A Holistic Approach to Addressing Post-Fitting Needs in the Short and Long Term for New Hearing Aid Users

Abstract

Helping your client adjust to being a hearing aid (HA) user and learn to manage their hearing challenges requires a combination of technical skill and psychosocial counseling in the short- and long-term periods. A key aspect of providing support in this time period is to keep the door open for psycho-social-emotional counseling that is often necessary even when the HA user was motivated to make this change, and even when, objectively, they seem to be fit successfully. Another key aspect is not to assume that once they have checked off all the HA fitting boxes, you are done. Over the long term, the user will experience changes in their own hearing abilities and in their life circumstances that will require on-going support to adapt to new communication needs. Approaching the post-fitting period from a person-/family-centered perspective and using a holistic approach to consider how this treatment fits into the HA user's broader life will result in the most success for that person.

Keywords

aural rehabilitation - person-centered care - hearing aids

Publication History

Article published online:
26 July 2022

• References

• 1 Hickson L, Meyer C, Lovelock K, Lampert M, Khan A. Factors associated with success with hearing aids in older adults. Int J Audiol 2014; 53 (Suppl. 01) S18-S27
• 2 McCormack A, Fortnum H. Why do people fitted with hearing aids not wear them?. Int J Audiol 2013; 52 (05) 360-368
• 3 Grenness C, Meyer C, Scarinci N, Ekberg K, Hickson L. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a framework for providing patient- and family-centered audiological care for older adults and their significant others. Semin Hear 2016; 37 (03) 187-199
• 4 Ekberg K, Grenness C, Hickson L. Addressing patients' psychosocial concerns regarding hearing aids within audiology appointments for older adults. Am J Audiol 2014; 23 (03) 337-350
• 5 Talevski J, Wong Shee A, Rasmussen B, Kemp G, Beauchamp A. Teach-back: a systematic review of implementation and impacts. PLoS One 2020; 15 (04) e0231350
• 6 Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev 1977; 84 (02) 191-215
• 7 Smith SL, West RL. The application of self-efficacy principles to audiologic rehabilitation: a tutorial. Am J Audiol 2006; 15 (01) 46-56
• 8 Kessels RP. Patients' memory for medical information. J R Soc Med 2003; 96 (05) 219-222
• 9 Reese JL, Hnath-Chisolm T. Recognition of hearing aid orientation content by first-time users. Am J Audiol 2005; 14 (01) 94-104
• 10 Caposecco A, Hickson L, Meyer C. Assembly and insertion of a self-fitting hearing aid: design of effective instruction materials. Trends Amplif 2011; 15 (04) 184-195
• 11 Cox RM, Alexander GC. The abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit. Ear Hear 1995; 16 (02) 176-186
• 12 Ventry IM, Weinstein BE. The hearing handicap inventory for the elderly: a new tool. Ear Hear 1982; 3 (03) 128-134
• 13 Dillon H, James A, Ginis J. Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI) and its relationship to several other measures of benefit and satisfaction provided by hearing aids. J Am Acad Audiol 1997; 8 (01) 27-43
• 14 Sandridge SA, Newman CW. Improving the Efficiency and Accountability of the Hearing Aid Selection Process - Use of the COAT. Audiology Online. Article 9952006. Accessed April 12, 2022 at: www.audiologyonline.com
• 15 Meijerink JF, Pronk M, Lissenberg-Witte BI, Jansen V, Kramer SE. Effectiveness of a Web-Based SUpport PRogram (SUPR) for hearing aid users aged 50+: two-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22 (09) e17927
• 16 Malmberg M, Lunner T, Kähäri K, Andersson G. Evaluating the short-term and long-term effects of an internet-based aural rehabilitation programme for hearing aid users in general clinical practice: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2017; 7 (05) e013047
• 17 Convery E, Hickson L, Keidser G, Meyer C. The chronic care model and chronic condition self-management: an introduction for audiologists. Semin Hear 2019; 40 (01) 7-25
• 18 Saunders GH, Frederick MT, Silverman SC, Nielsen C, Laplante-Lévesque A. Description of adults seeking hearing help for the first time according to two health behavior change approaches: transtheoretical model (stages of change) and health belief model. Ear Hear 2016; 37 (03) 324-333
• 19 Barker F, Lusignan S, Deborah C. Improving collaborative behaviour planning in adult auditory rehabilitation: development of the I-PLAN intervention using the behaviour change wheel. Ann Behav Med 2018; 52 (06) 489-500
• 20 Hawkins DB. Effectiveness of counseling-based adult group aural rehabilitation programs: a systematic review of the evidence. J Am Acad Audiol 2005; 16 (07) 485-493
• 21 Coco L, Ingram M, Marrone N. Qualitative research methods to investigate communication within a group aural rehabilitation intervention. Int J Audiol 2019; 58 (10) 651-660
• 22 Preminger JE, Meeks S. Evaluation of an audiological rehabilitation program for spouses of people with hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol 2010; 21 (05) 315-328
• 23 Yong M, Willink A, McMahon C. et al. Access to adults' hearing aids: policies and technologies used in eight countries. Bull World Health Organ 2019; 97 (10) 699-710
• 24 NASEM.. Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability. Washington, DC:: The National Academies Press;; 2016
• 25 Saunders GH, Roughley A. Audiology in the time of COVID-19: practices and opinions of audiologists in the UK. Int J Audiol 2021; 60 (04) 255-262
• 26 Kimball SH, Singh G, John AB, Jenstad LM. Implications and attitudes of audiologists towards smartphone integration in hearing healthcare. Hear Res 2018; 369: 15-23
• 27 Ferguson M, Brandreth M, Brassington W, Leighton P, Wharrad H. A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the benefits of a multimedia educational program for first-time hearing aid users. Ear Hear 2016; 37 (02) 123-136
• 28 Ferguson M, Maidment D, Henshaw H, Heffernan E. Evidence-based interventions for adult aural rehabilitation: that was then, this is now. Semin Hear 2019; 40 (01) 68-84