Prototype Educational Program to Teach Black and Latino Elderly About Hearing Loss

摘要

The project targeted elderly African American and Latino Philadelphians. It developed, implemented and evaluated an educational program on hearing loss. The educational material was a booklet written in English and Spanish. The illustrated booklet highlights the text and emphasizes the relevance of the topic to persons of color in the inner city. It was developed after 55 interviews were conducted with elderly African Americans and Latinos and designed to be suitable for direct mailing. The booklet was reviewed by elders, educators and Latinos of several different ethnic groups in order to assure its clarity in both English and Spanish. Conclusions drawn from the project: direct mail is an effective way of reaching elderly persons in minority communities; culturally sensitive educational materials are an important aspect of the success of direct mail programs; and a large percentage of elders presented for hearing screening had some hearing abnormality.