As more and more people are experiencing hearing loss and I am sure that you know someone who has lost their hearing and is now struggling with the everyday things like watching TV, listening at family gatherings and/or noisy restaurants. Even simple things like being able to hear an alarm clock or talking to friends and family on the telephone becomes a challenge. Too often, people with hearing loss tend to withdraw from social interactions and from participating in life’s activities.

Today there is technology available which can help. Also, today people are much more aware and more understanding about hearing loss. Each of us have to help educate and inform our family and friends on how to understand your own specific hearing needs. Hearing loss is very personal, just like our fingerprints. No two people have the exact same hearing loss. Coping techniques may work well for one but for another creates difficulties. While a lot of us have difficulty hearing in certain circumstances, family and friends can help by understanding a few “tips“.

I often tell people that I must be able to see you in order to hear you. I rely heavily on speechreading (also known as “lip reading”) rather than on my hearing. People assume that while I am wearing hearing aids, I hear what they do. That is not true. While hearing aids help by amplifying sounds to help me hear, I do not listen by hearing, I listen by “reading lips”. Also, I tell people, talk to me in a normal voice, mouthing or over-doing articulation is just as bad as mumbling. Pronounce every name with care. Make a reference to the name for easier understanding, as Joan “the girl from the office” or Joe “the fellow down the street”. Do not attempt to speak while you have something in your mouth, such as a pipe, cigar, cigarette, or chewing gum. Do not cover your mouth with your hand. There are many more tips that I can share but I’m sure that you get the idea from what you have read so far.

I rely a lot on technical devices to help me cope in my everyday life, such as an amplified telephone, personal listening system for the TV and one for listening in a group of people or listening to someone on stage. Thanks to the awareness of my family and friends, I believe that while I have a profound hearing loss, I live my life just like everyone else!

Tags: hearing loss, tips, communication, coping strategies, hearing aids

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There are some things that we as persons, born on this planet, have no control over. Our own birth defects are included in that scenario. While there are those who believe that we ourselves choose what obstacles we must face and overcome in this life, prior to our earthly birth, I am not one who buys that. I did not choose to be born deaf.

Be that what it may, I was entered this world with a 70% hearing loss in both ears. It didn’t take my Mother long to recognize my hearing deficiency. She had been born a hearing impaired person too. My Mother determined that her child would not hide his deficiency, as she had been allowed to do.

Mom, as a child, had many siblings. Most of her sisters were older than she so hers were hand-me-down clothes. Poor, nearly deaf, she had taken a back seat in classrooms in an effort to not call attention to herself and her perceived inadequacies. Always, when called upon by a teacher, Mother would say, “I don’t know” As she later told me, “The alternative answer would have been even more humiliating, I didn’t hear!”

I would never be allowed to make such an unwise determination. Every year, the first day of grammar school, Mother would march me before the teachers and tell them, in no uncertain terms, “This boy can not hear. I want him in a front desk, and I don’t want him moved around the room!”

As any otherwise normal kid would, I hated it. I asked her, “Why do you have to make such a big thing about this? I hear alright,” I insisted.

“Of course you do,” was her reply. “Because, I love you, I want you to hear what your teachers say and not have the articulation problems that I’ve had learning to form your own words correctly.

I didn’t really comprehend, until later, the significance of the second part of Mother’s answer. But yeah, I knew that she did love me. Even though I often resented the seating restriction, I was ever to be found occupying a front desk.

As a direct result of my “Pushy Mother’s intervention,” I was not distracted by classroom conversations which were not part of the curriculum. I couldn’t get away with anything because the teachers would catch me. And, I learned to properly pronounce most words because I “Heard” them. Mother’s vocabulary was excellent, her speech clear, as she had invested many childhood hours in a dictionary, looking up words that she felt she might need with emphasis on pronunciation. In grade school, I was spared that responsibility which I would not have taken upon myself anyway.

It wasn’t until high school that I learned to be stupid in my selection of where to sit. I never even considered that perhaps misunderstanding assignments, or not hearing what instructors actually said, had something to do with how hard I had to struggle.

Later, I was witness to what might have happened to me if not for having a “Pushy Mom.” A cousin inherited the same type of hearing loss I was born with. His mother didn’t bother to be pushy on this issue. He was shuffled along through school and treated like someone with a learning impairment. No wonder, for when he spoke he sounded retarded.

For a while, as an adult, I sold hearing aids. When I checked my cousin’s hearing, it was virtually identical to my own. Only then, did I fully comprehend and appreciate the wonderful gift my mother had given me by being “Pushy.”

