The Ida Institute, Naerum, Denmark will convene its first educational seminar, Defining Hearing, from September 25 to 27 in Skodsborg, Denmark. Distinguished faculty members Harvey Abrams, Kristina English, Christina dePlacido, and Tine Tjornhoj-Thomsen worked closely with Institute to create a seminar that would support the institute’s commitment to fostering a better understanding on the human dynamics of hearing loss.
The seminar uses clinical practice models, theories and management techniques from related health care disciplines and videos of ethnographic interviews conducted by staff anthropologists and short theatrical plays highlighting the challenges and experiences in everyday hearing care practice. The participating hearing care professionals will work in a collaborative process to develop a relationship-centered care approach to defining hearing.
“The seminar is designed to take full advantage of the expert knowledge of our faculty, the clinical experience of our participants and clinical models, and theories that are well developed in other health care arenas but new to the field of audiology,” says Ida Institute Director Lise Lotte Bundesen. “Our goal is to provide a platform for communication and discussion that will expand opportunities to create, innovate and advance thinking about hearing loss and hearing care.”
‘We are extremely excited about this seminar because it is the first of its kind in hearing health care and audiology,’ said Dr Kristina English, associate professor, president elect of the American Academy of Audiology, and Ida Institute faculty member. ‘Professionals from around the world will have an opportunity to re-examine the way they practice today and hopefully find better practices that are focused on relationship-centered care.’
Dr Harvey Abrams, director of Research at the Army Audiology and Speech Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Ida Institute faculty member says the title was chosen "because we felt that there is most often a gap in understanding between hearing health care practitioner, patients and their families."
Twenty-four hearing care practitioners representing 15 countries will participate in the seminar. Bundesen noted that Ida Institute staff, faculty and seminar participants will continue to collaborate post-seminar in a series of knowledge-sharing and networking exercises and by joining an online community via the institute’s new Web site (www.idainstitute.dk).
