1. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
When addressing the topic of aural
rehabilitation, some prefer to use the
term habilitation instead of
rehabilitation. The difference?
• Habilitation is creating opportunities
which never existed.
• Rehabilitation is restoring opportunities
which are currently missing.

2. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
Aspects for aural rehabilitation are
different for different age groups.
We will identify three age groups of
hearing impaired and discuss important
aspects regarding each.

3. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
• The school age
• The adult
• The elderly
Aural rehabilitation is approached
differently for each. However,
fundamental counseling approaches
remain the same.

4. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
SCHOOL AGE
Three levels of hearing loss experience
may exist within this age group.
They are:
1. Congenital
2. Pre-lingual
3. Post-lingual

5. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
SCHOOL AGE
Management of aural rehab processes
for this age group is, of course, critical
for their future development and
maturity.
However, notice that many of these
concepts/processes can also be used
for the other two age group levels.

6. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
SCHOOL AGE
Aspects to consider for this age group
include:
• Development of social skills
• Hearing conservation
• Self-advocacy
• Hearing aids, audibility, & amplification issues
• Cochlear implant support
• Learning environment “sound treatment”

7. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ADULT
Hearing difficulties for adults, often
begin to manifest themselves after age
forty; with nearly half of the adult
population having a clinically
significant degree of hearing loss past
age seventy-five.

8. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ADULT
Hazardous exposure to recreational
and occupational noise contribute to
adult hearing loss.
Health conditions begin to manifest
themselves which may also contribute
to hearing loss.

9. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ADULT
The most challenging aspect for this
age group is identifying and gaining
acceptance of their insidious hearing
loss.
Aural rehab management cannot occur
if they do not accept and/or are not
aware of their hearing deficit.

10. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ADULT
Once acceptance has occurred, aural
rehabilitation considerations are similar to
the student age group.
• Maintaining social lifestyles
• Hearing conservation
• Self-advocacy
• Hearing aids, audibility, & amplification
issues
• Cochlear implant support
• Listening environment awareness

11. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Aural rehabilitation management
becomes modified when working with
those age eighty and older. There are two
primary reasons. They are:
• Presbycusis together with phonemic
regression is often encountered.
• Their past lifestyles and listening
requirements have often been modified
for a variety of social and personal
reasons.

12. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
The effects of untreated hearing loss
often result in phonemic regression.
This often modifies the individual’s
emotional, social, cognitive, and even
linguistic performance.

13. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Reduced cognition and motor skills
are encountered due to the
elderly's’ reduced abilities of
sensory perception i.e. hearing,
vision, smell, taste.

14. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
NOTE: A 2002 study revealed that
when these senses are reduced for
those at younger age levels, they
also suffered reduced cognition
and motor skill ability.

15. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
This study reveals the necessity for
early intervention with aural
rehabilitation.
When hearing loss is revealed—it
should be attended to.

16. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Management aspects for aural rehab
must be modified to include factors
such as:
• Modified personal and environmental
• Economic status and retirement
• Modified living environments

17. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Modified personal and environmental
factors may include:
• Physical condition
• Emotional and sexual life
• Marital relationship
• Peer group modifications
• Modified occupation/recreation activity
• Modified income level

18. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Retirement often modifies their
economic status.
This factor may result in reduced social
interaction and erode self-esteem.

19. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
ELDERLY
Living environments become modified
for a variety of health and economic
reasons.
Almost half of those eight-five and older
live alone.
This creates reduced opportunities for
communication.

20. ASPECTS OF AURAL REHAB
As stated earlier, though various
aspects are encountered in the
management of effective aural
rehabilitation, the model used for
effective counseling remains the
same.