Zumba Hearing

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

Today my zumba teacher asked me a really considerate question. She asked whether the volume of the music was too loud for my hearing aids. Apparently some of her devotees wear ear plugs as it disturbs their sensitive hearing - these are not necessary in my case.
I wear my hearing aids in these exercise classes because they are also a major part of my social networking. My zumba buddies often speak to me during the class and if I didn't wear them I wouldn't be able to respond. However, wearing them during exercise is problematic as they become very damp, affecting their efficiency. I also suspect that adding volume to loud music is not the best thing for my already severely diminished hearing.
I noticed one accessory available is a air puffer which in theory clears damp out of the vent tubes of the aids. Has anyone used one of these? What do you think?

Table Conversations

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

 I was talking with some friends the other day about funny conversations with older people who have difficulty hearing each other. One observation was that in between a couple of older people sitting around a dinner table he observed that each was having his or her own private conversation because none could hear what the others were saying. But the important thing was that they were still happily chatting away with each other, smiling and laughing and interacting. Is conversation just about the words or is it the gestures and expression in between?

Dancing To The Music

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

 I have realised after a night out dancing that it doesn't matter if you don't hear every nuance of the music because some people don't have a sense of rhythm anyway. And no one cares; they just want to see you having fun.
So get out there, swing your arms in the air, get those feet going and do your thing.
And whatever you do, make sure that you smile. People will forget that you can't hear them. They will just think that you are a very nice person.

Emergency Alerts for the Hard of Hearing

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

 Last week's terrible news about the difficulties caused by Hurricane Sandy made me think about how people with hearing loss are alerted to danger. I am fortunate that my own hearing would allow me to hear someone knocking loudly at a door or perhaps a loud bell. But how do others with a more severe impediment receive news alerts? I would imagine that in many cases such individuals rely on good neighbours or relatives. This made me think about good neighbour schemes and how they could help in such emergencies. 

Do you know of what schemes there are in your area? Are there people living near you who would be vulnerable in an emergency situation? Do you think that there should be a central record kept of such people? And what about communities where the people are so poor that alert systems are prohibitively costly? 

Please feel free to send me your comments.

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

 I was just looking on Twitter and found this interesting article. 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/252063.php

The Wave

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.

Have you experienced the wave? It can make a person feel quite small.
It's that movement of someone's hand telling me that I am talking too loud and need to lower my voice. Sometimes people don't wave but just come right out and say something along the lines of 'shush' or 'you're really loud'.

I have developed a thick skin to help me deal with these types of gestures and comments however, if others wonder why people with hearing loss can become isolated and shun society, then maybe they should consider how they help someone to recognise that his or her voice is too loud. My hearing clinic would be recognised as excellent however the treatment plan is centred around equipment to improve the hearing rather than helping the adjustment to the change hearing loss can bring to one's social and working life.

Most of us mortals with hearing loss do not hear our own voice particularly well. So it is very difficult to judge how loud we need to speak, in particular when there is a lot of background noise. I find myself compensating for anything which makes it more difficult to hear by raising my own voice. I am fortunate in having a huge circle of friends who understand and love me in spite of my bellowing voice however others are not so lucky.

The workplace can be a really difficult setting for individuals with hearing loss. I would love to hear about the ways my readers deal with the daily issues that arise. Please feel free to comment, whether you are suffering from hearing loss, have a relative with hearing loss or are a care giver in the field. 

 

Dancing to the Beat

I am a writer with moderate hearing loss, which I have had since I was in my early 30's. Now in my mid 50's I want to create a blog where we can have open discussion about what it is like in the world of the hard of hearing. This may be humorous stories or poignant ones and hopefully there will be some useful advice on how to avoid the isolation which occurs when communication becomes difficult. Please interact with the site. It's for you and me to talk.


One of my fears when I was told that my hearing would probably deteriorate was that I would lose the ability to hear music. For a person who likes to dance and exercise to music, I anticipated that it would be one of the the most isolating aspects of my condition. Instead, to my great relief, I have found that I can hear the beat of most music and most of the melody. So that means that I can dance to my heart's content, if just a little off time occasionally. The biggest problem is that my hearing aids get very damp and that can affect their efficiency. Has anyone found a decent aid which doesn't suffer from the build up of damp in the ears?

Strawberries and Tea?

Being hard of hearing does have its funny moments.

Once upon a time, I attended a hearing loss clinic in a nearby cottage hospital. It had a typical health clinic waiting room with lots of uncomfortable chairs facing a wall, out of date magazines covering such intriguing subjects as 'Carpentry for the Person with Two Tools', and health information for everything except hearing loss.

Like the majority of new patients I was a bit nervous about what I would be told about my future. I tried reading a book but could not help notice when anyone entered the room. Soon my attention was rewarded.

A couple of women staggered in, arm-in-arm, knocking everything they passed. One was middle aged and one was a tiny, more ancient woman who clutched onto her companion's arm for security. The younger woman carefully ushered the other to the nearest chair, which happened to be in front of me. As the elderly woman sat down, the younger one said, 'Now mother, you sit there while I go to the counter and see the receptionist.'

'Yes I would love tea and biscuits, thank you,' came the gravelly loud reply.

'No mother, I am going to see the receptionist,' the younger woman raised her voice even louder.

'Yes, strawberries would be lovely,' was the enthusiastic retort.

'Mother, for heaven's sake, turn on your hearing aids!' Clearly this was a common problem as the daughter's voice revealed her exasperation.

'Heh?'

'Hearing aids. Turn them on!'

'I don't want to waste the batteries. Anyway, they don't help.'

I could go on to reveal all of the delightful conversation of these two. I left the clinic with a smile on my face but with sympathy for them both. Communication depends on both parties understanding each other. Without that understanding there can be conflict, confusion and isolation.

My mission is to use this site to make you laugh, maybe cry and perhaps encourage you to share useful tips on how to live in the real world with hearing loss. Help me by posting up your stories in my comments page. I look forward to hearing from you!!!

Welcome

I am a writer and have lived with reduced hearing since my mid 30's. In those days I was working in an environment where I needed to fully utilize my oral and aural communications skills and therefore I started to wear hearing aids. I am now in my mid 50's and am passionate that hearing loss should not ever isolate anyone in their community. Through this blog I hope to highlight some of the difficulties, humour and maybe some strategies for dealing with any hearing loss. Please join me in my crusade to create open communication for all.