Center Spotlight: Jessie Johnson, Improving Healthcare through Assistive Technology

Center Spotlight:
Jessie Johnson, Improving Healthcare through Assistive Technology 

Everyone who has been to the Hearing and Speech Center has probably met our Clinical Practice Manager, Jessie Johnson. You may not know that beyond coordinating our audiology team, Jessie is the driving force behind our community outreach. She teaches classes about how to care for your hearing aids, what services are available for the hearing impaired and perhaps most importantly, teaches your doctors, providers and caretakers how to better care for your hearing loss.

In 2018, through a grant from the Disability Communications Fund, Jessie took her wealth of knowledge to nursing homes, senior centers, and clinics. There she gave caretakers and providers communication strategies and Assistive Listening Devices, to better serve their patients. Treating patients with hearing loss can often be overlooked and under-trained by their caregivers because of its secretive nature. Many with hearing loss are hesitant to advocate for themselves because of a lack of information, embarrassment or frustration.

Jessie has made it her mission to educate providers in simple techniques to better serve their patients, and with the generous gift from the Disability Communications Fund, was able to give Assistive Listening Devices to providers to do just that. This year Jessie has plans to create webinars to train other providers and clinicians who are not in the Bay Area or may be too busy to attend trainings. Assistive Listening Devices provide an alternative for those who may not be able to afford, care or benefit from a hearing aid, ultimately fulfilling our mission to bring hearing to those who might otherwise be forgotten.