In their recent article in the ASHA Leader, Jennifer Henderson-Sabes and Becky Bingea highlight the Ida Institute’s GROUP Tool as an excellent resource for hearing care professionals to start a group audiologic rehabilitation program at their clinic.
In the article, the authors highlight the enormous value of audiologic rehabilitation.
“Studies have demonstrated that AR can have many benefits, including better and more effective hearing aid use, better communication skills, better speech in noise perception, improved self-efficacy, reduced disability related to hearing loss and reduced participation limitations,” states Jennifer Henderson-Sabes and Becky Bingea.
The authors recognize, however, that audiologic rehabilitation is not a component of most hearing aid fittings. Through anecdotal reports, they find that many clinicians are not confident in their ability to conduct AR in a way that works for their patients or their clinics.
They recommend that clinics find the audiologic rehabilitation method that works best for them. In the article, they suggest Group AR, Individual AR, and Home-Based Individualized AR, as three possible ways for clinics to take advantage of the benefits of audiologic rehabilitation.
Along with the Ida Institute’s GROUP Tool, the authors recommend that clinicians refer to the ACE program developed by Louise Hickson, Linda Worrall, and Nerina Scarinci to help develop a group AR program at their clinic.
You can read the full article by visiting the ASHA website. Read the full article >>