@conference{seybold2018b,
 author = {Seybold, S. and Koppelin, F.},
 title = {Development of the German ACE: An Active Communication Education Training Program},
 abstract = {Development of the German ACE: An Active Communication Education Training Program Sybille Seybold Frauke Koppelin Institute of Hearing Technology and Audiology, Jade University of Applied Sciences, Oldenburg, Germany Introduction: In Germany there are a lack of evidence-based communication training programs for persons with hearing loss. Having been diagnosed with hearing loss, hearing aid fitting, if indicated, tends to be the only healthcare service offered to outpatients. However, hearing loss has a negative impact on the everyday life communication of Persons with Hearing Loss (PHL) and their Significant Others (SO). Communication difficulties caused by the hearing loss can crucially be influenced by the use of effective communication strategies. Both, the lack of German communication training programs and the importance of communication strategy use, underline the relevance of developing a German version of the ACE program (Hickson et al., 2015) for rehabilitation of hearing loss. Study objective: The overall objective of the study was to develop a final German version of the Active Communication Education (ACE) program which meets the needs of German study participants. Intervention: A preliminary ACE version that was closely translated from the original ACE version of Hickson et al. (2015). The ACE program consisted of 5, weekly group sessions, containing 6 to 10 participants. Methods: An intervention study (pre-post-design) was conducted with 49 participants (N = 49, SO = 19, PHL = 30), aged from 54-78 (SO) and 59-79 (PHL) years. Outcomes were self-reported measures collected before initiation of the program (pre-program) and 2 weeks and 6 months after attending the ACE program (post-program). Pre-post measures for PHL referred to communication strategy use, acceptance of hearing loss, activity and participation, health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression. SO pre-post measures referred to 3rd party disability, health-related quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Additionally post measures were used for PHL and SO to measure the degree of change of individual communication goals and usage of learnt communication strategies. Qualitative data were collected from feedback sheets for each session and the whole program. Categories of individual communication goals and feedback sheets were analysed using the summarising qualitative content analysis of Mayring (Mayring, 2010). Within-group comparisons and effect sizes (Cohens-d) were calculated for the pre-post measures; post-measures were descriptively analysed. Results of the outcome measures, and the structure of the final German version of the communication training “ZAKS” (Zusammen Aktiv Kommunizieren Schulung), will be presented and discussed.},
 keywords = {Communication training, hearing loss},
 tags = {HALLO, PH},
 booktitle = {HeAL 2018: Hearing Across the Lifespan, Cernobbio, Italy},
 year = {2018},
}