Mark Laureyns
Mark Laureyns is Audiologist and Speech Pathologist, he is director of the International CRS (Amplifon Centre for Research and Studies) in Milan, he lectures Hearing Aid Fitting at the Thomas More University College, Department of Audiology in Antwerp. He is expert on Audiology Practice and Safe Listening at multiple normative institutes and since 2014 he is president of the AEA (European Association of Hearing Aid Professionals).
His field of research concerns, safe listening practices, the added value of hearing aid signal processing, central auditory processing, localization and binaural masking release, the relation between hearing and cognition, hearing and burn-out, diabetes and hearing loss and quality professional hearing care.
He was born in September 1960, graduated as speech pathologist in 1982, he received his degree as rehabilitative audiologist in 1983 and graduated in hearing science in 1997.
He started as speech pathologist at the Antwerp institute for hard of hearing children in 1983 he started working as a rehabilitative audiologist for L’Acoustique Médical in Belgium in 1983. Since 1997 he has the position as lecturer hearing aid fitting at the Thomas More University College in Antwerp and since 2012 he is heading the Amplifon Centre for Research and Studies in Milan. He has been vice president of the Belgian National Association of Hearing Aid Professionals (CEUPA) since 1992, he joined the AEA (European Association of Hearing Aid Professionals) technical workgroup in 2009 and was elected AEA president in 2014. Since 2019 he is the co-chair of the World Hearing Forum “Make Listening Safe Workgroup”, an initiative of the World Health Organization.
Sessions
Introduction - Mark Laureyns (Thomas More University College Antwerp - CRS Amplifon – former co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
Ear and Hearing Care in Nigeria – Aderinola Olopade (Audiologist – Ear Care Foundation Nigeria – Co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
Ear and Hearing Care in Panama – Amarilis Melendez (Otorhinolaryngologist in Panama & former co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
The WHO initiatives to promote hearing care in developing countries - Carolina Der (Technical Officer Ear and Hearing Care Programme, WHO Geneva)
Making listening safe over one billion people are at risk of hearing damage due to unsafe recreational listening practices. To combat these risks WHO created the make listening safe initiative in 2015.
Introduction & History of the Make Listening Safe Initiative & Workstream - Mark Laureyns (Audiologist – Past co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
The World Hearing Forum – Make Listening Safe Workstream – Aderinola Olopade (Audiologist – Ear Care Foundation Nigeria – Co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
The role of IFOS - International Federation of Otorhinolaryngological Societies – in promoting #safelistening – Angel Ramos Macias (General Secretary of the International Federation of Otorhinolaryngological Societies (IFOS))
Panama’s pathway to implement the WHO safe listening standard for venues – Amarilis Melendez (Otorhinolaryngologist in Panama & former co-chair of the Make Listening Safe Workstream)
The WHO initiatives for safe listening and hearing loss prevention & Conclusions –- Carolina Der (Technical Officer Ear and Hearing Care Programme, WHO Geneva)
The relation between hearing loss and employment is well document and in the WHO World Report on Hearing you can read “An association between hearing loss and employment in adults is evident and adults with hearing loss have increased odds of unemployment or underemployment”.
The impact of hearing care and empowerment on employment is needs to get more attention. Informing and guiding hard of hearing people and their employers on how to be successful at work is a challenge for audiologists, and many other health and social workers.
Method:
We developed a survey on this topic, joint with EFHOH (the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People), AEA (European Association of Hearing Aid Professional) and the audiology department of the Thomas University College of Applied Sciences in Antwerp, where we used the International Outcomes Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), which we also adapted for Cochlear Implant users (IOI-CI), and questions for hard of hearing people using hearing aids, cochlear implants or other assistive devices on their experiences, needs, solutions, information and support at work. This survey was first evaluated by English native speakers, adjusted and then translated in 10 languages. After proofreading by native speakers of this language, the survey was distributed to all EFHOH and AEA member associations and networks.
Results:
70% of the subjects use or used hearing aids and 30% cochlear implants.
49% are or were full-time employed, 23% part-time, 16% is currently retired, others are unemployed, student or other.
95% of the participants state that their hearing aids or cochlear implants were at least moderately worth the trouble, 85% indicated that they improved at least moderately the situations at work, where they wanted to hear better and > 89% report they improved their enjoyment of life .
95% need to communicate regularly or more at work, and the acoustics at work are in 82% of the cases poor, very poor or average.
75% experience difficulties to communicate at work, 59% indicate their hearing loss affects their performance at work.
86% indicate, that the workplace culture regarding hearing loss and inclusion, needs to improve. 31% reported negative experiences related to exclusion or discrimination at work, but in 82% of the cases, the issue was not resolved or even got worse.
On the question “Who informed you about the possible support you could receive as a hard of hearing person at the workplace?”, 53% responded they were not informed, and only 8% was informed by their hearing care professional (ENT or audiologist).