Informative Speech On Hearing Loss

The purpose of this assignment was to be informative on sensorineural hearing loss and how to prevent it, and what steps can be taken after the damage has been done. There has been a huge misconception with hearing loss, and I also have found myself uneducated in this topic. My first week in nursing school, we were assigned a seating arrangement. I was located next to a woman who has hearing loss and a hearing aid in both ears. At first I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to communicate, which is a huge part of being a nurse in general. What I found was that she was just as capable to do everything I could, and in some areas, much better than me. It was a huge learning experience, and one that I’m glad I had the opportunity to have. This assignment held some of my passion because I want others to be more educated going into the nursing field, or the public in general on hearing loss. Hearing loss is usually permanent, and is something that the patient will need to mourn the loss of and grieve. Our job as a nurse is to teach the public how to prevent it, and if something had been damaged to be able to walk with them on this journey and guide them with the diagnoses and treatment. I hope this essay draws your attention and you take something from it.

(Hearing Loss Association) This is the most common type of hearing loss and it is also referred to as nerve deafness. (Linton, p.1250)

The ear is made up of a variety of structures, that when working properly and efficiently, produce the ability to hear sounds. The inner ear is made up of the auditory canal, eardrum, ear ossicles, semicircular canals, cochlea, vestibular nerve, and the cochlear nerve. When there is a problem in the neural structures of the inner ear and the nerves, it will cause what we refer to as sensorineural hearing loss. (Linton,