Transcript No Slide Title

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
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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
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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
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Test yourself

Do you suffer from:
 Feeling of inadequacies?
 Down in the dumps?
 Isolation?
 Loneliness?
 Denial?
Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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Test yourself (cont.)
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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
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How can a hearing loss be
improved?
Education
 Medical
 Assistive Technology
 Psychological
 Spiritual
 Preventive
 Research

Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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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
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Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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Medical

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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
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Assistive Technology
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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
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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
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Three types of Hearing Assistive
Technology

Telecommunications equipment and
peripherals

Alerting devices

Assistive listening devices
Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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Telephones

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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
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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
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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
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Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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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
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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
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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
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Preventive
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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
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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
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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
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Developed by Carrie Welter, SHHH Augusta Chapter, Georgia
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Organizations
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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
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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
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