HPD Perspectives Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

18 | DR. PALLAVI PATEL COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES now hear this! ) ) ) EVENT PERSPECTIVES The CARE Project Introduces Family Retreats BY NANNETTE NICHOLSON, PH.D. PROJECT GOAL To develop a replicable model of family support that can provide emotional support and empowerment for families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. PROJECT STRATEGY Organize a weekend family retreat to help engage parents in assisting children who are deaf or hard of hearing to reach their full potential. STUDENT COMPONENT Most of the retreats also provide a service-learning experience for graduate students in audiology and speech-language pathology, exposing them to a critical mass of very young infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing outside of a clinical setting. STORYTELLING COMPONENT Storytelling is recognized as a powerful method of healing. Consistent with the principles of “narrative medicine,” the stories are videotaped, and many are shared on The CARE Project website: thecareproject.com/shared-video-experiences . Shared stories help reach and touch other parents, as well as deepen relationships with care providers, and facilitate partnerships. IMPLEMENTATION Each retreat is developed collaboratively at the state level via a team of stakeholders. The birth of a child diagnosed unexpectedly with hearing loss often comes with myriad emotions, questions, challenges, and opportunities. Often, one of the most-welcomed opportunities is the chance to build a strong support system within the family and the com- munity to optimize the child’s potential for growth and development. The CARE Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope to families of children with hearing loss through counseling aimed at facilitation of the grieving process connected to the disability. While hearing loss is the only challenge the majority of the 50,000 infants diag- nosed per year will encounter, almost 30 percent of these children will be diagnosed with co-occurring disabilities. Most recently, CARE Project mem- bers worked with Johnnie Sexton, Au.D., executive director of The CARE Project, and Patti Martin, Ph.D., director of audiology and speech pathology at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, on The CARE Project Family Retreat National Initiative. continued on page 20