Aural Rehabilitation Essay

The present article written by Boothroyd (2007) represents an overview of the components and outcomes Adult aural rehabilitation. The goal of adult aural rehabilitation is to restore a patient’s quality of life that has been seemingly disrupted by their hearing handicap. This restoration can be manifested through managing a patient’s hearing loss through assistive devices and effective counseling (Boothroyd, 2007). Using the World Health Organization (WHO) attempt to quantify the impacts of hearing loss on a patient, five categories have been created, which include: anatomy and physiology, function, activity, participation, and quality of life (Boothroyd, 2007). Not only do structural and functional damage related to hearing loss impact quality of …show more content…
Adult aural rehabilitation aims to alleviate the deficits in the five categories through different hearing technologies that provide appropriate amplification to patients and thorough instruction on proper use of such devices. It is important to set realistic expectations for the patient in that these devices will not make hearing normal again (Boothroyd, 2007). Boothroyd (2007) also notes that instructing the patient on proper use and maintenance of their hearing assistive device is not limited to verbal instruction, rather handouts and demonstrations should be considered. With the technological advances since the present article, the use of smartphone apps when applicable could also be considered in conjunction with traditional instruction of use. Perceptual training aimed to improve communication should translate to an improvement in quality of life, but this outcome varies by individual (Boothroyd, 2007). Boothroyd (2007) states that addressing a patient’s quality of life is through counseling and discussing the impacts of their hearing loss in the different areas of their life. According to Boothroyd (2007),