Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2024

Fall 2024 • 57

be specific. It is most helpful to say, “Move forward until you get to the wall, and then turn right.” Rather than “Go straight and turn right.” • Describe the room surroundings using the face of a clock. For example, say, “There is a table at 2 o’clock,” instead of, “There is a table in front of you and to the right.” • If opening a door for someone, announce how the door opens. For example, “The door opens out and to the right.” • When you leave the client alone in an unfamiliar area, be sure they are near and aware of something they can touch, such as a wall or massage table, so they do not feel unsafe. When working with individuals who have vision loss, consider implementing the following massage modifications for their safety and comfort. • Use linens of contrasting color. This will help clients who are visually impaired distinguish between two sheets on the massage table more easily. • Let the client know when the massage session is complete. • If room lights were dimmed before the massage, increase light levels before you exit the massage room. This is true for any client, not just those who are visually impaired. Hearing Impairment and Communication Disorders Hearing impairment , or hearing loss, is the decreased or total inability to hear and may occur in one or both ears. Hearing loss can range from mild to severe to profound. The term deafness is used for individuals with little or no hearing. A person with a hearing impairment may have permanent, temporary or fluctuating hearing loss. Deaf with a capital “D” refers to people who have been deaf all their lives, or since before they started to learn to talk. These individuals are pre-lingually deaf and tend to communicate in sign language as their first language. Deaf culture is strong—they were the forerunners of the identity-first language, stating that person-first language separated them from

that culture and diminished a crucial part of who they were. For most Deaf people, English (or whichever language is common in their area) is their second language. Lip reading is the ability to see and interpret speech sounds. It is often called speech reading because other clues, such as facial expressions and body gestures, are used to understand what is being said. Some people with hearing loss are skilled lip readers, but others are not. In fact, lip reading is difficult and only about 30 to 45 percent of the English language can be understood through lip reading. 59 Additionally, many speech sounds have identical facial movements, which can make lip reading challenging. For example, “p,” “b” and “m” look alike on the face, and many sounds (e.g., vowels) are spoken without using differentiated lip movements. Impairments of hearing, speech and even language are often collectively referred to as communication disorders. A communication disorder is a reduced ability to receive, send, process and comprehend verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbols. 60 Communication disorders may cause a primary disability or they may be secondary to other types of disabilities. Causes of hearing loss include congenital or early-onset childhood hearing loss, chronic middle ear infections, age-related hearing loss

Deaf with a capital “D” refers to people who have been deaf all their lives, or since before they started to learn to talk. These individuals are pre lingually deaf and tend to communicate in sign language as their first language.

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