Facilitating Acknowledgement and Acceptance of Hearing Loss

1
Facilitating Acknowledgement and Acceptance of
Hearing Loss Sharon A. Lesner, PhD and Patricia
B. Kricos, PhD The University of Akron,OH and
University of Florida
STAGE III - PREPARATION

• Preparers
• I know I need to get hearing aids, but how?
• To Facilitate Movement
• Make concrete goals and plan to start change in
  next 30 days
• Do preparatory activity such as ensuring
  availability of funds for hearing aid purchase or
  make an appointment with an audiologist
• Audiologists Role
• Provide patient with information about hearing
  aids or assistive listening devices

Change
No Change
TRANSTHEORECTICAL MODEL OF THE STAGES-OF-CHANGE
STAGE IV - ACTION

• Action
• I am working on wearing these hearing aids.
• Self-efficacy is critical to successes
• Determined to continue in spite of potential
  problems
• Family support is essential
• Audiologists Role
• Recommend attendance at Living with Hearing Loss
  classes for support during the adjustment to
  hearing aid use

STAGE II - CONTEMPLATION

• Contemplators
• Im not sure if I want to change.
• Ambivalent about changing
• Must assess barriers as well as potential
  benefits
• More upset than precontemplators
• May remain stuck in this stage for years
• To Facilitate Movement
• Contemplators have to make a determined decision
  to take action
• Make preliminary moves such as reading about
  hearing aid ads or taking a hearing screening
  offered by telephone.
• Audiologists Role
• Assist patient in gathering information about
  hearing loss
• Help patient weigh pros and cons of changing
• Relapse
• Patient can easily cycle back to the
  Pre-Contemplation Stage

STAGE V- MAINTENANCE

• Sustained behavior change
• I need to keep wearing my hearing aids.
• Behavior is maintained for 6 months to 3 years
• Patient is comfortable in asking for assistance
• Hearing Aids are integrated into lifestyle
• Relapse to previous stages is possible
• Audiologists role
• Conduct periodic and annual follow-up with
  patient
• Acknowledge HL/comfortable asking for assistance

No Change
Change
MAJOR THEORETICAL COMPONENTS
Summary

• Stages of Change
• Pre-Contemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance

The Transtheroretical Model emphasizes the need
to identify the stage of change a person is in
and to then provide targeted educational,
intervention and marketing efforts based on the
patients feelings and attitude toward their
hearing impairment at that given stage. The goal
should not be to convince the person to change
but to help the patient move along the stages of
change using appropriate change strategies.