Making succesful adjustments
A number of things can be done to help grandparents and children adjust smoothly to the hearing loss. It’s all about knowledge and understanding.
This can be gained via:
- Family meetings
- Parents and grandparents acting as role models
- Open discussions among family members
For grandparents and older siblings, reading books on hearing loss, hearing instruments, and associated topics can be very helpful. Younger children can have stories read to them about hearing loss and hearing instruments, etc. Educational DVDs can also be helpful. The resource list for grandparents and siblings offers of list of suitable reading material.
Attending appointments
Grandparents and siblings should be encouraged to attend various appointments. Attending an audiological evaluation can provide a greater understanding of hearing loss than discussing the topic or reading a book. Audiologists may be happy to have grandparents and some siblings watch the testing. And young children may even be allowed to sit in the test booth and wear earphones.
Observing a hearing instrument fitting can help many family members gain a greater appreciation of the value of hearing instruments. Having a sibling join part of a speech-language therapy session can make it easier for them to understand what goes on, as well as the challenges that are involved in learning to speak, improving articulation and voice, and learning a new language or how to communicate effectively.
Grandparents can accompany the parents to some of the sessions and gain a better understanding of what is being done for their grandchild.
Knowledge and communication
Knowledge is power. Therefore, the more families can learn – and the more they can experience situations involving the child with the hearing loss - the more open they are likely to be about their feelings. And the more open grandparents and siblings can be with each other, the easier they will find it to adjust.
The resource list may help grandparents and siblings to achieve the level of understanding that is needed. In some cases, professional counselling may be necessary for individual family members, grandparents, or the whole family as a unit. The ultimate goal is to help everyone adjust to the hearing loss - not just the child.
