Melbourne audiologist Dr Verushka Selby-Hele and her daughter Santana wearing her bone conduction hearing aid on a softband. Image: Verushka Selby-Hele. Dr VERUSHKA SELBY-HELE sees the world of hearing loss from two sides: as an audiologist, and the mother of a hearing-impaired child....
✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦
No actionable change — this is a personal narrative offering empathy-building perspective, not clinical guidance.
✦ Why It Matters ✦
First-person clinician-parent accounts can deepen empathy and counselling skills when audiologists work with families navigating paediatric hearing loss.
✦ Key Points ✦
- 01Dr Selby-Hele holds the dual role of audiologist and parent of a child with hearing loss.
- 02Her daughter uses a bone conduction hearing aid worn on a softband — a non-surgical option for young children.
- 03The article highlights the emotional and practical realities faced by families, seen from an insider clinical viewpoint.
- 04Personal narratives like this can inform more empathetic family-centred care in audiology practice.