Conference Program
Saturday 23rd March
8:15am |
8:45am |
Registration & Arrival Tea & Coffee |
8:45am |
8:55am |
Welcome and Introductions |
8:55am |
9:55am |
Professor Christos Pantelis Mapping brain structure and function in schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders
In this talk I will focus on how the brain is changing during normal maturation from childhood to adulthood and examine what happens to brain trajectories in neurodevelopmental disorders. I will focus on psychosis and schizophrenia but will also discuss work on emerging disorders of mood, the impact of drugs, stress and influence of genes. I will also consider how trajectories in these disorders may be modified with treatment.
|
9:55am |
10:40am |
Associate Professor Mridula Sharma Cognition and hearing: a paediatric perspective
In audiology clinical practice, we measure hearing and potentially auditory processing. However, is that enough to assist school aged children in their ability to read, listen in noise or communicate? What is the contribution of cognition or language? Cognition encompasses a number of different skills but two that are of immense interest to hearing researchers are attention and memory.
The aim of the presentation is to discuss contributions of attention, memory and language along with hearing and auditory processing in functional tasks such as reading and speech recognition in noise.
|
10:40am |
11:10am |
Morning Tea |
11:10am |
12:10pm |
Dr Kim Kiely Making sense of hearing related cognitive decline
Cognitive impairment and sensory loss are two of the leading contributors to non-fatal disease burden among older Australians. Critically, age-related hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, and some have suggested this link to be causal and modifiable. This talk will cover the latest cognitive ageing and dementia epidemiology, describe their progression over the lifecourse, and identify the most widely recognised risk-factors for dementia prevention. A key focus will be to review hypotheses proposed to explain the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline, and appraise the current evidence in support of hearing healthcare as a viable intervention for reducing dementia risk.
|
12:10pm |
1:10pm |
Associate Professor Grant Searchfield The evolution of hearing aids to cogn'aids.
Untreated hearing loss speeds up age-related decline in cognition and is a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. Hearing aids have been proposed as a sensory-based intervention to slow age-related cognitive decline. But are current hearing aid fitting strategies fit for this purpose? Many hearing aids use fast signal processing to improve audibility of sound and comfort in noise. But individuals with cognitive difficulties are not able to process rapid signal changes and experience distortion instead. This talk will introduce a cognitively focused hearing aid fitting strategy (the CogniAid) intended to improve hearing and cognition in older persons. The basis of the fitting strategy, and the clinical trial underway to test the concept, will be described. |
1:10pm |
2:10pm |
Lunch |
2:10pm |
3:10pm |
Associate Professor Julia Sarant Cognitive decline and hearing loss in older adults: Why, how, and what can we do?
Cognitive decline and hearing loss are highly prevalent conditions in older adults. Older people with hearing loss also have an accelerated rate of cognitive decline compared with those without hearing loss. With the projected growth of the older population, by 2050 there will be almost 1 million people in Australia alone with cognitive decline, for which there is currently is no successful treatment. This presentation will explore the theorized causes of dementia and hearing loss and their association with each other. The initial results of a current study of the effects of cochlear implant use on cognitive decline will also be discussed.
|
3:10pm |
3:40pm |
Afternoon Tea |
|
|
|
3:40pm |
5:15pm |
Ageing Colloquium
By 2050, one-in-four Australian adults will experience hearing loss, and older adults will and greatest impairment. Hearing loss impacts communication and quality of life for the person with the hearing difficulties, their significant others, and is just one of many conditions which contribute to the complexities of ageing. An understanding of the breadth and complexity of the ageing process is essential for professionals working with older adults, to deliver consumer-centric, family-centred care.
This colloquium will bring a multidisciplinary approach to how ageing can impact an individual’s quality of life and functioning. Rather than focusing on impairment alone, the panel will also consider how ageing impacts an individual’s Activities, Participation, along with the influence of individual context.
This session will provide delegates an opportunity to reflect on their individual practice and promote a holistic approach to achieving the best outcomes for older adults.
This panel will consist of a group of experts from diverse professional backgrounds.
|
5:15pm |
6:15pm |
Networking Drinks |
| | |
| | |
Pre Conference Workshop 1
Friday 22 March 2019
Hearing loss, tinnitus and cognition. The natural selection of audiology practice.
Optional - Limited to 40 Participants
Additional Charges Apply
4pm |
4:30pm |
Registration & Arrival |
4:30pm |
4:35pm |
Welcome and Introductions |
4:35pm |
6pm |
Associate Professor Grant Searchfield
The habitat of Audiologists is changing. We are facing threats to the status quo with new technologies and consumer driven concepts of hearing health service delivery encroaching on our environment. But with these challenges new opportunities arise. Most populations in the developed world are aging. As we age the chances of hearing loss and tinnitus increase. Persons with tinnitus are more likely to have a hearing loss than not. Persons with tinnitus also tend to do poorer at complex thinking tasks than those without. Untreated hearing loss has been identified as a risk for more rapid cognitive decline as we age. Thus hearing loss, tinnitus and poorer cognition with age are inter-related. Is it possible that hearing aids could improve hearing, tinnitus and reduce the chance of mild cognitive impairment and dementia? The number of people with dementia worldwide is estimated to double in the next three decades. This will have a huge impact on healthcare budgets worldwide, so urgent efforts are needed to reduce this burden. Audiology can take a lead in this area. This workshop will cover emerging audiology practice across hearing loss and tinnitus with a focus on incorporating cognitive function as part of your scope of practice. Clinical tools for the assessment and management of cognitive decline will be introduced and demonstrated, including an aural rehabilitation approach comprising: instruction, counselling, sensory management and perceptual training. Barriers and facilitators to new and emerging practices will be discussed.
|
6pm |
6:15pm |
Refreshment Break |
6:15pm |
7:45pm |
Workshop finishes at 7:45pm |
Post Conference Workshop 1
Sunday 24 March 2019
Hearing loss, tinnitus and cognition. The natural selection of audiology practice.
Optional - Limited to 40 Participants
Additional Charges Apply
8:30am |
9:00am |
Registration & Arrival |
9:00am |
9:05am |
Welcome and Introductions |
9:05am |
10:30am |
Associate Professor Grant Searchfield
The habitat of Audiologists is changing. We are facing threats to the status quo with new technologies and consumer driven concepts of hearing health service delivery encroaching on our environment. But with these challenges new opportunities arise. Most populations in the developed world are aging. As we age the chances of hearing loss and tinnitus increase. Persons with tinnitus are more likely to have a hearing loss than not. Persons with tinnitus also tend to do poorer at complex thinking tasks than those without. Untreated hearing loss has been identified as a risk for more rapid cognitive decline as we age. Thus hearing loss, tinnitus and poorer cognition with age are inter-related. Is it possible that hearing aids could improve hearing, tinnitus and reduce the chance of mild cognitive impairment and dementia? The number of people with dementia worldwide is estimated to double in the next three decades. This will have a huge impact on healthcare budgets worldwide, so urgent efforts are needed to reduce this burden. Audiology can take a lead in this area. This workshop will cover emerging audiology practice across hearing loss and tinnitus with a focus on incorporating cognitive function as part of your scope of practice. Clinical tools for the assessment and management of cognitive decline will be introduced and demonstrated, including an aural rehabilitation approach comprising: instruction, counselling, sensory management and perceptual training. Barriers and facilitators to new and emerging practices will be discussed.
|
10:30am |
10:45am |
Morning Tea |
10:45am |
12:15pm |
Workshop finishes at 12:15pm |
Post Conference Workshop 2
Sunday 24th March 2 019
Audiology in practice - re-thinking problem solving
Optional - Limited to 40 Participants
Additional Charges Apply
12:30pm |
1:00pm |
Registration & Arrival Tea & Coffee |
1:00pm |
1:05pm |
Welcome and Introductions |
1:05pm |
2:30pm |
Dr Isabelle Boisvert Many of us have ideas about how to improve professional services in Audiology. Different approaches exist to tackle the clinical problems we face, including quality improvement, evidence-based practice, clinical research, or marketing processes. These processes, however, often become entangled despite having different aims, leading to unfocused outcomes that are difficult to implement. Through individual and group activities, this workshop aims to provide practical ways to articulate and understand existing problems we encounter as audiologists, as well as to clarify how different problem-solving frameworks can be used in practice. It will further discuss how recent knowledge in implementation sciences can help approach clinical changes. |
2:30pm |
2:45pm |
Afternoon Tea |
2:45pm |
4:15pm |
Workshop finishes at 4:15pm |
Thank you to our Sponsors