Ané Radley, a speech-language therapist and audiologist at The Ear Institute of South Africa and one of the speakers participating in the upcoming Positive Ageing Edutalks and Expo, says people often ask if hearing loss is normal for their age. “But the question should rather be, ‘is this the average for my age?’” she says. “By looking at it this way we can compare a person’s hearing abilities (or lack thereof) to what’s expected at that age and gauge the level and rate of deterioration.”

Hearing loss doesn’t have to be the end of life as you know it; there are ways to control the rate of deterioration and in some cases, stop it entirely.

“The golden rule of ‘the sooner you start, the better’ is particularly true when it comes to hearing intervention. Stimulation of the hearing system via a hearing instrument can curb the rate of the deterioration, and might even stop it completely,” Ané adds.

Hearing instruments address not only the ear’s functioning i.e. hearing, but also the brain’s ability to analyse sounds and make sense of the message being heard; to discriminate between different sounds; to identify different sounds and to localise the direction of the sound.

The first step to treating your hearing loss is getting a professional opinion – why not start at the Positive Ageing Edutalks and Expo?

Hear more from Ané at the Positive Ageing Edutalks and Expo!

The Positive Ageing Edutalks and Expo takes place from 2-4 March 2012 at Misty Hills Hotel in Muldersdrift, Gauteng. It’s a three-day mind, body, soul event that promises to enlighten you on the latest, progressive thinking around healthy ageing and how to practically improve your health, lifestyle and wellbeing.

You can meet the experts, attend their workshops, watch live demonstrations and take time out to personally experience the regenerating effects of the therapies on offer – all in one venue!

Ticket prices for the edutalks range from R100 to R350 per person. Each talk is costed separately and, as there are limited seats available, pre-booking is essential. Expo tickets cost R95 per person.

Weekend packages that include discounted accommodation rates at Misty Hills Hotel are also available. Depending on your particular interests, you can choose to attend one or all speaker workshops, or different combinations thereof.

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