Assisting a family cope with sensorineural hearing loss / Sirius Marie Reta.

Includes appendices and bibliographical references.

ABSTRACT: The Index patient is a 40 years old, female, housewife, mother of two children aged 12 and 7 years old. She is suffering from sudden sensorineural hearing loss with a probable intracochlear membrane or an autoimmune etiology. History revealed sudden hearing loss of the right ear 1 year prior to consultation, accompanied by tinnitus, ear fullness and pain on the mastoid area. A month after, the same symptoms were noted on the left ear. Pure tone audiometry showed residual hearing reorded on both ears. Speech audiometry could be done due to severe hearing loss. Repeat audiometry done a year after showed severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss of both ears. The index patient belongs to a nuclear type of family, on the stage of Family with Young Children. The impact of hearing impairment to the index patient as a person, mother, wife, her family and as a member of the community were explored. Strategies as well as resources for coping with this disability were identified utilizing the various tools in family assessment. The family`s enrolment in the Family Health Care Program assisted them to adapt to the changes brought about by the permanency of the patient`s condition.

Research - Department of Medicine