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home, and play. The brain cannot absorb it all. When you live with hearing loss, what you remember is determined by what you see and feel. The experience of death by PowerPoint is amplified. Over the years, I’ve sat through numerous frustrating presentations where the presenters seemed to talk to their slides with their backs to the audience, where [...] takers when you chair a meeting, and allies when you mishear. They gently nudge you back into the conversation. They sit with you in the quiet corners of the canteen or outside – weather permitting – to avoid the noise with you. They help you to listen to voicemails, book a taxi, and happily move seats in a meeting room to accommodate your needs. To have [...] I needed. This was a journey in itself and happened over several years. Other personal coping strategies have included arriving early to an event to choose a seat at the front, scanning the attendee list to remember names (in case I don’t hear them), and always making friends with the presenter or trainer so they don’t turn their back on me. Tips and

Montfort University (UK), the University of São Paulo (BR), the University of Southern Florida (US), Aston University (UK), the University of Queensland (AU), the University of Cape Town (ZA), and the University of Southern Denmark (DK), initiated a project to infuse audiology training with PCC through dedicated collaboration. The partners have since been [...] educational settings, however, the focus is mainly on teaching technical skills – and PCC is not systematically taught. Academic alliance This was one of the major topics when the Person-Centered Hearing Network convened in August 2019. At the meeting, Ida Institute university partners , including Utah State University (US), the University of Pretoria (ZA) [...] PCC is strong in academia – and continually growing – reservations are not uncommon. Clinical educators have varying levels of understanding of PCC and professionals who are not focused on the counseling side of the hearing journey may not believe that it applies to them. To ensure full commitment from the entire team, it is vital to address any hesitancies

tinnitus or assessing the characteristics of the symptom” she says. “Given the multi-dimensional nature of tinnitus, it will cover several domains including sleep, learning, emotional health, taking part in everyday activities, relationships, and hearing.” The development of the questionnaire is the aim of Smith’s PhD at the University of Nottingham. She is [...] is part of the Hearing Sciences team at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. “The project was developed in response to the recent practice guidance on the assessment and treatment of tinnitus in children released by the British Society of Audiology (BSA) . Within that guidance they highlight that there is a need for a questionnaire measure [...] really helped the children to open up by allowing them to project their experiences rather than making them feel like they’re put on the spot.” Smith is preparing to do a larger scale, quantitative validation study of the questionnaire to see if it accurately measures the impact of tinnitus in children. The aim is to have a version of the questionnaire

came from the fact that, for the first time in my life, I was going to be responsible for another person’s well-being. I had to think outside myself. And I had already lived many years with the challenges of hearing loss. As Joel grew up, my concerns proved valid – not being able to hear him cry from another room was just the start of the many challenges [...] ringing, if it was time to get up – and if the baby was crying in his room. It worked almost as well as the Hearing Husband jabbing me in the ribs to tell me that Joel was wailing. It was the start of a new life with technology. The second change was a shift in my self-view as a person with hearing loss. Exposure to the larger hearing loss community helped [...] One of the major challenges of hearing loss is localization, being able to tell where the sound is coming from. In my book, The Way I Hear It , I shared the frustration of trying to find a small voice coming from somewhere in the house. Mommee-ee! Comeeerr! OK, sweetie, where are you? (Pause) Here! Where here, dear? Here, where I am. In the room! But

hearing loss. The first pair I received ended up in a drawer and I returned them to the hospital during a declutter two years later. I was not ready to hear some of the new (painful) sounds in my everyday life. And I was not ready to wear hearing aids. I mean, how sexy is that? A few years later, I learned from my audiologist that they were the wrong type [...] My cochlear implant (CI) changed my life for the better I still remember the fear and daunting feeling of the year-long waiting process leading up to my CI. I reached out to the global CI community on Facebook and was met with nothing but encouragement and support from other global users – mainly in the US and Canada. Although we all have a different [...] had first discovered my hearing loss at the age of 15. The initial diagnosis with no explanation concluded: “There’s nothing we can do. Go away and get on with it.” These words defined my life. The next decade was spent studying languages, travelling the world, and teaching English abroad. And proving to the world that I decide what I can do. Not my

