Solution Suites | |
| 1300 - 1400 | Lunch | |
| 1400 - 1530 | CMV in neonates: screening, diagnosis, neo-natal care and the development of a vaccine The pursuit for a CMV vaccine- where are we at? - discussion on the challenges, considerations and current advances for the design of the next generation vaccines to prevent congenital CMV infection. | A/Prof Asha Bowen & Dr Ushma Wadia (Telethon Kids Institute) Dr Allison Reid (Perth Children's Hospital) & Dr Jafri Kuthubuteen (Western ENT) |
| 1530 - 1600 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 1600 - 1700 | Noise-induced hearing loss, hearing protection and managing noise in real life Recently there has been a paradigm shift in the laboratory and clinical understanding of the onset and progression of hearing loss due to noise exposure. Our new understanding of the 'hidden hearing loss' due to damage to the nerves in the inner ear suggests that hearing loss may be well advanced before the standard hearing test (i.e the audiogram) used for decades in military and other populations detects any deficits. Here I will present data from Defence, laboratory and other populations on the evidence for hidden hearing loss and discuss current testing diagnostics for noise-induced hearing loss and possible alternatives. Our new knowledge of noise-induced hearing loss suggests new noise-exposure guidelines may be needed, new tests may be required and new drug treatments may be open the horizon. | Dr David Sly (Ear Science Institute Australia) |
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