Session 10: Navigating Life After Acoustic Neuroma – Cognitive, Emotional & Functional Impacts
Drawing on frameworks from cancer survivorship and rehabilitation, this session explores the psychological, cognitive, and functional impacts of acoustic neuroma. It addresses adjustment to a complex diagnosis, including grief and identity shifts related to changes in hearing, balance, facial function, and other neurological effects. The session also provides an overview of neuropsychological and cognitive assessment across the care journey, and highlights practical strategies to support self-management, daily functioning, emotional well-being, and social reintegration.
About Dr. Bernstein
Dr. Lori Bernstein is a clinical neuropsychologist and clinician-investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Her clinical practice includes neuropsychological assessment, along with individual and group psychoeducational interventions to support patients in developing self-management skills for coping with cognitive impairments during and after cancer diagnosis and treatment. Her research focuses on better understanding and characterizing cognitive changes after cancer treatment, improving functional outcomes, and developing care models and resources to support people experiencing cognitive symptoms.
