Conference Program - Friday

The Conference will be held on Friday 29 November 2019. Please see the following for the preliminary Conference program.

Time	Content	Speaker
0845 - 0855	Welcome and Introduction	Audiology Australia
0855 - 0955	Hearing Health, Brain Health, Mental Health Management of hearing loss cannot be treated as an isolated sensory disorder but must include considerations for the wide-ranging ramifications of hearing loss on the physiology and psychology of the patient. Physiological considerations include that the presence of hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, cognitive impairment, dementia, brain atrophy, and reduced brain volume. Psychological considerations include the presence of untreated hearing loss results in activity limitation and participation restriction, which in turn can have the psychological consequences of increased worry, stress, loneliness, depression, and anxiety along with reduced self-esteem. Audiologists must not only have treatment plans for amplification and signal-to-noise ratio enhancement, but must be aware of these physiological and psychological factors and be prepared to screen for non-auditory disorders. For patients who fail the screenings, audiologists should refer and engage the appropriate healthcare professionals for collaborative management of the patient. Learning Outcomes: Following this presentation, attendees should be able to: Recognize and apply evidence-based information relating hearing health to brain health (physiology) and mental health (psychology) Be able to express to clients/patients (and significant others) adverse relationships that can occur between untreated hearing loss and brain health and mental health Appraise preliminary status of brain health (focus on cognition) and mental health (focus on depression) using appropriate screening tools.	Dr Victor Bray
0955 - 1055	Collaborative Care Considerations for Adult Patients with Hearing and Balance Disorders Audiologists engage patients with comorbid health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease daily. These conditions are associated with an increased prevalence of hearing loss. Yet, addressing comorbid conditions during the case history or the hearing and balance evaluation does not occur regularly. This presentation will help you, the audiologist; identify the inter-professional team best suited to care for the patient needs. We will discuss how inter-professional referrals are established. We will address the need for patient education, which you can initiate, regarding the importance of seeking inter-professional care. Finally, through case studies we will review the audiometric profile of patients with comorbid conditions. Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to apply to identify co-morbid conditions with the potential for a significant negative impact on hearing and balance Participants will be able to identify the members of the inter-professional health care team who are best suited to support the patient needs regarding their presented co-morbid condition. Participants will be able to explain the importance of collaborative care to their patient, through improving patient education.	Dr Jonette Owen
1055 - 1125	Morning Tea
1125 - 1210	Connecting People Through Technology With a greater focus on providing client-centred care in the audiology industry, and the rapid pace of technology innovation and change, the role of the clinician is changing and becoming increasingly stretched both in terms of time and resources. ReSound Assist is an innovative and unique technology featuring telecare options that allows clinicians to provide a greater level of clinical care, whilst still preserving clinical time. Clients are engaging technology much more and are starting to interact with their health care practitioners in less traditional ways through live/web-chat, email, SMS and social media. People want to feel current, connected and in control of all aspects of their lives - and healthcare is no exception. This presentation will explore the opportunities and benefits of using telehealth technology, like Resound Assist, and how it supports practice management and provides a richer client experience. Research studies that look at the effectiveness of remotely fine-tuning hearing aids and hearing aid fitting outcomes when using this technology will be also be reviewed. Learning Outcomes: Identify an advantage and disadvantage for both Remote Fine-Tuning and Face-to-face fine tuning Describe how Remote Fine-Tuning could compliment their face-to-face appointments in their clinical practice	Kristy Kroutz
1210 - 1300	The role of audiologists as hearing health educators with other allied health professionals	Jason Snelling
1300 - 1400	Lunch
1400 - 1500	Hearing and Vision Impairment and Mental Well-Being in Older Age Age-related hearing loss is a marker of risk of cognitive decline and dementia. I will outline possible links between hearing/vision impairment and cognition, including hearing/vision loss as a biomarker for cognitive well-being, the impact of cognitive declines on function and sensory impairment as a causal contributor to cognitive decline and poor quality of life in older age. I will share recent research including our own work modelling i) relationships between age-related impairment of sensory function and cognition and ii) modelling the impact of sensory interventions (i.e. hearing aid use and cataract surgery) on cognitive outcomes between intervention and control groups. I will argue that effective prevention, identification and management of hearing and vision problems represents an important opportunity to optimise mental well-being and quality of life in older age. Learning Outcomes: Understand relationships between hearing loss and cognitive decline/dementia Awareness of the significance of the relationship for audiologists	Dr Piers Dawes
1500 - 1545	Journal Club: Barriers and Facilitators to Cochlear Implant Referral Globally cochlear implants are becoming recognised as the standard of care for adults with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Despite the reported success of cochlear implants (1,2) they remain underutilized by adults globally (3). There are various and complex barriers and facilitators to cochlear implant uptake. Knowledge of these barriers and facilitators can inform and support Audiologists in counselling adults for who hearing aids are no longer suitable, thus increasing referral for cochlear implant assessment and surgery. This interactive session is designed to support audiologists to keep abreast of some of the latest research in the area of cochlear implants and explore their implications on clinical practice in a supportive and collaborative setting.	Michelle Moran and Jaime Leigh
1545 - 1615	Afternoon Tea
1615 - 1730	Panel Discussion: The role of the audiologist in managing co-morbidities	Facilitator: Vivian Wong Members: Piers Dawes, Jason Snelling, Monica Jones
1730 - 1830	Networking Drinks

Journal Club: Barriers and Facilitators to Cochlear Implant Referral - Reference List:

1. Gaylor, J. M., Raman, G., Chung, M., et al. (2013). Cochlear implantation inadults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 139, 265–272.;

2. Aimoni, C., Ciorba, A., Hatzopoulos, S., et al. (2016). Cochlear implants in subjects over age 65: Quality of life and audiological outcomes. Med Sci Monit, 22, 3035.

3. Sorkin, D. L., & Buchman, C. A. (2016). Cochlear Implant access in six developed countries. Otol Neurotol, 37, e161–e164.