Use of environmental aids by adults with severe sensorineural hearing loss-an exploratory study.

In the course of a study to investigate the effect of severe hearing loss on family life it became apparent that many of the difficulties encountered could have been alleviated by the acquisition or better use of appropriate environmental aids. In some cases the problems were practical and in others social or psychological in nature. This paper consists of a detailed examination of such problems and discusses ways in which environmental aids could improve the quality of life for hearing impaired persons and their families.