As a healthcare professional, you want the best for your patients, including addressing their hearing needs. However, tackling hearing problems requires specialized expertise and resources. By partnering with Hearing Australia, you can ensure your patients receive the support and services they need to minimize the impact of hearing loss.
Hearing Australia offers a wide range of hearing solutions. We prioritise evidence-based practices and customer outcomes, ensuring that no guesswork is involved. Partnering with Hearing Australia means accessing our extensive experience in assessing and managing hearing loss.
Who is Hearing Australia?
Hearing Australia is the largest provider of government-funded hearing services. Through the Community Service Obligations (CSO) program, we are the sole provider of specialist hearing services for children, adults under 26, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults over 50 and adults who require high-level specialist services.
Why partner with Hearing Australia?
With over 250,000 customers nationwide and more than 470 locations, Hearing Australia is well-positioned to serve your patients. Our Outreach program reaches over 220 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander urban and rural sites, providing essential support and services with Hearing Australia.
Why should health professionals be concerned about hearing health?
When left untreated, hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal and low self-esteem. If not properly dealt with, patients are less likely to seek multiple opinions and may give up.
One in six Australians have some form of hearing loss1 and it only becomes more prevalent with age.
It’s more crucial than ever to detect signs of hearing loss as quickly as possible to not increase an individual’s risk of developing other acute health conditions:
- Hearing loss and cerebral and cardiovascular disorders: Hearing loss can serve as an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease, as inadequate blood flow and trauma to the inner ear may result from poor cardiovascular health2.
- Hearing loss and diabetes: People with diabetes have a higher rate of hearing loss, likely due to nerve and blood vessel damage in the inner ear caused by the condition's pathological changes3.
- Hearing loss and cancer treatments: Cancer treatments can be linked to hearing loss and related conditions like tinnitus. Understanding the risk of ototoxicity and monitoring for early intervention is crucial for preventing permanent hearing loss during cancer treatment4.
- Hearing loss and mental health: Wearing hearing aids has been shown to reduce the impact of depression, improve overall health, and enhance independence and control over one's life5.
Essentially, the sooner hearing loss is treated the less impact it will have on a person’s life.
1. Economics, Access. The economic impact and cost of hearing loss in Australia. s.l. : Access Economics Pty Ltd, 2006.
2. Friedland, DR., Cederberg, C., Tarima, S. 2009, ‘Audiometric pattern as a predictor of cardiovascular status: development of a model for assessment of risk,’ Laryngoscope, March, volume 119, issue 3, pp. 473-86.
Hall, R., & Kerschen, S. 2010, ‘The Influence of Cardiovascular Health on Peripheral and Central Auditory Function in Adults: A Research Review,’ American Journal of Audiology, volume 19, pp. 9-16
3. Horikawa, C., et al., 2013, “Diabetes and risk of hearing impairment in adults: a meta-analysis,” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism Volume 98, Number 1, pp.51-8.
National Institutes of Health News, 2008, Hearing Loss is Common in People with Diabetes. Available from: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2008/niddk-16.htm [5 January 2017]. www.diabetesnsw.com.au
4. American Tinnitus Association. Ototoxic Brochure by League for Hard of Hearing. 2012. Lin, F.R., et al., 2013, ‘Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults’, JAMA Internal Medicine, 173(4), pp293-299.
Van As, JW., et al., 2016, ‘Platinum-induced hearing loss after treatment for childhood cancer,’ Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews Issue 8, No. CD010181
5 http://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52532-How-hearing-loss-can-impact-mental-health
