Introducing the Hearing & Brain Health Academy
For the past 20 years, as my patients well know, I’ve been plugging away at delivering a clear message, that ignoring a hearing deficit is deleterious to your health and wellbeing. It can, and often does affect your cognitive health, indeed science shows us that hearing loss is the #1 modifiable risk for the prevention of dementia.
One in six Australians currently suffer from hearing loss. This number is expected to rise to one in four by 2050, largely due to our ageing population.
Around a billion people across the world have hearing loss. In Australia, only around one third of people who could benefit from the use of hearing aids actually use them. That amounts to a high burden on the brain and body as well as devastating impacts on relationships.
Normally I educate my audiences on these important matters in live seminars, however these are not always easy for people with full time commitments to attend. Perpetual lockdowns due to COVID, and the subsequent venue capacity & travel restrictions have added further challenges. So, I wondered, how I could get this vital message across to a global audience without them having to leave their living room.
Hence, my online Hearing & Brain Health Academy was borne to help counter this very serious issue that costs Australians an estimated $11.75 billion annually in lost productivity, not to mention the other devastating impacts.
The Academy, a fully-online course, consists of eight high quality videos where I focus on the far-reaching impacts of untreated hearing loss and how it can be addressed. It explores the effect on cognitive health, including the science and studies behind the statistics. Much of the research outlined here indicates that hearing loss may impact memory and other cognitive functions.
The videos also present information on how devastating hearing loss can be on relationships and that it can cause social isolation, which is a huge cost. Social isolation and loneliness can have an effect on your health that is as impactful as smoking or alcoholism. It is well known that people who maintain good relationships live happier and longer lives, whereas those who experience the effects of social isolation often die earlier. Not being able to hear well enough can cause people to significantly withdraw from life.
You’ll also learn that treating hearing loss is straightforward and can be life-changing, and you’ll discover what to expect from the experience. I provide advice, which will help you talk to your audiologist, about how a person needs to be eased into the new experience of hearing sounds that they’ve been missing out on.
The Hearing & Brain Health Academy is about dispelling the myths surrounding hearing loss, and revealing the benefits of early treatment – the longer it’s left untreated, the harder it is to restore. Then there’s the impact on loved ones, which can be just as devastating.
The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people will be living with some degree of hearing loss. I hope that the information contained in the Hearing & Brain Health Academy will give you a new perspective and lease on life. I developed this free content online to help reach as many people as I can and for it to be easy to follow and easily sharable. For complimentary and immediate access to the Hearing and Brain Health Academy please click on the link below:
Click here to access the Academy
If you know anyone that could benefit from the program, please click the buttons below to share via Facebook, or email your friends and family directly so they can receive free access.