The hearing health Specialized Educator: A Little-Known Role

The role of specialized educators working within the Lobe clinics needs to be known! These professionals are an essential part of the support system for people with hearing loss. They use their outstanding listening skills to build a relationship of trust and become a key part of the process for people who are getting hearing aids.

On a day-to-day basis, specialized educators support audioprosthetists. They may even be the first point of contact for the patient because they provide hearing health consultations, which are designed specifically for people who have concerns about their hearing and want to improve it. The objective is to offer support to the person who consults and to promote the success of this approach.

Upon receiving the hearing aids, the specialized educator will meet with the patient to explain everything they need to know about how their hearing aids work. He will also introduce him to different listening and communication strategies that will allow him to communicate more easily on a daily basis, while helping him to learn maintenance techniques. If necessary, he will pair the hearing aids with the different Bluetooth tools and explain the different possibilities of use. He will also teach patients how to use different functionalities of the mobile application compatible with their hearing aids, which allow access to interesting parameters (e.g. volume control, programming and activation of certain Bluetooth accessories). This application can be downloaded on Apple and Android devices. The specialized educator therefore plays a very important role in integrating the technology into the daily lives of people with hearing loss, always with a view to reducing the impact of hearing loss. He democratizes the use of technology by adapting it to the patient's needs.

During preventive follow-up meetings, specialized educators follow up with their patients and assess their needs. They then share that information with the audioprosthetist, who adjusts the hearing aids’ programming as needed. In short, specialized educators’ listening skills and their desire to improve the lives of people with hearing loss make them an essential part of the hearing health team. They’re invaluable partners for audioprosthetists, especially when it comes to guiding patients through the rehabilitation to the hearing world process.

Proactive to help break the isolation caused by hearing loss and always showing compassion, specialized educators also participate in awareness events and even give talks on hearing health. As the Lobe clinics continue to reinvent themselves, the role of the specialized educator varies and evolves, as do his or her many responsibilities!

If you’re interested in becoming a specialized educator, complete a special-education program in one of Quebec’s cégeps. The specialized educator is empathetic and passionate about human contact. Within the framework of a helping relationship, he knows how to be benevolent and to listen.

Talk to a specialized educator to learn more. They’d love to tell you all about their role!