Check out our special section in the August 2011 edition of Hearing Review, which is now available online. The “Living Well with Hearing Loss” series focuses on the balance between traditional patient-counseling techniques and new approaches that focuses on the human dynamics of hearing loss. The concepts and strategies presented in the series provide practical ways for hearing health care professionals to provide patient-centered care.
In the first article, Jean-Pierre Gagné, PhD, Kenneth Southall, PhD, and Mary Beth Jennings, PhD explore how social stigmas about hearing loss often presents a major barrier to patient treatment. They recommend that hearing health care professionals be more aware of how stigmas affect their clients and potentially suggest counseling to overcome any social barriers. In the next article, Christopher Lind, PhD, discusses how clinicians can better understand how hearing-impaired adults communicate with their partners and how this knowledge may influence their definition of “living well”. Melanie Gregory, Ida Institute resident audiologist at the Ida Institute, contributes to the series with an article on self-efficacy and successful hearing rehabilitation techniques. Melanie contends that patients who do not take full ownership of their treatment will not take the necessary steps to live well with their hearing loss. Lastly, Lesley Jones, PhD, contributes an article on the importance of good communication and good relations between practitioner and client.
We hope these articles inspire audiologists to consider how they can modify methods and techniques to deliver more patient-focused care. Please click here to check out the articles online.