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Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Feb 5, 2019

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.

nla4625 | @nla4625 | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @dwi "Hello, I lost complete earring in my left ear following a trip to Southeast Asia 7..." + (show)
@dwi

Hello, I lost complete earring in my left ear following a trip to Southeast Asia 7 years ago. Doctors could not tell me what caused the loss, but it would not come back. I have since retired in Thailand. It is very hard for me to understand people from other countries due to their strong accents. I wear a set of 5 year old Phonak croc. Do hearing aids make it more difficult to get pass accents? What is the latest/best hearing aids for SSHL?

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@dwi. Can you understand Thai and other tonal languages with your SSHL and hearing aid? I think you are doing REALLY well if you can. As a point of curiosity, what kinds of accents are you having trouble understanding, i.e. Germans speaking English? I have a SSHL and learned from people in this group there are hearing aids that will help me. I'm really looking forward to getting one when it's safe to venture out. I love traveling abroad and managed to do so with my hearing limitations. I know my experiences would have been so much richer if I had been able to hear better and pick up local languages, which I couldn't do. Where in Thailand do you live? Nancy

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1 reply
earscan | @earscan | Feb 8, 2021

yes, absolutely there are hearing aids that do this and many advanced hearing instruments will let the provider set the tonal qualities, ie. japanese, spanish, etc. You will love it!!! Gina

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earscan | @earscan | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @ken82 "@dwi Hearing aids really do not deal with accents except with how those who speak use..." + (show)
@ken82

@dwi Hearing aids really do not deal with accents except with how those who speak use different frequencies of sound to form words.. there are adjustments on hearing aids to work with the frequencies but since accents are usually a function of not hearing what you are used to.... it is the brain that also has to be trained ... hopefully the one speaking has to be reminded that you are hard of hearing and perhaps written conversation would be easier or if the accent speaker could speak slower... Depending upon your smart phone, you might record the voice or even use voice to text apps..

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an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart phone and then the smart phone verbally speaks the translation in your language.. We used this throughout Europe and it worked a great. Would be interesting if the HA app on the phone, which is blue tooth connected to the ha's, could interpret languages. Maybe do the settings on the phone to emphasize the lows more, and then use the normal app for interpretation. Low frequencies are typically used more on the phone systems, hence, elevating those frequencies a bit. Gina

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3 replies
nla4625 | @nla4625 | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @earscan "an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart..." + (show)
@earscan

an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart phone and then the smart phone verbally speaks the translation in your language.. We used this throughout Europe and it worked a great. Would be interesting if the HA app on the phone, which is blue tooth connected to the ha's, could interpret languages. Maybe do the settings on the phone to emphasize the lows more, and then use the normal app for interpretation. Low frequencies are typically used more on the phone systems, hence, elevating those frequencies a bit. Gina

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@Gina. This is so interesting. I had no idea all the things I've been missing. Thanks! Nancy

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1 reply
Cheryl | @th1 | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @nla4625 "@Gina. This is so interesting. I had no idea all the things I've been missing. Thanks!..." + (show)
@nla4625

@Gina. This is so interesting. I had no idea all the things I've been missing. Thanks! Nancy

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Yes, very interesting. Something I imagine few know about

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Cheryl | @th1 | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @earscan "an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart..." + (show)
@earscan

an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart phone and then the smart phone verbally speaks the translation in your language.. We used this throughout Europe and it worked a great. Would be interesting if the HA app on the phone, which is blue tooth connected to the ha's, could interpret languages. Maybe do the settings on the phone to emphasize the lows more, and then use the normal app for interpretation. Low frequencies are typically used more on the phone systems, hence, elevating those frequencies a bit. Gina

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Would you possibly be able to speak virtually about this at my Hearing Loss Chapter meeting Saturday May 1st?

Cheryl Nolte, President
Treasure Coast Chapter
HLAA

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2 replies
dwi | @dwi | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @nla4625 "@dwi. Can you understand Thai and other tonal languages with your SSHL and hearing aid? I..." + (show)
@nla4625

@dwi. Can you understand Thai and other tonal languages with your SSHL and hearing aid? I think you are doing REALLY well if you can. As a point of curiosity, what kinds of accents are you having trouble understanding, i.e. Germans speaking English? I have a SSHL and learned from people in this group there are hearing aids that will help me. I'm really looking forward to getting one when it's safe to venture out. I love traveling abroad and managed to do so with my hearing limitations. I know my experiences would have been so much richer if I had been able to hear better and pick up local languages, which I couldn't do. Where in Thailand do you live? Nancy

Jump to this post

I have given up on understanding Thai. 5 words having opposite meanings sound the same due to the way they use tones. It is easier pointing and using hand signals. Sometimes it becomes less frustrating talking to a Thai rather than someone speaking English in their native languages. I have found there are different strong dialects within, English speaking counties that are difficult to understand. . I am living in Hua Hin, Thailand

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1 reply
dwi | @dwi | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @earscan "an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart..." + (show)
@earscan

an easy way is for the other-languaged person to speak into the app on your smart phone and then the smart phone verbally speaks the translation in your language.. We used this throughout Europe and it worked a great. Would be interesting if the HA app on the phone, which is blue tooth connected to the ha's, could interpret languages. Maybe do the settings on the phone to emphasize the lows more, and then use the normal app for interpretation. Low frequencies are typically used more on the phone systems, hence, elevating those frequencies a bit. Gina

Jump to this post

The translation application does help if they do not speak English. My problem is with friends that are from English speaking countries who have a strong ascent. Their English is as good as mine, but difficult to understand. Whit some it would be difficult Eve. If I had hearing in both ears. I set with a group after golf and i am lucky to pick up 20% of conversations. Most are understanding, which helps.

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nla4625 | @nla4625 | Feb 8, 2021
In reply to @dwi "I have given up on understanding Thai. 5 words having opposite meanings sound the same due..." + (show)
@dwi

I have given up on understanding Thai. 5 words having opposite meanings sound the same due to the way they use tones. It is easier pointing and using hand signals. Sometimes it becomes less frustrating talking to a Thai rather than someone speaking English in their native languages. I have found there are different strong dialects within, English speaking counties that are difficult to understand. . I am living in Hua Hin, Thailand

Jump to this post

@dwi. I'm sure others will have some good tips on how to hear better in the situations you described. I personally have no qualms about asking people for help. Could you get together with the people you'd like to be friends with to talk one on one in a quiet setting? You could explain that you'd really like to get to know them better but you're having trouble hearing them clearly in group situations. You could ask them to speak slowly, really watch their faces as they talked, listen intently, and get used to how they speak. I should think they would be flattered you want to get to know them and be willing to help. If they don't, you probably don't want to know them anyway. The place where you live sounds beautiful. Good luck. Nancy

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