Development of a Rehabilitation Program for People Affected with Occupational Hearing Loss 2. Results from Group Intervention with 48 Workers and Their Spouses

A group intervention program was designed to initiate an active search for solutions to listening and communication problems among hearing-impaired workers. Six groups of 8 workers were recruited from different areas of the Province of Québec. The workers were males; they had hearing threshold levels equal to or higher than 30 dB averaged over 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in at least one ear. The recruitment was conducted by occupational health nurses of local community health centers. The workers were invited to a group meeting with their spouses by means of a home interview. Three groups met during 2-hour weekly evening sessions, and three groups during a 1.5-day weekend session. A follow-up was conducted over a period of 3 months ending with an evaluation meeting. Results based on responses to a handicap questionnaire showed that the workers judged their hearing problem as being significantly less severe after their participation in the session. Group interviews showed that, although they were more conscious of their hearing difficulties, they agreed on being much more confident in dealing with them. Different steps were taken towards improving their situation, including disclosure of their hearing impairment to others, making requests to conversational partners to facilitate communication, and acquiring instrumental aids.