Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

Welcome to the Hearing Loss group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
This is a welcoming, safe place where you can meet people living with hearing loss, and friends and family supporters. Whether you were born deaf or hard of hearing, experienced hearing loss after birth or with aging, it helps to connect with others. Together we can learn from each other, support one another and share stories about living with hearing loss, coping with challenges and celebrating milestones.

Let’s chat. Why not start by introducing yourself? What is your hearing loss experience? Got a question, tip or story to share?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Hearing Loss Support Group.

@contentandwell

Hi @edschickel and welcome to Connect.
I am hearing so many positive things about HLAA, I wish there was one closer to me. The closest is over an hour away and has meetings at nighttime. I live in southern NH. I started wearing hearing aids in 2004 and since then my hearing has gotten progressively worse. It's pretty severe now.
I should probably sign up for updates from HLAA. Are the conventions worth going to if you are not part of a chapter?
JK

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HLAA is a great organization. HLAA KY has a lot of material on its website--40+ videos on hearing loss issues. They can supplement a meeting if you can't attend one. I can't put the full address on this site at this time. Simply search Hearinglosskentucky we are an org.

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@mmyatt01757

In five or six years of knowing about the conventions, I went to two events: The banquet when it was in Rhode Island and the full convention when it was in Austin. I loved both experiences. If you can afford the $$ and the time (a lot of week day days....) I highly recommend it. I will be driving from eastern Massachusetts to Rochester and I have registered. I am looking forward to Judy Martin doing her roommate match magic and would even welcome having more than 'two-to-a-room' to save money. Judy I have seen you in this group. Hope you do you magic!!

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I have attended more than 14 conventions. I have not attended a bad one. I've learned more at some than others. They are expensive especially if you stay at the convention hotel. Most of the time, I pull my camper and stay in a state park. Attending the convention is similar to attending more than 12 monthly meetings. Lots of information, making friends and seeing Hearing Assistive technology.

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@contentandwell

Hi @edschickel and welcome to Connect.
I am hearing so many positive things about HLAA, I wish there was one closer to me. The closest is over an hour away and has meetings at nighttime. I live in southern NH. I started wearing hearing aids in 2004 and since then my hearing has gotten progressively worse. It's pretty severe now.
I should probably sign up for updates from HLAA. Are the conventions worth going to if you are not part of a chapter?
JK

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Check out the HLAA webinars at national's website. Great information.

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@edschickel

HLAA is a great organization. HLAA KY has a lot of material on its website--40+ videos on hearing loss issues. They can supplement a meeting if you can't attend one. I can't put the full address on this site at this time. Simply search Hearinglosskentucky we are an org.

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Hi! I looked briefly and you have a great website! We are in Central Massachusetts. May we project your videos for a meeting? Haven't reviewed them yet. Our problem is we only spend money on CART. No budget for speakers..... But your videos? I am hopeful about the possibilities. thank you, Margaret

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@edschickel

Check out the HLAA webinars at national's website. Great information.

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@edschickel, Here is the website: https://www.hearingloss.org/

I don't have a hearing loss, I live down the road in Danville, so I wanted to do the neighborly thing😎

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Noisy environments tend to overwhelm my hearing aids -- are there actual solutions? The Seattle Times recently had two articles addressing the noticeable widespread increase in noise levels in Seattle area restaurants (many comments also mentioned the overwhelming sounds levels in move houses, etc). "10 nice-and-quiet Seattle restaurants to catch up with a friend over a meal" Feb 27th and "Yup, Seattle’s restaurants have gotten noisier. How to reverse this trend? We’re all ears" Feb 26th. It was reassuring to learn I was not imagining things.
:

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@mmyatt01757

Hi! I looked briefly and you have a great website! We are in Central Massachusetts. May we project your videos for a meeting? Haven't reviewed them yet. Our problem is we only spend money on CART. No budget for speakers..... But your videos? I am hopeful about the possibilities. thank you, Margaret

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We have been blessed with volunteer captioners since 1990. Same company. Fantastic captioners. Our Louisville chapter has on site captions. Our Bardstown site uses remote captions. In an emergency, when connections were bad we used AI captions, web captioner. Web captions are free and about 75-80% accurate and are ok in a pinch. One must use extra microphones to work well. Computer mics are not powerful enough. HLAA Videos on our web site are always ok to use. You Tube videos are also ok. Linked videos may require permission which is a formality most of the time. We have also used the webinars from HLAA national at our meetings. They are helpful. You can start and stop for discussion.

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@rosemarya

@edschickel, Here is the website: https://www.hearingloss.org/

I don't have a hearing loss, I live down the road in Danville, so I wanted to do the neighborly thing😎

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Hi, Neighbor! I see that you are a volunteer mentor, I assume for hearing loss? Perhaps you can stop by one of our meetings. We meet on the fourth Monday in Bardstown. Our April 22 meeting will be a hearing fair. That is always interesting.

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@contentandwell

Hi @edschickel and welcome to Connect.
I am hearing so many positive things about HLAA, I wish there was one closer to me. The closest is over an hour away and has meetings at nighttime. I live in southern NH. I started wearing hearing aids in 2004 and since then my hearing has gotten progressively worse. It's pretty severe now.
I should probably sign up for updates from HLAA. Are the conventions worth going to if you are not part of a chapter?
JK

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Hi @contentandwell , I agree with Ed that going to a Convention is well worth it. When I went to my first one, it convinced me that getting more involved with HLAA was what I wanted to do. It is especially good to go to if you are not in a chapter. You do need to be a member of HLAA, but that is only $35 I believe. And they also have financial aid for those who might not be able to afford it. I think there might be scholarships for first timers as well. So contact them. The convention won't be this close to home for several years as they move it around the country each year.

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@edschickel

Hi, Neighbor! I see that you are a volunteer mentor, I assume for hearing loss? Perhaps you can stop by one of our meetings. We meet on the fourth Monday in Bardstown. Our April 22 meeting will be a hearing fair. That is always interesting.

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@edschickel - Hi Ed. I do not have hearing loss, but I do have many friends with hearing loss and deafness, as well as friends who work closely with the large deaf population here in Danville, due to being home of the Kentucky School for the Deaf. (KSD) I am trying to follow the Hearing Loss Group because I am learning so much about hearing loss from all of the expert members with degrees of hearing loss who have been sharing so much good information.
I am a transplant recipient. And I will soon be honoring 10 years (on Apr.22 - the day of your meeting!) I came to Mayo Clinic Connect because I didn't have anyone to talk to about my liver disease or about living with a transplanted organs.
I have always wanted some of my deaf friends to take a look at Connect as a place where they could communicate with others, too, about their own health concerns. I know how lonely/frightening it is to be alone in troubled times. I am happy to see that this group is developing into a friendly and caring group.
I will be dropping in from time to time. Thank you for what you are doing to support others.

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