Welcome to Hearing Aids
Aids Ear Hearing Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Aids Ear Hearing. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
from:
Hearing Loss - Communication
By Val Bedard
I have been hard of hearing since birth. I have a profound hearing loss and wear two behind-the-ear hearing aids that help me ‘hear’ what is being said to me. I rely a lot on speech reading (also know as lip-reading). There is a ‘myth’ that needs to be changed…hearing aids do not ‘correct’ hearing loss, it is an aid such as using a cane to help with walking. Just because I wear hearing aids, it doesn’t mean that I hear what you hear. All the sounds are made louder by the hearing aid and it is up to the wearer to discriminate what they do want to hear. Hearing aids work best when the hearing aid wearer is in a quiet environment and the speaker is about 3 to 8 feet away. Beyond that, the hearing aid wearer will have to rely on other coping strategies such as speech reading or use technical devices.
For those of us who do wear a hearing aid, we have to get used to hearing through amplification. For example, when I go to a restaurant, I hear all the sounds amplified, I am unable to filter out through all the sounds for one voice that I want to hear, so then I have to rely on speech reading. I hear dishes rattling, voices chattering, a constant drone of sounds, etc. all amplified through my hearing aid. After trying to hear in a noisy environment, people have been known to put their hearing aids in a dresser drawer, only to be forgotten while family members and friends are left struggling to make themselves heard to that person. Sound familiar?
What can we do?
• When speaking to someone with a hearing loss, keep facing the individual, get their attention before speaking and don’t turn away while you are talking.
• Speak a little slower and clearly but do not over-articulate.
• Don’t ask “can you hear me?” and embarrass the listener in front of others.
• Don’t have music or radio on when trying to talk with someone with a hearing loss. All background sounds will be amplified through the hearing aid and the hearing aid wearer has to try to discriminate background sounds from your voice.
• Don’t be afraid to “project” your voice a little. You are not “yelling” just speaking a little louder; the person listening to you will appreciate your efforts.
It’s been my experience that while people try earnestly to speak clearly and a little slower, after a while they forget and go right back to speaking quickly or leave the room while they are talking. I sometimes have to tactfully remind them to repeat, slow down by asking “pardon me?” Usually, that’s all it takes, just a gentle reminder. Communication is a two-way street and it is just as much my responsibility to let the speaker know when I am not “hearing” them properly.
Val Bedard is profoundly hard of hearing since birth, owns her own business Hear Well Services Ltd. (http://www.hearwell.ca) which sells assistive listening devices for the hearing impaired and can be reached at 1-888-549-2092 or via email info@hearwell.ca
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Val_Bedard
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hearing-Loss---Communication&id=280901
Aids Ear Hearing Specific links
Blinkx Video Search
- World's largest video search engine. Over 26 million hours of video. Watch it all!
-- http://www.blinkx.com/
Watch Funny Videos!
- Click here to see funny videos, pictures, jokes, commercials, and more funny stuff from Comedy.com.
-- http://www.comedy.com/
EBAUMS World
- Cippi, the farting chipmunk - A snake gets iced in Cippi's latest adventure!
-- http://www.ebaumsworld.com/
Free Online Kids Games
- Hundreds of fun free online games for kids.
-- http://www.alfy.com/
Atom Comedy: Great Moments In Human Interaction
- There are a small handful of moments in human life that are so perfect, so wonderful, so priceless that we strive to capture them forever on film. These are definitely not those moments...
-- http://www.atom.com/
Aids Ear Hearing News
Commentary: I've become an evangelist for the ever-improving ... - Oshkosh Northwestern
Commentary: I've become an evangelist for the ever-improving ... Oshkosh Northwestern, WI - By Tom Willadsen • December 4, 2008 I have worn hearing aids since I was 20. Sometimes people ask why I wear them. Think about that. It's hard to say, ... |
Hearing loss can put a damper on holiday spirits - Weekly Vista
Hearing loss can put a damper on holiday spirits Weekly Vista, AR - There are very small hearing aids that fit completely in the ear canal, or aids that fit behind the ear and are nearly invisible. The type of hearing loss ... |
Seniors: Be Prepared When Going For Your Annual Physical - Boston Channel.com
Seniors: Be Prepared When Going For Your Annual Physical Boston Channel.com, USA - “Sometimes it is just a simple matter of cleaning out ear wax.” If not, hearing aids are very inconspicuous these days. “People think of hearing aids as a ... |
City of San Dimas promoting Teen Action Committee - San Gabriel Valley Tribune
City of San Dimas promoting Teen Action Committee San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA - The Lions Hearing Foundation of Southern California is offering reconditioned behind-the-ear hearing aids for adults with a family income of $25000 or less. ... |
Hearing loss doesn’t silence Crestview 2nd-grader - Mansfield News Journal
Hearing loss doesn’t silence Crestview 2nd-grader Mansfield News Journal, OH - He was fitted with bilateral hearing aids and wore them from the time he woke up until bedtime for four years. The Fagan family experienced a setback this ... |
AuDNet, Inc. Member Donates Hearing Aids to Clinic for Patients in ... - MarketWatch
AuDNet, Inc. Member Donates Hearing Aids to Clinic for Patients in ... MarketWatch - The initiative, funded by Pacific Eye & Ear Specialists and Starkey Hearing Foundation will reach men, women, and children living on the Westside of Los ... |
Late Woman’s Digital Hearing Aid Finds New Life – And Gives New Life - Yankton Daily Press
Late Woman’s Digital Hearing Aid Finds New Life – And Gives New Life Yankton Daily Press, SD - Olsen returned to Rumsey, seeking a hearing aid and ear modes. That’s when she got the news of the Schaeffer family’s offer. “(Rumsey) said one of his ... |
Hearing loss not limited to the elderly - Yuma Sun
Hearing loss not limited to the elderly Yuma Sun, AZ - The equipment we use is of good quality and our hearing aids are adjustable." For more information or help, call 726-1046, or call the foundation directly ... |
Widow seeks help in getting husband's hearing aids refunded - Sun newspapers
Widow seeks help in getting husband's hearing aids refunded Sun newspapers, FL - The company's Web site emphasizes its 60 years of experience as well as being the first company to offer in-the-ear hearing aids. ... |
From hearing aids to earphones - Bradenton Herald
From hearing aids to earphones Bradenton Herald, United States - Krywko and his staff at Bradenton’s Ear Tech Inc. have combined loudspeaker technology with innovative hearing-aid science to invent earphones that users ... |