in appointments will help them understand the severity of their family member’s hearing loss. Show them the audiogram and explain the speech banana. As an expert, your input may get through where the family member’s explanations have not. 2. Teach communication best practices. My family and I did not have the communication best practice tools we needed [...] to share your expertise with the client’s primary support system. Doing so could have lasting benefits for the client’s hearing and the well-being of the entire family. Share your insights with your client’s family Hearing loss is difficult to understand if you have not experienced it yourself. This is true even if the person with hearing loss is a [...] challenges. The family may have insights into the situations that are easiest and hardest for your client to hear in, as well as what listening strategies they are currently using. Having the family involved in treatment planning can also help boost the likelihood of client compliance. 1. Gain first-hand observations from communication partners. The client’s

of time. In addition to the medical history, she asks about work environments, social activities, family members, and other things that seem relevant during the conversation. She uses motivational interviewing to encourage her clients to talk about their experiences. Sometimes she uses the Line or the Box as well. And to get the most complete picture [...] them hone their person-centered skills and apply them in their practices. Fogel was first introduced to the Ida Institute during a class in university called Counseling and Aural Rehabilitation. She learned about Ida tools like the Line, the Box, and the Circle , as well as Ida’s ethnographic videos. Her interest in person-centered care had been ignited [...] partners to appointments. “The goal is to understand a person’s communication needs and expectations in order to offer the best treatment options for them,” says Fogel. A recent review of communication studies published in ASHA Perspectives included this finding from the Institute for Healthcare: “Research evidence in the last few decades suggests that

audiologists could open underserved segments of the market by promoting patient-centered care.” The article highlights the growing recognition of the need for hearing care professionals to rethink their role. As foreseen during the Vision 2020 meetings, the functions that have been considered as the most essential so far – namely testing and fitting [...] person-centered care Since the Vision 2020 process, we have continued our work to raise awareness about the value of hearing and person-centered care through initiatives such as the Big Messages campaign in 2016 and through our ongoing communication and PR activities. In the last two years, we’ve seen a considerable increase in the interest in person-centered [...] to inform our work at the Ida Institute: 1) defining the hearing care manager of the future, 2) telehealth, and 3) raising awareness about the value of hearing. Tomorrow came even faster than anticipated. Looking back at our conversations from 2013, many of the future scenarios described then have become a reality, and many of the concerns that were raised

hearing loss was just about everything beyond the hearing aid that was finally prescribed when I was 21. I could have used help in navigating the hearing loss life, especially in my primary school years, most definitely in my teen years, and absolutely when I became an adult, when I had to make my own way through the communication terrors of working and s [...] No one to say, “you’ll get through this.” Back then, even my hearing aid professionals provided no support beyond telling me to “wear your hearing aids all the time and come back and see us in a year.” Years later, I found life-changing support from groups such as the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) and the Hearing Loss Association of America [...] employees adjust to the company culture and to strengthen co-worker bonds to improve employee satisfaction. The same simple model can be used in health issues such as hearing loss. I’ve been involved in an Online Mentoring Program with the BC Chapter of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA-BC) for the last two to three years. As patience isn’t

peer support Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) runs the largest group in the United States, operating more than 130 local chapters and holds a national convention for people with hearing loss each year. Here is a list of HLAA’s local chapters. Hearing Link runs similar clubs in the United Kingdom; you can find a list of their clubs here . Monthly [...] loss peers will teach your patients important hacks for living life to the fullest. This includes advice on communication best practices, recommendations of useful hearing assistive technologies and tips for advocating for the assistance they need. Your patients will thank you for the introduction. Many hearing loss support groups exist Hearing loss support [...] hearing loss in the workplace. There is also time for socializing with other people with hearing loss. Audiologists are welcome to attend. Please do. It is a wonderful way to become involved in your local hearing loss community and to better understand the challenges and concerns your patients face. You might volunteer to speak at one of the meetings. If