Communicating with the Hearing Impaired for Occupational Therapy

Course overview

Communicating with others is a basic human need and the foundation for all social interactions. When occupational therapists effectively communicate with their clients, the client will feel less isolated and have an improved sense of well-being. Often, the effects of aging, illness, and disabilities can become barriers to effective therapist-client communications, especially when clients lose some or all ability to hear the spoken word. Paying attention to another’s communication needs is one of the most important duties of any healthcare provider. When therapists understand how the communication process works and how to effectively send and receive messages, they are better able to meet their client’s needs. This course discusses hearing impairments, and how to better communication with clients who have hearing impairments.