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Tune into CBC Radio in Your City to Hear Julia Kennedy, (SAC Director of Audiology) or Jerri-Lee McKay (Audiologist, former SAC Board Chair) Discuss OTC Hearing Aids

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Some recent changes to regulations around OTC hearing aids in the US has created some buzz in Canada.

At SAC, we feel this topic is timely and deserves attention. We feel strongly that any coverage on the subject should be based on information sourced from experts in the field.

Audiologists are the leaders in hearing health, which may or may not include OTC hearing aids. SAC advocates for equitable access to hearing health care that is individualized, safe, and effective. This requires the expertise audiologists provide at the highest level of training and quality of care.

CBC Canada approached SAC for our feedback on this important topic. This afternoon (October 21st) tune into CBC Radio in your city to hear Julia Kennedy, (SAC Director of Audiology) or Jerri-Lee McKay (Audiologist, former SAC Board Chair) discuss OTC Hearing Aids and what this could mean for Canada.

2:30pm     

 

 

 NEW BRUNSWICK – Shift
Vanessa Vander Valk – Host
Twitter: @ShiftNB
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-83-shift-nb
————-
2:40pm

 

 

 HALIFAX – Mainstreet
Jeff Douglas – Host
Twitter(show): @Mainstreethfx (Halifax Mainstreet)
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-37-mainstreet-ns
————-
2:50pm

 

 

 CHARLOTTETOWN — Mainstreet PEI
Matt Rainnie – Host/Producer
Twitter show/host: @mattrainniecbc
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-130-mainstreet-pei
————-
3:07pm

 

 EDMONTON – Radio Active
HOST: Jessica Ng
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active
————-
3:30pm

 

 

 CALGARY — Homestretch
Host – tba
Twitter: @CBCHomestretch
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-97-the-homestretch
————-
3:40pm

 

 

 CAPE BRETON (SYDNEY) – Mainstreet
Wendy Bergfeldt – Host/Producer
Twitter: @Mainstreet_CB
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-36-mainstreet-cape-breton
————-
3:50pm

 

 

 WHITEHORSE – Airplay
Dave White – Host
Twitter: @yukonradiodave
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-81-airplay
————-
4:07pm

 

 YELLOWKNIFE – Trail’s End – Host Lawrence Nayally
Twitter: @lawrence316
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-195-trail-s-end
————-
4:20pm

 

 WINNIPEG – Up to Speed
Host – Faith Fundal
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-111-up-to-speed
————-
4:30pm

 

 

 SASKATCHEWAN – Afternoon Edition
Garth Materie – Host
Twitter: @afternoonCBC
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-103-the-afternoon-edition-sask
————-
4:40pm

 

 LONDON/WINDSOR – Afternoon Drive
Host: various
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-80-afternoon-drive
————-
4:50pm

 

 

 KELOWNA – Radio West
Host: Sarah Penton
Twitter show: @cbcradiowest
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-96-radio-west
————-
5:20pm

 

 

 VANCOUVER – On the Coast
Gloria Macarenko – Host
Twitter: @CBCOnTheCoast
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast
————-
5:20pm

 

 

 QUEBEC CITY – Breakaway
Host: Alison Brunette
Twitter: @cbcbreakaway
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-79-breakaway
————-
5:50pm

 

 

 TORONTO – Here and Now
Gill Deacon – Host
Twitter: @CBCHereandNow
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-82-here-and-now-toronto
————-
6:07pm

 

 

 WHITEHORSE – Airplay
Dave White – Host
Twitter: @yukonradiodave
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-81-airplay
————-
6:20pm

 

 

 VICTORIA – All Points West
Host – Kathryn Marlow or Rohit Joseph
Twitter: @allpointswestbc
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-93-all-points-west

Kathleen Pichora-Fuller elected into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

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SAC would like to congratulate SAC member M. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller on her election as a fellow for the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2021 Kathleen Pichora-Fuller was the recipient of SAC’s Eve Kassirer Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was chosen for this award in recognition to her long history of distinguished and dedicated service to both SAC and the profession of  audiology. Her work has fostered the development and advancement of audiology nationally and internationally. She is also currently the Chair of SAC’s Audiology Services in Long Term Care Working Group.

She is also joined by SAC member Susan Rvachew, who has received national and international recognition for outstanding professional achievements in the field of speech-language pathology practice and research.

Fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community. This announcement has important implications for audiology and SAC because it provides an opportunity to lead new initiatives on various policy deliberations concerning hearing in later life, including the national dementia strategy, ageism, new models of inter-professional primary health care delivery, LTC, etc.

