The Pindrop Foundation’s Adult Cochlear Implant Forum at the University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus on Saturday 2nd November
The Pindrop Foundation’s Adult Cochlear Implant Forum at the University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, on Saturday 2nd November is a gathering of international and national leaders in the cochlear implant community who will be addressing the impact of hearing loss and its consequences.
“Hearing loss is not just about the absence of sound. It’s about the far reaching consequences on a person’s life; from communication challenges, to isolation, loneliness, increased risk of depression, mental health issues, cognitive decline and dementia,” says Lee Schoushkoff, CEO of The Pindrop Foundation, “We are fortunate to have leading New Zealand and international experts coming together to discuss hearing health policy and access to timely treatments.”
High-profile experts, including Professor Frank Lin, Director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health and Professor of Otolaryngology, Medicine, Mental Health, and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Sue Archbold, PhD, Hon LLB, Consultant on research, public policy and practice in deafness and hearing care, cochlear implantation and deaf education, will be speaking on the impact of hearing loss and its consequences.
Professor Frank Lin, will speak on hearing, aging and public health, “I will discuss research over the past several years that has demonstrated the broad implications of hearing loss for the health and functioning of older adults, particularly with respect to cognitive functioning, brain aging, and dementia. I will then discuss how this epidemiologic research has directly informed and led to current national initiatives in the United States focused on hearing loss and public health.”
Dr. Sue Archbold will speak on changing public health policy on hearing care. “With hearing loss now the third most common cause of disability, it is crucial that governments implement effective hearing health policies to ensure the optimal health of its citizens. Preventing and correcting hearing loss can help keep people active and engaged in their daily lives and also decrease the risk of developing other health conditions.”
With a 2019 theme of “The campaign to end silence,” the agenda will be packed with speakers on hearing health and cochlear implant technology. The Forum is an international gathering that brings together clients, surgeons, audiologists, researchers; funders and associated health professionals from the cochlear implant community. It is a full day of engaging discussions, information sharing, experience-based perspectives, networking and the opportunity to catch up with old friends and new.
The gathering is held biennially in New Zealand, with the 3rd forum being hosted at the University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus on Saturday 2nd November 2019. The Pindrop Foundation Adult Cochlear Implant Forum is always a sell-out event—register here: www.pindrop.org.nz
For more information: Nic Russell | hello@pindrop.org.nz | 027 345 2514
The speakers:
Frank R. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health and a Professor of Otolaryngology, Medicine, Mental Health, and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Lin is trained as an otologist with medical and surgical expertise in the management of hearing loss while his research is focused on studying questions at the interface of hearing loss, gerontology, and public health.
Keynote Address: Hearing, Aging, and Public Health
Medicine and public health have evolved through three eras over the past century. Beginning in the first half of the 20th century, infectious diseases were controlled for the first time in human history through vaccinations, antibiotics, and other strategies. Subsequently, throughout the 20th century, chronic diseases of middle and later life (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancers) became the leading causes of mortality but have also increasingly been better controlled. These successes of public health have led to a rapidly increasing population of older adults living longer than ever before. In this third era of public health and medicine, we are now confronting the challenges of aging and how to best optimize the health and functioning of a growing population of older adults. In this era, hearing and our ability to engage effectively with the environment around us are critically important but not yet priorities in the spheres of public health and public policy.
Dr. Sue Archbold, Ph.D, Hon LLD., is a consultant on research, public policy and practice in deafness and hearing care, cochlear implantation and deaf education.
Sue was a teacher of the deaf who helped establish The Ear Foundation to fund the first paediatric cochlear implants in the UK, going on to co-ordinate the Nottingham Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme, one of the biggest in the world, She was Chief Executive of The Ear Foundation from 2008 to 2016, leading its programme of support, information, education and research to ensure the maximum benefit from the latest hearing technologies at home, school and work, and now retains an advisory role there.
Sue was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Nottingham for her ground breaking work on cochlear implantation for children and adults, and continues to lecture internationally on the huge impact of hearing loss, and the value of access to today’s technology and good hearing care for all.
Keynote Address: Changing public health policy on hearing care: who does it and how?
About the Pindrop Foundation:
The Pindrop Foundation is a New Zealand charity supporting adults affected by a severe to profound hearing loss into a hearing world through cochlear implant technology and services.
A cochlear implant is different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids turn up the volume by amplifying sounds to make them easier for damaged ears to detect. Cochlear implants bypass the damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the hearing (auditory) nerve.
In New Zealand, forty cochlear implants are publicly funded for adults each year. There is approximately 200 adults currently assessed for a cochlear implant for whom there is no funding available.