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The Role of the Family in the Hearing Aid Process

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1.  Families: May be the driving force that gets a patient to take action May help the patient to see the true effects of untreated hearing loss May complicate the decision process All of the above

2.  For the purposes of this talk, “family” includes: The spouse Grown children Influential persons of authority such as clergy All of the above

3.  The relationship between an older adult and grown children or grandchildren: Is always positive and supportive Removes all financial concerns Can be complicated by past conflicts Ensures a realistic expectation of benefit

4.  Paternalism: Can be present in a reversed form when adult children accompany older parents Can be eliminated if the grown children just stay home Is irrelevant because it is the parent seeking out care Ensures realistic expectations

5.  The presence of family members: May help increase confidence in the patient’s decision-making process Can potentially decrease the patient’s concern about practical aspects of managing hearing aids Can help them become more aware of the need to practice good communication habits All of the above

6.  The advantage of similar-aged friends or siblings accompanying the patient is: They will not push the patient as hard to do something Shared life experience may make them less paternalistic and more understanding of the decision-making process They won’t expect as much from the patient’s hearing abilities They can more easily recognize all the downsides of getting amplification

7.  With the generational shift towards Baby Boomers: Self-confidence in older adults may be changing Family structures may be changing The willingness to spend on self-improvement may be changing All of the above

8.  As far as care and use of amplification is concerned: The grown children should take on the full responsibility Care should be taken to not undermine the patient’s self-confidence and need to take ownership Grown children or other support members should not be involved at all Only adults under the age of 30 should be involved because of how complicated current connectivity options can be

9.  In order to properly motivate the potential new user: Family members can fact check any statements the patient makes when they minimize the effect of the hearing impairment The family member should be included in the conversation, but it is always primarily a discussion between the patient and the HCP The HCP should meet with the grown children ahead of time to develop a motivational strategy The HCP should follow up with the family member after the appointment to see how honest the patient was during the counseling session

10.  If there is clearly a conflict between the patient and the family member as to the need for amplification: The HCP should side with the family member because they will be more objective The HCP should side with the family member because they are the ones who have to deal with the patient on a daily basis The HCP should side with the family member because they may be the one paying the bill None of the above