Self Help For the Hard of Hearing People

1. Self Help For the Hard of Hearing People This presentation may be freely used by any SHHH Chapters. It’s available for download from www.nchearingloss.org/programs.htm Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

2. Did you know: • There are 28 million Americans with a hearing loss • The largest disability and growing • 1/3 over age 65 have a hearing loss • “Invisible” disability • You are NOT alone with your hearing loss • There are many, many ways to improve a hearing loss Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

3. Do I have a hearing loss? • Do I: • turn the television volume louder than others? • Misunderstand 50 for 15 or 60 for 16? • Have trouble understanding people speaking to me from another room? • Miss the punch line of jokes? • Seem to hear words but do not understand them? • Have a history of ear infections, earaches, or ringing ears? Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

4. Test yourself • Do you suffer from: • Feeling of inadequacies? • Down in the dumps? • Isolation? • Loneliness? • Denial? Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

5. Test yourself (cont.) • Am I: • Accused of not paying attention? • Can I: • Hear better with one ear than the other on the phone? • Have I: • Stopped attending plays and lectures because of the strain exerted to hear what is being said? Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

6. How can a hearing loss be improved? • Education • Medical • Assistive Technology • Psychological • Spiritual • Preventive • Research Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

7. Education • Learn all you can about hearing loss • Listen carefully today • Ask the Senior Citizens Council for information on hearing loss • Read all you can about hearing loss • Ask Questions Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

8. Medical • Find a compassionate, caring hearing health professional • Get a medical exam • Have a hearing test by a certified audiologist • Understand your audiogram • Follow recommendations for a hearing aid • Be familiar with Menière's disease, Tinnitus, ototoxicity and other medical terms. • Good competent medical advice is a must Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

9. Assistive Technology • What is it? • Hearing Aids • Telecoil • Personal Amplifiers • FM/Infrared systems put the sound in the ear • Closed Captioning • Computers • A little help goes a long way! Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

10. Telecoil • A switch that changes a microphone to an electromagnetic induction • Allows you to use the telephone without feedback/squeal • Connects your hearing aid with other things. • Reduces noise • Compensates for distance and poor acoustics Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

11. Three types of Hearing Assistive Technology • Telecommunications equipment and peripherals • Alerting devices • Assistive listening devices Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

12. Telephones • Amplification • Loud ringer • Clear sound • Try them out with an understanding that you can return them if they do not work • Some Special Phones for Hearing Loss • Clarity (available on the web and at Radio Shack) • Ameriphone (available in catalogs and the web) • Text Telephones (TTY) • CapTel (check availability at www.ultratec.com) Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

13. Alerting Devices • Fire alarm • Telephone Ringer • Door bell • Weather alert • Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors • Motion Detector • Alarm Clock Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

14. Assistive Listening Devices • “Binoculars” for the ears • Increase loudness of specific sounds • Bring sound directly into the hearing aid or ear • Minimize background noise • Reduce effect of distance between HOH person and sound source Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

15. Assistive Listening Devices (cont.) • Override poor acoustics • Used in large areas, one-on-one, restaurants and for television viewing • FM receivers • Infrared receivers • Inductive loop Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

16. Assistive Listening Devices (cont.) • Can be used for social, educational, entertainment, home/personal • Americans with Disabilities requires that these devices will be available in certain public places like museums and theaters. • Not required in churches • It’s up to you to learn how to use them and to ask for them Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

17. Spiritual • Seek spiritual help from our Creator in living life to its fullest in spite of our loss • Accept our hearing loss • be all we can be with what we have • Make sure our houses of worship are meeting our needs to hear Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

18. Preventive • Get Sound Advice • Rock concerts and firecrackers are too loud • Boom cars and snowmobiles are too loud • Chain saws are too loud • Wood shops are too loud • Lawn mowers and motorcycles are too loud • Use ear plugs and help reduce noise pollution Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

19. Research • What can we do for research in hearing loss? • Will temporal bones for research • Participate in research activities • Support research efforts • So many good things happening in hearing research that people with good hearing will want our gadgets to hear better! Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

20. Coping Strategies • Be honest • Resist the urge to bluff • If background noise is a problem, eliminate it or find a quieter place to talk • Carry a pad and pencil • Ask people to face you when they speak • Ask speakers to remove gum or obstacles from their mouths Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

21. Organizations • Self Help for the Hard of Hearing People • www.hearingloss.org • Call 738-2796 • Get on the mailing list • AARP • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders • National Institute on Aging Information Center Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia

22. Remember • You are not alone! • There is help! • Be persistent and assertive in receiving help • A hearing handicap can be overcome! Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia