Group Aural Rehabilitation Analysis

The main question that is discussed in the article, “Effectiveness of Counseling-Based Adult Group Aural Rehabilitation Programs: A Systematic Review of the Evidence,” is whether group aural rehabilitation (AR) programs that are counseling based are effective or not. The article reviewed the evidence from these group AR programs from relevant articles that had to match a specific list of criteria. I believe that counseling based group AR programs are effective for not only those who are hearing impaired but also their families and loved ones. These programs provide the opportunity for one to share a personal experience or problem that are having and also provide the opportunity for others to discuss these problems. This way people know they …show more content…
I believe that this comradery between the group members attributes to the benefits of these programs. I believe that everyone will contribute to the program if they feel they are in a safe environment. If they feel that they are in a safe environment they are able to talk about personal problems and situations. These group AR programs can also help the relationships of those who are hearing impaired and their loved ones. During these sessions, those who are hearing impaired can share their problems, but loved ones and family members can also share their own problems that relate to the person’s hearing impairment. This gives both people a chance to see what is going on in the other person’s head and allows them to think about how they can alter what they are doing so that it does not become a problem …show more content…
There are many different ways of thinking about these programs. Some people do not believe these programs are helpful or effective at all, and others, like myself, believe they are extremely helpful. There are also those who lie between these two points, like the authors of the article. The authors believe that counseling based group AR programs are at least effective in the short term. Through consolidating different pieces of literature surrounding the effectiveness of these programs, the authors found that little research has been done considering the effects of the program in the long term. If fact, from what the research they have found, they found that in the long term, there is no difference between those who went through the counseling based group AR program and those who did not. The benefits that the authors found in the short term were “a reduction in the perception of a hearing handicap, improvement in perceived quality of life, and perhaps better use of hearing aids and communication strategies” (Hawkins, p. 491). For those who do not believe that these group AR programs are effective, there is some research that they could use to back up their claim. Even though there have been studies done on this topic, firm conclusions cannot be made about the effectiveness because most of the studies done do not have a big enough sample size to be relevant. This may lead some