Hearing and Brain Health

DemTalks

Participants in this episode:

Dr Eithne Heffernan - member of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (DCCN).

Dr Eithne Heffernan cared for a close family member with dementia.

Eithne joined the DCCN in 2021, and has been involved in policy consultations, focus groups and presenting at conferences.

Eithne is a member of the Dementia: Understand Together Campaign Working Group, facilitated by the HSE and the National Dementia Office. She is a member of the INTERDEM Academy Management Board, which supports training and development of junior dementia researchers in Europe.

Eithne is from Mayo and is a healthcare researcher. Currently, she is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, examining the needs of people living with co-existing dementia and hearing loss and their families.

Dr Sabina Brennan – neuroscientist, psychologist, brain health expert, author, and former television actress.

Dr Sabina Brennan is a prominent Irish neuroscientist, psychologist, and author. Sabina’s books include Beating Brain Fog and 100 Days to a Younger Brain, both Irish Times No1 bestsellers. Sabina presents the Super Brain podcast, where she talks to an eclectic, inspiring mix of guests and shares practical tips on transforming your everyday brain into a healthy, happy Super Brain.

Dr Brennan directed a dementia research program at Trinity College Dublin for seven years and she led Brain Fit, a large-scale research study examining the relationship between brain health, lifestyle, genomics and dementia risk.

Sabina represents Ireland on the Scientific and Medical Advisory Panel for Alzheimer’s Disease International and volunteers on several committees and advisory boards. She has advised the Irish Government and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Longevity in the UK on brain health, dementia risk reduction and healthy ageing.

Sarah Sheehan – Chief Audiologist at Hidden Hearing Ireland.

HE Dip HAA, M.I.S.H.A.A, BSc (Hons) Project Management, BSc Engineering, MSc in Hearing, Balance & Communication​.

Sarah Sheehan joined Hidden Hearing in 2018 as an audiologist and is a member of Hidden Hearing’s Learning & Development team. She is committed to providing audiology education and keeping up with current audiology trends.

Sarah practised audiology for almost 12 years prior to joining Hidden Hearing, gaining experience in diagnostic audiology, irrigation & micro-suction procedures. The provision and application of aural rehabilitation is Sarah’s passion.

As technology grows, Sarah ensures that Hidden Hearing is building and nurturing centres of excellence, and that the team has the competency and skills to ensure the best patient experience.

Sarah believes that audiology standards, delivery of service care, education and awareness of hearing health, and understanding the impact of hearing loss on quality of life, are expanding, and this will help reshape the way people view and address hearing loss.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Helpline: 1800 341 341

[e-mail]

www.alzheimer.ie

Hidden Hearing: 1800 882 884

www.hiddenhearing.ie

Irish Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists

https://www.ishaa.ie/

http://superbrain.ie/

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Family Carer Training

www.alzheimer.ie/about-dementia/family-carer-training/

Books by Dr Sabina Brennan:

100 Days to a Younger Brain

Beating Brain Fog

Brain Gym: 40 workouts to boost your brain health

The Neuroscience of Manifesting – due to be published in 2024

Destress Report 2017

http://www.sabinabrennan.ie/2018/06/destress/

‘Test Your Ears at 50 Years’ National Campaign for Better Hearing

www.hiddenhearing.ie

World Health Organization

https://www.who.int/

An important article on brain health and dementia prevention:

Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission

https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext