3/14/2023 0 Comments Aural rehabilitation![]() ![]() The term “hearing-impaired” to describe a group subject to aural rehabilitation includes all types and degrees of annoying hearing loss, i.e. Finally, presumed barriers to development and outcome in the aural rehabilitation field are suggested. Secondly, suggestions for changes needed to facilitate holistic rehabilitation for hearing-impaired people and individuals with other auditory symptoms that require professional help are presented. Some of the results referred to show that these unmet needs have also been described in other countries, thus this paper can be considered to be of global relevance.įirst, the basic concepts are defined, and the prevalence, needs and present situation described. Based largely on a literature review and a presentation of traditional practice and results from evaluation studies on rehabilitation programmes for the past 20 years, the need for a change – both in the programmes and in the education of professionals to work in this field – is argued. This paper focuses on the system and the unmet needs of adult aural rehabilitation mainly from a Norwegian point of view. This means that other sectors, in addition to the health sector, must be brought on board to help the individual (Normann, Sandvin & Thommesen 2004). The individual must receive assistance to be able to achieve the greatest possible independence and to participate in society on his or her own terms on a par with others. Thus, rehabilitation can no longer be limited to the repair of physical functional deficiencies or, more generally, to what the health sector does. ![]() Such a rehabilitation practice is “all that it takes” for the person to obtain these goals (Hanssen & Lindqvist 2003). Thus, rehabilitation in the audiological field fits into the tradition of other fields, where rehabilitation is considered to be mainly a health issue, and where patients as well as health authorities have focused primarily on bodily function and repair.Ī recent considerable change of paradigm has transformed the view of rehabilitation into a holistic process, a user-oriented approach based on the individual user's own goals and preferences. ![]() The use of technology, including hearing aids, other amplifying equipment and diagnostic machines, has been considered part of medical audiology. The same pattern was also seen in other countries (Hull 2001). Around 1950, medical audiologists (ear nose and throat (ENT) doctors) brought aural rehabilitation into the hospitals and made it a medical matter (Lieth 2002). Until the mid-20th century, schools for hearing-impaired people were in charge of rehabilitation for deaf and hard of hearing people in the Scandinavian countries. This is in spite of the fact that the serious effects of hearing loss on a person's communicative and social functions (Kyle, Jones & Wood 1985, Noble 1996) can lead to emotional problems, with a severe impact on quality of life (Hull 1995, Skollerud 1996, Tesch-Römer 1996, Røykjær & Pedersen 1997, Carmen 2001). A further reason is that aural rehabilitation in many countries is fragmented and insufficient (Tesch-Römer 1996, Falkenberg & Antonsen 1997, Sweetow 1999, Lieth 2001, Lorentsen & Berge 2003). Substantial reasons for this are that the number of hearing-impaired individuals in society is increasing rapidly, and that hearing impairment in adults over 18 years of age is increasingly the most frequent communication disorder (Rosenhall, Jönsson & Söderlind 1999, Sorri, Junio-Ervasti, Uimonen & Huttunen 2001). There is also a need for change in the educational programmes for professionals, to further emphasize scientific skills and research work.Īural rehabilitation, denoted as “a problem-solving process aimed at minimising disability and avoiding or minimising the resultant handicap” (Stephens 1996:57) is, at the beginning of the 21st century, a considerable challenge for professionals. Reports and articles from other countries support the arguments for change in aural rehabilitation practice, not only in Norway. there is currently a lack of emphasis on psychosocial factors, acceptance of hearing loss and communication skills training. Educational audiology, as well as other professional fields, must be included, e.g. The need for a change in aural rehabilitation, from being mainly a medical and technical matter into a holistic, cross-professional and multi-disciplinary approach, is argued. This paper presents the current state of aural rehabilitation in Norway. Holistic Aural Rehabilitation: a Challenge Original Articles Holistic Aural Rehabilitation: a Challenge Authors: Abstractĭespite more than 40 years of medical and technical rehabilitation having been offered to hearing-impaired people in Norway, there are still considerable barriers to aural rehabilitation. ![]()
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