Self Advocacy
SELF ADVOCACY is the key to navigating the hospital setting or any medical situation you may encounter. Hearing loss is invisible. You must tell the doctors, nurses and medical staff that you are hard of hearing and ASK for what you need. For example:
ASK the speaker to speak slowly.
ASK the speaker to face you when they are speaking to you.
ASK the speaker to repeat what he or she just said.
ASK the speaker to use Live Transcribe or other speech to text apps that you have on our Smartphone.
If you do not articulate what you need.
If you do not teach the speaker how to communicate with you
the speaker honestly does not know
what they need to do to help you understand what is being said.
Continue to tell each person that you have hearing loss if you cannot understanding them. Continue to ASK for what you need.
If possible, visit the hospital ahead of time to inquire about their accommodations for people with hearing loss.
The Communication Access Plan (CAP) Form is a tool you can use to communicate your hearing needs with your medical providers. Click the link below.
GUIDE FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN HEALTH CARE FORM AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS PLAN (CAP):