½ðɳÓéÀÖ

Have you heard? ½ðɳÓéÀÖ University has an Audiology clinic! Not only does the ½ðɳÓéÀÖ EarClinic see patients from around Oregon, it’s also a teaching clinic. Doctoral students use the skills they learn in classes and labs to conduct hearing tests, program hearing aids and other assistive hearing devices, and provide counseling for patients with the help of our clinical faculty and staff. This experience helps build their confidence as future healthcare providers and prepares them for their unique clinical rotations at off-site clinics, including hospitals, schools, VAs, ENTs, and more.

For this Better Hearing Month, we’ve compiled tools to help you learn about and advocate for hearing health, including five tips on how to communicate with folx who are D/deaf, Hard of Hearing, or have some degree of hearing loss or auditory processing deficit.

1. Use your audiologist voice. Our doctoral students know this phrase by heart and use it to remember to speak loudly and clearly to allow their patients (and interpreters!) to hear and understand them.
2. Patience is key! Communication - or lack thereof - can be super frustrating. Be sure to speak loudly and clearly and repeat yourself if requested.
3. Face them directly and make sure the area is well-lit. Lip-reading is a common practice for folx with and without some kind of hearing loss or processing deficit. Make sure you remain face-to-face while talking so they can lip-read.
4. Use gestures. When talking, use what’s around you, point, or demonstrate. This helps with understanding conversations, just like facial expressions do.
5. Maintain eye contact. Try not to look away from them while you’re talking. It’s important to refrain from covering your mouth or face when talking as well.

Alongside that, we’ve compiled additional resources from Audiology and related organizations to help you learn about common hearing and balance-related disorders.

• from American Academy of Audiology (AAA)
• from American Academy of Audiology (AAA)
• from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
• from American Tinnitus Association (ATA)

Recent studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline and impairment, social isolation, anxiety, and depression. But there’s hope. Even if your hearing declines, having tools to help support your communication will go a long way to ensuring that you never miss a moment of your surroundings. A baseline audiologic evaluation is a great place to start! Make an appointment at the ½ðɳÓéÀÖ EarClinic!