Hearing loss in the ageing population: exploring beyond the obvious
In the European Union (EU), 34 million adults live with a disabling hearing loss, of which 22.6 million are not treated. When left untreated, hearing loss reduces a person’s ability to communicate with others but also impacts speech and language development, educational outcomes, quality of life, employment, relationships, and cognition. Untreated hearing loss has an estimated economic impact of 185 billion euros each year in the EU.
In Europe, one-third of people aged over 60 are living with a disabling hearing loss. Ageing is the most common contributing factor to hearing loss and hearing loss is in turn, often seen as a normal part of ageing. The session hosted by the Hearing Health Forum EU and supported by MED-EL Medical Electronics explores beyond the obvious to discuss the impact of age-related hearing loss from the individual to the health systems level.
Join the session on Thursday, 16 June at 11:45-13:00 CET with the keynote speaker Prof Dr Paul Van de Heyning, Vice Chairman, HEARRING Group, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium and esteemed panellists:
- Dr Patrick D’Haese MBA PhD, Corporate Director of Awareness and Public Affairs, MED-EL Medical Electronics, Belgium;
- Dr Axel Kaehne, Reader Health Services Research, Edge Hill University; Director, Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit of Edge Hill University; Editor in Chief, Journal of Integrated Care (Emerald); President, European Health Management Association, United Kingdom;
- Ms Yuliya Shcherbina, Market Development Lead, International Accreditation, Health Assessment Europe and Accreditation Canada, Belgium.
The opening address will be delivered by MEP Alex Agius Saliba, European Parliament, Malta (video contribution). The session will be moderated by Ms Emma Cracknell, Senior Vice President, Director, Head of Healthcare, FleishmanHillard; Hearing Health Forum EU, Belgium.