Director's Message
Hearing Loss April 2006
April 2006 One of the most common problems associated with aging is hearing loss. Hearing loss is caused by long term exposure to environmental noise, disease processes affecting the ear, certain medications and physical trauma to the ear or brain processing centers, as well as genetic factors. Hearing loss is categorized by severity, what part of the ear is affected, when the hearing loss began and whether both ears are affected. This means that two people with hearing impairments may have very different experiences and different solutions.
People with hearing impairments often find that their experience varies widely depending on the circumstances. It is easier to hear when there are few noise distractions like other people talking, rustling papers or background TV. It is easier to hear low frequency sounds than high ones, so men are easier to hear than women, children and birds. It may be hard to differentiate consonant sounds like b, d, and p. Rooms that reverberate present challenges, as do unfamiliar accents.
Hearing impairment can be treated with hearing aids and cochlear implants, but rarely does a person feel that these restore them to normal, youthful hearing. Many people also benefit from the growing array of adaptive technologies that are available. These include several types of telephone modifications that boost sound, and close captioned TV. It can also be helpful to convert to light or motion signals where one used to have sound signals, such as doorbell, and other alarms. Some people prefer written communication which is evolving in many new ways through email, instant messaging, and voice-to-text converters.
In addition, there are many adaptations that a hearing impaired person and their friends can implement to facilitate communication. When speaking to a hearing impaired person, make sure there is light on your face, and face the person so they can clearly see your lips. Don’t cover your mouth. Most of us augment comprehension through lip-reading. Use your whole body to express yourself, especially facial expressions and hand gestures. Reduce background noise. Try lowering your tone rather than increasing volume. Look for clues that you are understood. Don’t get impatient if you have to repeat yourself. If repeating a phrase once doesn’t work, try different words. Speak slowly and enunciate clearly, but not so much that you distort your words. Emphasize key words. Family and friends can also help make sure that hearing aids are worn and maintained properly.
Diminished hearing can lead to withdrawal from social interactions and depression. Consistent with our mission to help people age in place with dignity, we want to encourage you to get your hearing checked regularly and to make use of the adaptive technologies that are currently available. We also want to practice and encourage others to utilize the noted strategies to maximize opportunities for enjoyable social interactions. One of our goals for this year is to reduce the reverberation that occurs at the Suzanne Patterson Building! Susan W. Hoskins LCSW |
Previous MessagesJune 2013 - Age Friendly Communities June 2013 - Age Friendly Communities May 2013 - Navigating a Changing HealthCare Landscape March 2013 - Navigating Life’s Transitions February 2013 - Partners in Caring Princeton January 2013 - Men as Caregivers December 2012 - The Safety Net October 2012 - Documenting Your History September 2012 - A Journey of Transformation July - August 2012 - Gratitude & Moving March 2012 - Patient-centered Care February 2012 - Can you Spare an Hour? January 2012 - Challenges & Opportunities December - Are you Prepared for Emergencies? October - Chocolate for Memory September- Looking Back and Looking Forward Lessons and Legacies, March 2011 Independent Living February 2011 Witness to my Life December 2010 Elections, benefits and open enrollment November 2010 Strategic Planning September 2010 Hiring Home Care December 2009 Annual Giving by Sharon Naeole November 2009 Flu Pandemic 2009 October 2009 Healthy Memory, Healthy Mind September 2009 A Personal Perspective on Caregiving July/August 2009 Wei Ji: Crisis, Danger and Opportunity April 2009 Write your own obituary March 2009 Hope and Vision in Challenging Times Medicare Changes 2008: Take A Look! December 2008 Scams, Frauds and Rip-offs November 2008 Engaged Retirement: Beyond Financial Planning October 2008 September 2008 Caregiver Dilemmas Finding Rhythm and Purpose July/August 2008 V + OA = ER (Volunteering + Older Americans=Engaged Retirement)May 2008 Have You Had the Talk Yet? March 2008 Get Moving with FitRhythms™! February 2008 What Are Social Services? November 2007 Plan for the Future September 2007 The Up-side of Aging Summer 2007 National Conference on Aging: Let's ReThink Aging April 2007 Season of Giving December 2006 April Hill McElroy October 2006 Civic Engagement September 2006 White House Conference on Aging May 2006 Are You Prepared? October 2005 Watch Your Language September 2005 The End of the Journey May 2005 New Dietary Guidelines February 2005 Civic Engagement with GrandPals October 2004 The Challenge of Giving Care May 2004 Seniors On The Move April 2004 Random Acts of Kindness December 2003 Civic Engagement November 2003 |