Hard of Hearing Article written by Best Assisted Living Aids, LLC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 15, 2012 -- Hard of Hearing (HoH) refers to people that have a loss of hearing, either partial or complete. Loss of hearing is medically known as hearing impairment. Merriam’s Dictionary defines impaired as “being in a less than perfect or whole condition as disabled or functionally defective—often used in combination ”. However, I understand that the majority of deaf people, us included, do not like the term hearing impairment and, instead, prefer the terms deaf and hard of hearing.

People can be born partially or completely deaf. Or, it can occur later in life to anyone, from babies to seniors.

Many hard of hearing people, with a partial hearing loss, don’t recognize that they have a loss or they may simply deny it. Some may know that their hearing has gotten worse, but they try to live with it rather than ask for help. Many young people and middle aged people with slight hearing loss don’t seek help because they feel that they may have to start wearing hearing aids which might make them look old. Unfortunately, many people are slightly HoH and they sometimes suffer because they try to live with it rather than seek help.

Hearing aids may tend to make people look older in other people’s eyes, but not being able to hear can make them appear not as intelligent. In my case, before I received my hearing aids several years ago, I would say inappropriate things. For instance, someone might ask me if I thought it was very cold in the office and I would say something like yes, it’s very old. They would laugh and thought I was saying that just because I was being funny. Fortunately, I had and have a good sense of humor so, instead of people thinking I was unintelligent, they thought I was being funny. After I got my hearing aids, people laughed and commented that they then understood why I had said some of the things I did.

So, how do you know if you have a slight hearing loss?

There are several things that you might look for. Some might be noticed by you and some might be observed by others. A few indications of a hearing loss are 1) talking much louder than other people, 2) asking people to repeat things often, 3) people asking you to read their lips, 4) thinking that people don’t speak clearly, 5) misunderstanding what people said, 6) not being able to hear the TV and having to turn the volume up louder than is comfortable for other people, 7) not being able to hear on the phone, 8) missing sounds that other people hear such as birds, crickets, cats meowing, music playing, etc., 9) people saying that you have a hearing problem, and 10), which could have serious consequences, not hearing emergency vehicles.
What should you do if you suspect you have loss of hearing or if someone else says you do? The first thing you should do is see an audiologist and verify that you really are HoH. If you are, then it’s possible that it could be easily corrected. For instance, it might just be ear wax that has built up and could be removed.

If it is determined that you definitely do have a hearing loss that is more than something that can be easily corrected, then there are several possible options. You could get a hearing aid (or aids), get a BAHA implant, get a Cochlear Implant, or have corrective surgery. However if, for any reason, you don’t want to have anything done to correct the hearing loss, then there are things that you can do to help you and others live with your loss. One, you can ask people to speak up, speak slower, pronounce words more clearly, and try to read their lips. Two, you can turn the volume up on the TV and other devices that you listen to. Three, you can buy hard of hearing items, such as what we sell in our store @ www.bestassistedlivingaids.com. The products we sell can help you and others live with your loss. Four, you can learn American Sign Language (ASL). This could be especially helpful if your family or friends also know or learn ASL. If you decide you want to learn ASL, please check out the ASL translator that we sell in our store. The translator can be a big help. (We’d like to point out that many of the products we sell in our store can be used by either those that are HoH or deaf.)
If you feel you might have a hearing loss or if someone says you do, please take the appropriate action. By doing so, it can make it much easier for you and others to live with your loss.

Thanks for reading! Stan & Linda Straub

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