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences brings together Canada’s top-ranked health and biomedical scientists and scholars to make a positive impact on the urgent health concerns of Canadians. The fellows have been drawn from all disciplines across our nation’s universities, healthcare and research institutes, evaluate Canada’s most complex health challenges and recommend strategic, actionable solutions.

 

Click here to learn more and see the full list of 2022 fellows.

Survey: Assessing Dysphagia Readiness in Recent S-LP Graduates

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The Aging Swallow Research Lab and the Oral Health and Swallowing Research Lab are seeking speech-language pathologists who currently work with adults in Canada, to participate in a student research project titled “A Survey to Determine Readiness for Clinical Management of Adults with Dysphagia After Completing Graduate School in Canada Among Speech-Language Pathologists.” This survey is being conducted by undergraduate student Christine Lee, under the supervision of Dr. Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald from McMaster University, Dr. Rebecca Affoo and Juliana McLaren from Dalhousie University and Zuleikha Wadhwaniya from University Health Network.

The purpose of this study is to determine the readiness and competency of Canadian speech-language pathology students in clinically managing dysphagia, immediately following their graduation. We aim to recruit currently practicing speech-language pathologists, who have graduated from a Canadian program within the last 5 years (Classes of 2018-2022). We are not collecting any identifying information and only aggregate-level data (i.e., data that summarizes the results) will be made public.

The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Please note, there will be no financial benefits associated with the completion of the survey.
If interested, please click here

If you have any questions about this study, please do not hesitate to contact Christine Lee via email at leec128@mcmaster.ca.
Note that this study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HiREB) under Project #15267. The HiREB is responsible for ensuring that participants are informed of the risks associated with the research, and that participants are free to decide if participation is right for them. If you have any questions about the rights of research participants, please call the Office of the Chair, HiREB, at 905.521.2100 x 42013.

 

SAC and Extended HealthCare Professionals Statement for Parliamentarians

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As part of the return to Parliament, SAC alongside our coalition of Extended HealthCare Professionals released the following statement for Parliamentarians :

As Members of Parliament return to Ottawa for the House of Commons fall session, the Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) looks forward to collaborating with federal leaders and policy makers to address some of the most pressing healthcare issues facing Canadians. 

First and foremost on the agenda: Canada is in the middle of a healthcare human resource crisis. While much attention has been paid to hospital closures and access to primary health care, the issue is much broader and affects all parts of the healthcare delivery system, across the public and private sectors. EHPC members are committed to providing innovative solutions to address longstanding systemic pressures noting that current system challenges extend beyond physicians and nurses.
 
“The EHPC represents over 100,000 of Canada’s regulated healthcare professionals who are grappling with these challenges and have a crucial role to play in terms of identifying and implementing solutions,” said Ondina Love, Chair of the EHPC. The EHPC looks forward to working with key federal decision makers in the coming weeks and months to improve timely access to care and overall system performance for all Canadians.”
The four key recommendations which EHPC will be advancing this Fall are:
 
Address the health human resources crisis by investing in short and long-term retention and recruitment strategies for all healthcare practitioners. This includes expanding the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program, supporting provincial and territorial recruitment strategies, and expanded funding for educational institutions.
 

  • Ensure the long-term resiliency of the healthcare sector by improving the collection of workforce data to identify and understand labour trends and challenges within and across the public and private sectors.
  • Reduce the reliance on in-hospital care by improving access to preventative and early intervention interdisciplinary community-based primary care that includes the services provided by EHPC members such as Audiologists, Chiropractors, Dental Hygienists, Dentists, Denturists, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Social Workers.
  • Explore models that require Canadian employers to provide their employees with health and dental benefits to cover their health and wellness needs that are not covered by Canada’s public healthcare system.

 
“We encourage decision makers to broaden their understanding of Canada’s healthcare landscape and bring extended professionals into the conversation”, said Ms Love. “Addressing the many challenges facing healthcare in Canada, including the human resources crisis, will require all hands on deck, and our members offer the expertise and perspective needed to keep Canadians healthy and productive.”

Durham College CDA Program Teaching Opportunity

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Durham College is seeking an experienced and motivated professional who shares our commitment to quality and student success. The Faculty of Health Sciences requires a part-time professor to teach an Introduction to Audiology course for the Communicative Disorders Assistant program in the fall semester.

