This is the second article in a series I am writing for Ida Institute on person-centered care. The first article was about what person-centered care means to me — the hearing loss patient. This second article discusses the first tenet of person-centered care: Partner With Your Patient. I look forward to sharing the remaining articles with you.
Below find an excerpt from the second article. To read the full article, click here.
I love the theater, especially accessible theater, so when I read about a new show that would be performed simultaneously in English and American Sign Language (ASL), I was intrigued. There were two casts — the “main” cast speaking (and signing as it made sense in the plot) on the stage and a “shadow” cast on a balcony above the stage who signed the dialogue below. I was excited to see how it would work.
At the theater, the crowd was a mix of people — some using sign language and others speaking. It was a lively group. Reading through the program notes before the show, I was struck by the following quote: “As I Was Most Alive with You began to take shape, he [the playwright] vowed to tell this story in a way that would feel as accessible to Deaf audiences as hearing ones.”
That is a wonderful goal, and one that I think he achieved, but I couldn’t help but wonder, “What about the rest of us?”
Several years ago, I joined my then first grade son in his classroom for Family Time, a monthly event where students could highlight something special about their family to the class. Most families brought in unique foods or led the children in cultural activities related to their ethnicity or country of origin, but we did something different. We brought in earplugs and talked to the class about taking care of their hearing. This was special for our family because of my hearing loss. You can read more specifics of our class visit here.
The weather turns cools, the leaves begin to change and school begins. It is Fall in New York City and that means it is time for another Walk4Hearing. This will be my fourth year walking and volunteering. Each year it is a wonderful day of community, camaraderie and support for hearing health. It is also an important fundraiser for Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).
To find or support a walk near you, click here.
I am proud to be writing a series of articles for Ida Institute on person-centered care. This first article is about what person-centered care means to me — the hearing loss patient. The next four articles will discuss each of the main tenets of patient-centered care in more detail. I look forward to sharing these articles with you over the next several months.
I share an excerpt from the first article below. To read the full article click here.
To hear a captioned recording of me talking about patient-centered care, click here.
