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Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others
Hearing Loss | Last Active: 23 minutes ago | Replies (1519)Comment receiving replies
Hi, my name is Jim and I've had hearing loss since serving in Viet Nam which has become worse over the last 50 or so years. I receive my audiology care at VA but have also used private practice audiologists as well. I have profound high frequency sensorineural healing loss which means I can hear noise well but can't understand speech. With hearing aids I can hear birds and crickets etc., but they don't help my speech understanding much. Drive-up windows, restaurants, loudspeakers in gymnasiums, and multiple people talking at once are impossible for me. Phones, and TV (with technology are OK) and one-on-one conversations face to face in quiet settings are OK too.
More recently I have started to learn ASL for 2 reasons. One, to improve my ability to communicate and two, to challenge my aging brain by learning a new language. I think both are successful. I advocated for a hearing loop in our church and I'm actively advocating for veterans with hearing loss. I'm happy to find this site because mutual support is so important to us.
Replies to "Hi, my name is Jim and I've had hearing loss since serving in Viet Nam which..."
@arrowshooter Your hearing loss sounds very similar to mine. When I had my last hearing tests (I am due for one next month) it was two years ago. My hearing of sound had not changed much but my word recognition had decreased substantially. Interestingly, when I talk to my son, daughter, husband or sister on my Iphone I hear them very well. When I get a call that has to do with something else, like from a doctor's office of anything of that nature, it's impossible. Sometimes I intentionally let it go to voicemail because my phone captions the message.
I have the Oticon hearing aids with the Connect Clip. The Connect Clip is very helpful in some situations. It is good if you just want to hear one person. It does not help, nor does "live listen" if I put it on a table in the restaurant so I can hear the other people at the table because all of the extraneous noise also gets magnified.
I thought about ASL but I only know one person who knows it so I would only be able to communicate with her. She used to teach deaf children. I think for me learning lip reading would be more helpful.
JK
Hi Jim. Not being able to understand speech in noise is the biggest problem for most people with hearing loss. Hearing aids do help but you'll still have difficulties. Its best to utilize communication strategies to keep from going crazy. Move away from the noise source. You'll find that most people do not have a problem with moving outside the noisy environment. This is not always possible. For instance, when your sitting in a restaurant. A pass-around microphone or personal FM system may help.
Your reasoning for learning ASL was the same reasons that I tried using it. Unfortunately, unless your communication partner knows ASL, it does not help. It's excellent tool to exercise the brain though.
You may want to reach out to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). They formed a group dedicated to veterans. You can find information here: https://www.hearingloss.org/hearing-help/communities/veterans/
Tony in Michigan
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Good morning Jim. I'm sure your answer to this question is yes, but have you worked with your audiologist to help you find the best possible way to sync your hearing aids to your cell phone? My Resound app has a speech clarity button, and also a "boost" button for VERY hard to understand voices. Those options combined with volume control have helped me understand voices i couldn't manage before. I love your idea of learning ASL. Best of luck to you!