Hearing

what is the OT role with hearing loss

procuring, using, cleaning and maintaining personal care devices, including hearing aids and more

what are recommendations for interacting with a client with hearing loss

maintain eye contact when speaking with them

sit angled toward their unaffected ear

have adequate lighting

use facial expressions and physical gestures

speak clearly

enunciate

don't have anything in your mouth

avoid dismissive comments

what hearing term:

mild to moderate hearing loss

hard of hearing

what hearing term:

very little or no functional hearing

deaf

what hearing term:

age related hearing loss

hair cells die over time

loss of high pitch

presbycusis

what hearing term:

hair cells die due to exposure to loud sounds for too long

noise-induced hearing loss

what do individuals with presbycusis and noise-induced hearing loss have difficulties with

pres: loss of high pitch

Noise-induced: muffled sound and tinnitus, clarity of sound loss

As OTs we need to:

assess the decibels of the environment

modify the environment/protect hearing

remove sound or absorb sound

what decibel level is the point where any extended exposure can be damaging

85 dB

what are examples of hearing devices to protect hearing

foam earplugs

pre-molded ear plugs

canal caps - seal earplugs

protective earmuffs

true or false:

it's within the OT scope of practice to prescribe hearing aids

FALSE

what CAN we assist patients with who have hearing aids

battery replacement

donning and doffing

cleaning and care

what are examples of hearing technology

alerting devices

telecommunication devices

assistive listening devices

captioning

what are examples of alerting devices

doorbell, smoke alarm, phone, wake-up alarm, weather alert

using loud tone, flashing light, vibration,

*low tone is most helpful

examples of telecommunications

amplified ringers

amplified listening decibels

visual voicemail

captioned phone

keyboard with visual display screen

video telephone - communication via sign language

what is an assistive listening device (ALDs)

personal listening device which receives signals from person speaking, and amplifies the sound

ex. pocket talker, infrared system, personal amplified system