Audiology

Person-centered Care Critical During COVID-19

Shari Eberts Advocacy, Audiology, Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care, Telehealth Audiology, Hearing Aids, Living With Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care, Telehealth

COVID-19 has disrupted hearing health care, potentially for the better. Both audiologists and patients have needed to adapt. In my latest article for Ida Institute, I provide my suggestions for how providers can best partner with their patients during this difficult time. Practicing person-centered care will not only help providers forge strong relationships with patients during this time of crisis, it will help patients develop the self-care skills they will need for success with their hearing health for years to come. To read the full article click here. 

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What Patients Want from Audiologists During COVID-19

Shari Eberts Audiology, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care, Technology, Telehealth Audiology, Hearing, Hearing Aids, Living With Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care, Telehealth

COVID-19 has disrupted operations for both audiologists and people with hearing loss. Many clinics are closed, or open only for curbside service. But hearing health care doesn’t stop, even during a pandemic. In my latest article for Phonak Audiology Blog, I discuss what patients want from audiologists during COVID-19. An excerpt is below. To read the full article click here. 

A Hearing Loss Patient Wishlist During COVID-19

The world has changed, driven by the required social distancing caused by COVID-19. All of our lives have been disrupted but hearing health must remain a priority. While many audiologist offices and clinics are closed, there are still ways you can continue to support your patients from a distance. Whether it is supplying spare batteries, offering remote advice, or providing communication tips, your patients continue to rely on your expertise, advice and care.

How can audiologists best support people with hearing loss during this time of physical distancing? Here are my suggestions.

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Maintaining Your Hearing Health Amid COVID-19

Shari Eberts Audiology, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss, Telehealth Audiology, Disability, Hearing Aids, Living With Hearing Loss, Telehealth

The world has changed a lot in the past few weeks. Physical distancing due to COVID-19 has closed restaurants, theaters, and many other “non-essential” businesses, prioritizing health care and access to food and medicines above all else. This has caused many of us to self-isolate, keeping our distance for our safety and that of others, to help flatten the curve of infections. For people with hearing loss, maintaining our hearing health and having access to working hearing aids and other communication devices are critical as we adapt to various ongoing—and often stressful—changes.

Despite this challenging time, stay on top of your hearing health with these tips.

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Reasons to Include Family in Audiology Appointments

Shari Eberts Audiology, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care Audiology, Hearing Loss, Living With Hearing Loss, Person-centered Care

Audiologists provide much guidance and support to their patients, but few appointments regularly include family members. This is a missed opportunity. In my latest article for Ida Institute, I describe the ways that including family in audiology appointments can benefit the patient, their families, as well as the audiologists themselves. With Telehealth likely a growing aspect of care in our new COVID-19 world, including the family may be easier to achieve than in the past. An excerpt from the piece appears below. You can read the full article on Ida Institute. 

Including the Family in Audiology Appointments

Most people with hearing loss start their journey alone. While family members are likely the first people to notice when someone has trouble hearing, they often don’t know how to help. This was the case with my father’s hearing loss. My family knew he had trouble hearing our conversations at dinner and that he was overwhelmed by background noise at parties, but he was so stigmatized by his hearing loss that he never asked for assistance and we never figured out how we could help. As the years passed, my father became increasingly isolated from everyone. I wish we had done more to support him. If only we had known what steps to take, we could have saved much unhappiness and frustration for the whole family.

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Does Hearing Loss Cause Us to Misread Emotions?

Shari Eberts Audiology, Break the Stigma, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss, Lipreading Audiology, Disability, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Living With Hearing Loss

“Are you actually angry or are you kidding?” I asked my husband recently. His posture and facial expression read angry, but it was not the type of situation that called for this emotion. I was confused. It turned out he was joking, but I was missing the subtle cues in his voice. This has been known to happen with my children as well, and close friends, and when I thought about it, probably with other people too — maybe even perfect strangers. Was this somehow related to my hearing loss?

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