Interested candidates should send a resume to Gillian Dunn Associate Dean Faculty of Health Sciences gillian.dunn@durhamcollege.ca

 

Survey: Use of the DLD Label by Francophone Speech-Language Pathologists

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Do you use the DLD label in your assessment reports? There is a great deal of variability among S-LPs in the use of a specific term, a label, to identify children with persistent language impairment. Help Laurentian University understand your challenges and needs in French minority language settings nationally (outside of Quebec) by completing a survey. Please note, the survey is only available in French. 

Click here for more information and to complete the survey

 

Webinar – A Vision to Transform Canada’s Public Health System with Dr. Theresa Tam

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The COVID-19 pandemic represents the biggest public health crisis that our country has confronted in a century. While our public health system and workforce extended itself to respond to COVID-19, public health was challenged in its capacity to address other important and public health issues. The pandemic has highlighted the strengths of our system but it has also exposed vulnerabilities. During this webinar, Dr. Theresa Tam discussed how we can join forces across communities and sectors to build the public health system that meets the needs of all people in Canada.

Click here to access the webinar.

 

The Ida Institute Tackles Clinician Well-Being and Burnout with a Free New Course

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The Ida Institute Tackles Clinician Well-Being and Burnout with a Free New Course

Naerum, Denmark, April 25 – The Ida Institute’s newest Learning Hall course, Clinician Well-being: The Science of Self-care, launched April 25, 2022. The four-part course addresses causes and remedies for such things as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

Hearing care professionals have the privilege of being part of their clients’ hearing care journeys. But sometimes, professionals inadvertently take on their clients’ distress over hearing challenges or other things discussed in appointments. On top of that, they face caseload challenges, business pressures, and environmental influences, which all add further stress. If clinicians are not aware and prepared, they are at risk of professional fatigue.

 

Self-care allows for better care of others

This course helps hearing care professionals exercise self-care for their own well-being. It explores the various forms of professional fatigue: vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, and identifies their early warning signs. By the end of the course, learners will be able to develop their own professional fatigue warning scale, a self-care strategy, and a framework for debriefing within a clinical setting.

Ida’s Managing Director, Lise-Lotte Bundesen, said, “While most of our resources focus on the needs of people with hearing loss, we know that burnout, stress, and other forms of professional fatigue are an ongoing concern for both employers and employees across industries. This course looks specifically at the risks and remedies of professional fatigue in a hearing care setting and gives clinicians the tools to evaluate their own needs and make self-care a part of their daily lives. Because we can’t help others if we don’t first look after ourselves.”

 

The course is structured in four parts:

1. Risk factors for clinician well-being

2. Making empathy conscious

3. Tools and strategies of self-care

4. Debriefing in the clinical setting
This course includes several knowledge checks, ethnographic videos, and a short exam at the end of each section. Passing all four exams enables learners to apply for CEU/CPD points with accrediting organizations.

 

Clinician Well-being:

The Science of Self-care is taught by Dr Dunay Schmulian, Director of Audiology at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland, Australia. Schmulian is the former Chair of Wellness and Culture at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Queensland and a Women in STEMM Fellowship recipient. Her research focuses on the lived experience of patients and clinicians engaged in life-changing health conditions.

To view Clinician Well-being and all the Learning Hall courses, create a free account on the Ida Website at https://idainstitute.com/login/.

Learn more about the Ida Institute at idainstitute.com or sign up for the institute’s weekly newsletter.

You can also follow the Ida Institute at twitter.com/IdaInstitute, facebook.com/idainstitute or linkedin.com/company/ida-institute.

For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Clint McLean at the Ida Institute ciml@idainstitute.dk

 

 

Survey: The Impact of Impairment: Exploring Speech Pathologists’ Measurement of Outcomes in School-Aged Students with Communication Difficulties

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Are you a Speech-Language Pathologist who works with school-aged students (primary and/or secondary) with a primary diagnosis of speech, language or communication difficulty? If so, you are invited to participate in a study exploring current outcome measurements used by SLPs with this population being conducted by Masako Wong (Honours student), Associate Professor Jane McCormack and Dr Sharon Crosbie from the School of Allied Health at the Australian Catholic University. Participation will involve completion of an online survey which will take approximately 20 minutes. No personal details will be required and data gathered will be non-identifiable. Information from the survey will be aggregated to allow us to understand the outcome measurement tools currently being used and gaps in this area. If you are interested in participating in the study or require further information, please follow the survey link below to find the Participant Information Letter with further details about the study and the investigators, the consent form and survey questions.

Click here to complete the survey.
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