10 things someone with hear loss wish others understood

@DaveL OOOh, Dave, that IS scary!!! (yes, a much delayed response!). It’s good that you cleared it up somehow when you told the doctors—-arghhh.

It must have made you panic momentarily. And you can’t wear your aids into surgery, of course, who knows how they have to move you around. Surgery is enough of a surrender as it is.

@RAISSA

Yes, that is a brilliant idea, give the doctor, etc. a microphone so you can clearly hear them! I am still in the process of ascertaining if I will keep the aids I have or not, so I don’t want to get a peripheral device until I get that straightened out.

But when I have finally settled on these aids or another kind, I probably should get a microphone. And set up the tv, but hearing my doctors accurately is primary, of course. I can hear reasonably well with the aids, but I still miss things. I’ve taken to having my husband come in to help fill in the blanks. But he has hearing loss and his first aids, too, so he can’t always hear them well either—-especially if the provider is a low talker, which sometimes they are!

But if you give them a microphone, you are killing 2 birds with one stone as they saying goes! You hear better, and you let them know that you are dealing with hearing loss, as they wouldn’t know otherwise. Well, they probably see the aids, but that doesn’t let them know that it is still challenging even with the aids. How many “civilians” know that?!

And it’s interesting and eye-opening what you are saying, because I haven’t even gotten to the stage of realizing how things aren’t set up to make it easier of us. And that of course hearing loss should be recognized and accommodated already.

Another thing a microphone would help with, at least somewhat, is at last Thanksgiving, we were at my niece’s with her 4 year old daughter, her partner, and several other people. It was really challenging for me hearing-wise!! (I mentioned it in a post). The hardest part was that my grandniece, who I dearly love, was whispering sweet somethings in my ear, and no matter how many times I had her repeat herself, I couldn’t hear a single word!!! I wanted to hear her! A microphone could have helped there.

But that aside, with background conversations, I felt like I was on drugs or something! Very disorienting. I can’t wait until I finally settle on these aids, or try elsewhere. But likely no aids will solve all these issues.

Interestingly, at Christmas with another niece and her family, I didn’t have a problem, including with a Caroling party with a lot of people and singing and piano. Of course, nothing is like long ago when my hearing was much better. But just to hear much better is a godsend.

@RAISSA

PS What aids do you have? Jabra or Resound? And are they the same ones? I have the Jabra.

They help me a lot, but so far streaming phone calls is not good. I’ve gotten it better with various domes and molds, but still not good enough. But I’m getting new molds in a week, so we’ll see. It’s been a heck of a of a lot of work so far. And Costco is really difficult for me/us—it’s so far away and hard to get to! That’s two different Costcos and 3 different specialists.

Thanks for your thoughts. My Paradise P90R hearing aids were a year old. They were set up very poorly. 3 years later and it’s time for a tune up again.

DaveL

In reading your post it occurred to me that in my experience I’m finding more reward in speaking out loud about my hearing impairment with no apologies; letting people know at my desk what the microphone at the window does in letting me hear them fully; and giving doctors the microphone unapologetically.

After all can you imagine crawling on hands and knees because wheelchairs are not top of mind acceptable (as they finally are now but still not fully accommodated) and it is less acceptable to crawl or not show up at all then arrive anywhere using a wheelchair. It used to be that way and still is but I offer it as an example. If you had need of a wheelchair you would not leave it at home rather than present anywhere using one.

Can you imagine not expecting or asking for inclusion with our disability versus silently suffering? For most of us silence is more comfortable no matter how unbearable it is for us. We stay silent in deference to not making anyone else uncomfortable. Go forth and make the world uncomfortable. Otherwise, nothing changes.

What a great lesson for your little niece to learn about how people are not all the same. And what a great service we do when we not only are open to differences but if needed accommodate for them. And most of us have something that is different about us. There is likely a book at her age level you could find at a bookstore. I have a great idea for a title, “Helping Auntie Hear Me” –

When I speak up for myself, I am also speaking up for everyone on this platform. Be bold. Say it out loud. Be proud and stay joyful!

Yes we must stand up for all of our rights. I am left-handed and that use to be negative also. But being left-handed has made me more versatile than others as I had to learn to use y right hand just as well or better than my left. Being hard of hearing is something that I full excepted even before I got hearing aids. And standing up for myself is something that my family as a whole instilled into me from a very young age.

Thank you for enlightening me I’m 60 and I think my hearing starting to go my father has hearing aids I got for him a phonak I don’t remember what kind but I do know he likes it when I look at him and talk to him this is really a cheat sheet that I needed and it sounds like I’ll be using as well pretty soon