If you have a child that doesn’t have excellent hearing, consider becoming a “Pushy Parent,” if only on this one issue. It is one thing that you can do for your child ~ on this planet ~ to level the playing field while he or she is too young to appreciate it.

Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO. A “Seasoned Real Estate NAR Share This Posted in HEARING | No Comments » How to Choose and Buy a Hearing Aid April 26th, 2008 by admin Hearing aids and hearing devices may not make your hearing perfect. But, they can make a big difference in your life by helping you to hear better. First thing to know is that there is a law that requires all caregivers to do a hearing exam on you within 6 months before you buy hearing aids. You have the right to refuse this testing. But, you will have to sign a paper in the hearing aid store asserting that you know the hearing test is recommended. In the long run, it is better to have the test. Generally, the test will be free if you look around your area. After you have been tested by a qualified hearing professional, and ruled out other possible causes for your hearing loss, you now will have to go through the process of finding the hearing aid that is right for you, and your type of loss. The hearing professional should talk to you about how hearing loss has effected your life. Also, you will talk about any physical problems you have. This will better help you decide what type of hearing aid best meets your needs and life style. Once all things have been carefully talked about, your hearing professional can suggest a type of hearing aid. Ask questions if you do not understand. If the questions are not being answered to your satisfaction, ask another hearing professional. Some areas that you should discuss are: Your ability to do things with your hands. Can you pick up and put the hearing aid in your ear? Can you change the battery? The shape of your ear, outside and inside. Different aids are better for different shapes. Amount of wax build-up. If you produce a lot of wax, you will want to discuss the opening size of the hearing aid. You can also discuss the use of a product to clean the hearing aid regularly, or block earwax from getting into the hearing aid. Your living, work, and play environments. A person living in a moist environment like Seattle will have different concerns than someone living in Arizona. Frequent swimming, or if you work in a dirty environment, you will want to consider this while in the process of picking the correct hearing aid for you. Regular ear drainage or wetness inside your ears. Style of hearing aid. There are many different brands, but there are some common, basic styles. Choose the hearing aid that is best suited for your type of hearing loss, listening needs, and personal tastes. Some of the basic types of hearing aids are: Body aids - A small sound box fits in your shirt pocket. It has a chord that runs up your neck and is attached to a mold or an earpiece. Behind the Ear (BTE) - A small plastic case sits behind your ear with tube that goes to a mold in your ear. Eyeglass aids - This is like a BTE but parts of the hearing aid are built into your eye glass frames. A chord or tube is connected to the mold that goes into your ear. In the Ear (ITE) - A small plastic case fits into your outer ear. In the Canal (ITC) - A very small plastic case fits half way into the ear canal and can barely be seen in the outside ear. Completely in the canal (CIC) - This is a tiny plastic case that fits entirely into the canal and is not seen at all. Cochlear Implants - A group of tiny wires are surgically placed behind your eardrum. They electrically stimulate the cochleae or primary hearing organ. The wires are connected to a plastic earpiece. A chord attaches this to a sound box worn on your belt or in a pocket. You will also want to discuss the need for one or two hearing aids. Most people hear best with two hearing aids, which is called binaural. There is less ringing in your ears and less distortion or blurring of sounds. Hearing is also easier in noisy, crowded rooms. You hear in a full circle around you with two hearing aids. With one, you only hear the side your aid is on. Unless your hearing professional tells you otherwise, you should use two hearing aids. What level of technology you will need in your hearing aid will depend on various factors. This decision is made based on your type of hearing loss, listening needs, personal likes and price. There is a second part to this article that is available on the Discount Valley Website at http://www.discountvalley.com/Hearing_Articles/how_to_choose_a_hearing_aid_2.htm. Stan Boston is the General Manager of Discount Valley Hearing. Discount Valley Hearing can be found on the internet at http://www.discountvalley.com. Discount Valley is a discount retailer of products for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tags: hearing, hearing aid, tv ears, dry store, desiccant, battery, batteries, icelltech, renata Share This Posted in HEARING | No Comments » « Previous Entries Wordpress Theme by Kaushal Sheth | Design by Denise Close Social Web E-mail del.icio.us Digg Furl Netscape Yahoo! My Web StumbleUpon Google Bookmarks Technorati BlinkList Newsvine ma.gnolia reddit Windows Live Tailrank E-mail It To Address: Your Name: Your Address: