combined vision and hearing impairment dual sensory impairment
Conditions
Interventions
Trained occupational therapists will administer the DSL-protocol to patients
and proxies in the intervention group. The intervention consists of a
training and exercises on (1) using and managing the
(2) making
maximum use of the senses
and (3) communication skills. Up to five
appointments will be made in the intervention group by the occupational
therapist at the multidisciplinary rehabilitation center or in the patients
home, de
Sponsors
Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: - At least 50 years of age - Combined vision and hearing impairment - Clients of low vision rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands (Bartiméus) or Belgium (Blindenzorg Licht en Liefde)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: - Cognitively impaired - Not able to speak and/or understand Dutch
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The primary outcomes will be measurde by the effects of the intervention on: hearing-aid use, hearing-aid satisfaction, skills, compliance and communication. The change in these primary outcomes will be measured using several questions and tasks; examples are: 1. Specific tasks that will show the ability of the person and/or proxy to use and manage the hearing-aid will be tested. The patient and/or proxy will be asked to show how to put the hearing-aid in the ear and getting it out properly, how to make sure that the working mechanisms function properly, how to control the volume, and how to clean, manage and change batteries. Each task that is completed successfully will be rated by the research assistant. 2. Communication improvement will be measured with the Communication Strategies scale [11]. This scale consists of statements on the patients* attitudes towards communication (e.g. watching a person*s face facilitates communication, I am aware of the benefits of speech reading and significant others take my hearing loss into account). The attitudes are rated on a five-point scale. Some statements will be changed to *dual sensory loss* instead of *hearing loss*. 3. Communication Strategies domain of the Dutch Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI) [17] will be used to assess change in outcomes. The Communication Strategies of the CPHI consist of three scales: Maladaptive Behavior (9 items, e.g. dominate conversation, avoid social situations, avoid conversations, pretend to understand); Verbal Strategies (8 items, e.g. ask for repeat twice, explain hearing loss, ask people to speak up) and Nonverbal Strategies (8 items, e.g. position myself to hear, stay in well-lit areas at parties, watch person*s face). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The secundary outcomes will be measured by the effects of the intervention on coping, social participation and perceived quality of life. Change in the secondary outcomes (coping, social participation and quality of life) will be measured with four questionnaires: 1. The Personal Adjustment domain of the CPHI (Mokkink et al, 2009) will be used to assess change in adjustment to hearing loss. The Personal Adjustment domain of the CPHI consist of four scales: Self-Acceptance (8 items, e.g. get upset when can*t follow conversation, feel foolish when misunderstand), Acceptance of Loss (9 items, e.g. try to hide hearing problem, rather miss conversation than admit hearing loss), Stress and Withdrawal (15 items, e.g. feel threatened by communication situations, feeling tense and anxious when can*t understand, feel left out of conversations, don*t enjoy going places with friends). 2. The Dutch Activity Inventory which is based on Massof*s Activity Inventory and was recently translated and validated (Massof et al, 2005 and Bruijning et al 2009). The D-AI can be used to assess rehabilitation needs and outcomes in the ICF-domains. In this study, two ICF domains of the D-AI will be assessed, namely Interpersonal Interactions and Relationships (6 rehabilitation goal items, e.g. recognition and communication, interaction with partner, family, relatives and friends); Community, Social and Civil Life (14 rehabilitation goal items, e.g. follow the news, having visitors, social events, attend cultural events, dining out, creative activities). For every goal will be asked how important and how difficult the goal is on a 4 point-scale (not important - very important) and a 5-point scale respectively (not difficult - impossible to do without assistance). Multiplying both scores will provide a priority list of rehabilitation goals. After the intervention it is expected that priorities have diminished, either because the rehabilitation goal became less important, | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed