BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Deafness 10 commandments of dealing with hearing impaired

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The 10 commandments
That was terrific I sent the 10 commandments via email to the people who are the greatest offenders when speaking with me.
I have been hearing impaired all my life. I do have some hearing in both ears (more in my left ear than my right).
35 years ago I went to a hearing specialist in New York who told me to concentrate on the visual in this world because my hearing could not be helped with hearing aids. I did.
Around 2000 the digital "in the ear" hearing aids came out and I got them...They were some help but I hated them (feedback, whistling, tinnyness etc). I lost one on an airplane right after 9/11 and the replacement was never any good and very expensive.
Well some one told me to go to Costco for hearing aids about 3 years ago. (I live in New York and in South Florida and needed a hearing aid supplier that would adjust them in both places.)
I had gone to belltone and hearex; both were very expensive and pushy.
So as a last resort I decided to contact Costco.
I called the one in Boca Raton and the woman told me that since I woud be leaving Florida in a month, I would not be in Florida long enough for her to fit, create and adjust my hearing aids and that I should go to NY and have it all done there and that she would readjust them whenever needed when I got back to Florida... hmmm certainly not pushy...
So I called the New York Costco in Westbury and made an appointment...I was very skeptical ... how good could hearing aids be from Costco..
I was tested and decided to try the behind the ear (and in the ear) hearing aids... their top of the line from bernafon. The woman there worked with me for many months...we saw each other so much we exchanged recipes...(kidding).
Anyway, it is 2 1/2 years later and I still am using the same hearing aids...much adjusted. I have been to both hearing aid costcos and they have filled my needs more than adequately.
I still don't wear them all the time...I enjoy the quiet of not wearing them when I am alone. I paint and knit and crochet and read; for these things I don't need my hearing aids. I play tennis and golf and cannot wear them for those activities as the wind is a problem.
I can now go the the theater and to movies... The only problem is that I have always heard music one way. I have no hearing in the higher ranges (treble)so when I go to a concert of familier music (Chopin, Beethoven) I find that I am taking them out and putting them in because the music sounds different than it has always been for me.
I have the advantage in very noisy places (I can read lips and can remove my hearing aids) and function better than my hearing friends who can do neither and who have to suffer with the noise.
My friends and family are thrilled with me when I wear them...It is much less work for them to communicate with me.
I guess this was not a quick answer. I am very passionate about the subject.
As a postscript...Everyone who goes to a hearing specialist needs a hearing impaired friend (who wears aids) to go with them and to help them over the hurdles...especially older people. It is very difficult to navigate the Q&As of adjusting them and of what you should expect from them.
Hope this helps some one else.
Suzi

Thanks Suzi
Your comments about talking with or taking someone to help them through the mine field of hearing aid issues is very valid. It surprises me that people, in this day and age, still think that a deaf person can put on a hearing aid and suddenly hear everything. As you say it takes a lot of visits and help to get the best you possibly can from a hearing aid and of course if your hearing is deteriorating then you need to continue to have them adjusted.

Have a look at the pages on my web-site. They contain my 'commandments' for dealing with the hearing impaired and are designed to be printed by you and put in a prominent place.
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My grandmother had really bad hearing now, and I make sure to follow those commandments closely. She's become a little loopy, so I have to speak clearly for her to get what I'm saying.

Good for you bea

Oh that is very good and such a nice clear list. I'd add to it to make sure the room you're in is well lit so that a lipreader can see your face clearly. I've worn hearing aids since I was a very small child so I can totally relate to what people have said.

I've put my deafness to good use in a number of ways - although I will never hear normally. I still cannot for example tell what direction traffic is coming from, only that it's there. My father has become hard of hearing and I have been able to support him and help him to understand that what he experiences is normal for a deaf person - makes it hard for my mother being the normal hearing person when both Dad and I are around! I also attend the Disability Working Group meetings at work and help to co-ordinate disability policy across an entire NHS Trust in London. It's not all bad!

No it's not all bad so long as you have the strength and ability to be positive about it. But some people don't have that - or it takes time to develop. There were times in my life when I found it so hard. I became incredibly isolated and lonely and didn't know where to turn. My deafness was only one issue but it certainly made other issues harder to deal with (eg finding work (financial stress) dating (finding companionship & love) etc.)

Since I had my CI I have much more confidence and work within the hard of hearing area to help others who might suffer as I did

The 1st line of that article made me smile- I have low-frequency hearing loss and my SO doesn't see very well... We were made for each other!

Honestly, I don't know what I would do without him. I am very withdrawn because of my hearing loss. He is my translator/ amplifier and he also keeps me socially involved.

Because I'm relatively young (33) and I don't wear a hearing aid most people either assume I'm stupid or that I'm ignoring them. I've often thought I should wear a shirt that says: PARDON MY DEAFNESS so folks won't think I'm being rude or a big dummy. Maybe those commandments would look good on the back

Laughing. It is true deafness is a hidden 'disability' and therefore the assumption is often made that we are stupid.

Yesterday.... we were at the green grocers. My husband is suffering a bad gout attack in his big toe (smile). It's incredibly painful. The check out chick was talking about him limping and we told her it was gout.

He limped away as I handed her my payment card and she said "Winter Gout!" I laughed and said "yes I guess so." She looked at me strangely and I realised I must have said something wrong. "Pardon?" "Which Account?" she repeated. I then had to explain I hadn't heard her correctly.