Interacting with the Deaf or Hard of Hearing

PotatoMedic

PotatoMedic

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In reading my lovely text book for the EMT class that I will be starting in a few weeks I came across a small section regarding how to interact with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. (Technically the book says Hearing Impaired). What I am wondering is what experiences have people had with Deaf patients? Mainly how do/did you communicate with them? What are some things that you feel would have helped you in that situation? What is something that you will keep in mind for your next encounter with someone who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

Anything that you wish to share would be nice regarding this situation.

Thanks!
 
I have had people hard of hearing. They said speak up. I spoke up.
 
Hard of hearing - speak louder and into their good ear if they have one.

Both - look at them when you talk, a lot of them can lip read.

I learned the ASL Alphabet in elementary school and still remember most letters, but i figure if I'm going ot spell something out, I might as well write it down on my clipboard and let them see it!
 
During high school and my first year of undergraduate I worked as a box office cashier for a local movie theater. Probably the best thing you can have if you don't speak ASL is a pen and a pad of paper. Unless they ask you to speak up, don't speak up. If the person is deaf then no amount of yelling will convey your message. If they can lip read, keep your face clear and turn the lights up so that they get a good look at your face.
 
I know the very basics. The alphabet and thank you.
I may take a Basic ASL course as some point as well.
But like was said above, just write.
 
I agree if they are simply hard of hear speak up, don't be afraid to yell if you have to, my grandmother is hard of hearing and eye contact or lip contact or what ever you want to call it helps immensely most people can read lips and tell what you are saying. And in the extreme cases a pen and paper will be your best friend.
 
Dobo said:
lip contact
Click to expand...

Now that's a line I'm just not willing to cross with a patient. I only know 1 symbol in sign language and it's generally not well received by patients so I'll stick to writing.
 
Thanks for all the information. Looks like the best thing to do is look at them when talking and or use pen and paper.

Does anyone know anyone who may have used ASL to communicate to a patient and if so did that work to well?

Either way thank you for the help.
 
not with a patient but I have used my very basic knowledge to communicate with mentally handicapped before. They had limited knowledge of it as well though so it was not an efective conversation, unless you are fluent in it I recommend a pen and paper to be sure you get your questions across correctly
 
I've had some that read lips before. I'm not saying it's not important to learn to communicate with deaf people, or those hard of hearing, but depending on your area you may be better served by learning Spanish or another language.
 
Much deafness has nothing to do with the volume at which you speak. There are generally certain ranges of sounds that are inaudible. Speaking more loudly is generally less effective than e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-i-n-g. Speak slowly and clearly. Avoid a lot of chatter, ah, er, like, you know, and-um....

Also being close to your patient's face, making eye contact so they know you are speaking to them. In those cases where the above didn't help.. the old pencil and paper works wonders. Some elderly aphasic pts can read and write quite well.
 
WuLabsWuTecH said:
Both - look at them when you talk, a lot of them can lip read.
Click to expand...

And speak at a normal pace when you do that, if you try and articulate every word slowly, it can screw them over.
 
I keep a pad of paper with me in my clip board and use a "Sharpie" marker to write with, black ink works best for folks to see. Hope this helps :)
 
Family members can be invaluable; many times you'll have a person in the household who is fluent in ASL and knows the person's PMHx as well.
 
Interacting with the hearing impaired is usually similar to interacting with people who do not speak your language. Like many posters said, pen and paper are your best friends. I have noticed in my time some pictures like a small figure, some pictures of pain descriptors and a clock are more useful than wording.

You also have to use caution about asking family members. There can be cultural biases (like older patients who will not admit to illnesses in front of younger family) as well as family that doesn’t know, or won’t admit the whole story. Go and ask a 18 year old female South Asian if she is sexually active in front of her family. I can bet the answer is “no” 100% of the time unless she is already married. Also abuse/neglect cases are often concealed by family members giving history.

Also be aware the deaf and others have a different culture not just language, which you may have to make allowances for. In the Polish language there are no descriptors for pain. If you ask what the pain feels like you’ll just get a blank stare. Some East Asian cultures require permission to feel pain. So you may have to stipulate it is ok. Some cultures are very vocal about their pain. (which is usually better relieved with benzos than opioids)

Too much anthropology for me I guess :)
 
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