Why do people check their eyes regularly, but not their ears? And how can we encourage the public to get behind annual hearing checks?
Lions Hearing Clinic Operations Manager Nikola Hawkins and Audiometrist Meredyth Haynes joined discussions on this hot button issue and others, including hearables, at the ACAud Conference in Brisbane.
Meredyth said two major international speakers tackled the issue of regular check-ups.
“I really enjoyed hearing from Dr Therese Walden (USA) and David Welch (NZ) who both made reference to the need for audiology to become more “normalised” and a routine part of health maintenance.
Dr Walden believes there needs to be an improvement on the unawareness of hearing and balance. She sees the need for further education of physicians, allied health providers, regulators and legislators as being a pathway to improvement.
David Welch provided a similar vision for ‘audiology for all’. He believes we all have a role to play in the promotion, prevention and treatment of hearing loss.” Nikola says it’s conferences like these that improve audiology across the board.
“I feel privileged that I was able to have open discussions with our colleagues around Australia, meet guest speakers from around the world and pick the brains of experts in the audiology field.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the ACAud conference in Brisbane. There was a big focus on exploring and education around ‘mild’ hearing loss, hearable solutions, remote support, and making sure we have a holistic approach with allied health care professionals, GPs, ENTs and surgeons when it comes to patient care.”
Ear Science Institute Australia is heavily involved in global discussions. Our researchers regularly share our own findings, while our Audiologists go to international conferences every year to bring learnings back to our clinics in Perth.
