Hearing Solutions
Yesterday, I went to my audiologist to get my new earmold for my left hearing aid. We spoke about how people who have hearing aids complain of having a hearing aid. It got me thinking about the sigma attached to hearing loss and the misconceptions of hearing aids.
While many are becoming new to hearing loss, it is a complete different world to live in and to deal with. Some have to find alternative ways to cope with their new-found hearing lost, while others may struggle with accepting the fact that they may have a hearing loss themselves. To ease worried minds, do not be afraid to get your hearing tested when you sense you are not hearing as well as you should. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the quality of life can improve.
The quality of life is greatly affected by hearing loss creating a sense of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, depression, and strained relationships. Many have spoken out about this and how it affected them overall. Since I grew up hard of hearing, I was always a loner, I never really did socialize much and if I did, I would say a good chunk of that socializing didn't happen until I was in college and after. I grew up in an all hearing world, so I understand the frustrations, issues, barriers and more that many have had to come across and dealt with. It is only then people learn how little the public knows about hearing loss and how the "hearing world" ignorant mindsets tries to justify their responses and misinterpretations of what one is capable of doing with a hearing loss. If one has been hearing all their lives and suddenly find themselves dealing with a hearing loss, they are shocked by the treatment they get after the fact. Why is that? People are scared of the unknown and to their thinking, they think "Oh great! Now I can't do this or that now!" in other words they don't want to communicate directly face to face all the time, they don't want to repeat everything all the time, they don't want to make an effort to help a fellow co-worker, colleague, associate, partner, or stranger with a hearing loss all the time. Well guess what, TOO BAD for them! The person with the hearing loss will have to work anywhere from three to ten times harder to keep up with the pace of everything and that's more tasking on the person with a hearing loss than it is on a person who doesn't have a loss. A simple repeat, to make sure a person without hearing loss is not constantly repeating themselves - slow down and speak just a bit slower (not too slow!) and clear. Make sure it's not in a very noisy environment, if its a noisy environment, write it out. I always try to carry a notepad and a pen wherever I go.
Now, as a long time hearing aid user, sounds will not sound exactly the same if you have been naturally hearing some time before losing your hearing. Yes, you may experience a robotic sound-like sound for a while until you get used to it. After wearing the aid(s) for a while, those new sounds will become your version of "normal sounds" to you. A hearing aid basically amplifies all the sounds around you according to your audiogram done by an audiologist. To understand the technology behind hearing aids check out Types of Hearing Aid Technology on the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Be sure you communicate with your audiologist about how you are hearing with your hearing aid, what sounds are bothersome and what things are you noticing that you are not hearing well-enough. To get the most out of your hearing solution, read the literature, listen to your audiologist and doctors involved, asked questions if you don't understand something and finally get familiar with Hearing Loss Association of America as they have support groups, meetings, events, and advocacy. You are not alone!
There are people who are showing more and more interest in Cochlear Implantation Technology today as we have all seen on the Today Show, The Doctors and more shows to name a few. However, cochlear implantation IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. To be a candidate for cochlear implant, you must first have a hearing evaluation done by a hearing specialist. Most of the qualification will depend on your insurance guidelines which means, most likely you will need to be profoundly deaf with little to no benefits from your hearing aid(s). If your are borderline, depending on the hearing specialists and the type of insurance you have, you may just have to wait a bit longer until the hearing specialists and insurance company are comfortable enough to give the go ahead. Now, I will say the surgery is expensive and so is the technology itself, so make sure you do your research thoroughly and cover all your bases.
Everyone is different when it comes to getting a cochlear implant. Some of us can pick up sounds and speech like it's nothing, while other may take up to six months to a year and maybe some a bit longer than a year. It really depends on how long one has been hard of hearing and deaf for. The brain has to go through its own rehabilitation in learning how to process hearing the new sounds through new technology. So, as you will find in many online communities, PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, PRACTICE and DETERMINATION are required to get the maximum benefit out of wearing a cochlear implant. Also making sure you have the support you need before, during and after implantation is vital. Many expect immediate results and are left to be disappointed. So, the best advice ever given and said was , "Go in with low expectations but high hope." As I will be approaching one year in November since my activation of my right cochlear implant, after several mappings aka adjustments, I'm still getting used to more and more sounds. It is not perfect but I can say it works. Some things sound robotic to me whereas some things may sound "almost" normal and I'm good with that. The bottom line is I am comfortable and I can hear. The best part is my speech has improved A LOT and I don't even see a speech therapist since my schedule is "busy". But I do have a five year old son and he is normal hearing as well as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult). He tends to correct me when I mispronounce something and I rather have him correct me for I know he hears it better than I do and that in turns gives him confident in his ability to communicate effectively and read out-loud much better. In a way its a positive trade-off.
So please, work closely with your hearing specialists and check out the resources I provided within my blog. If you are researching cochlear implantation technology please explore these sites: Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, Med-El, and Cochlear Implant Online. There are many more sites as well, but these sites are the most used.
For hearing aid technology check out the companies who make them: Oticon, ReSound, and Phonak. These are the ones that I know of, but your audiologist will choose the right type of hearing aid technology for you and if for any reason you are not benefiting from a particular brand of technology, and based on the audiologist you may have, they will try another brand technology to see if its better suited for your hearing needs. Do not give up hope or give up on life, there is help available just reach out and someone will be more than happy to help you!
Please feel free to ask any questions. If you know of a good resource please feel free to share the link in the comment section!
While many are becoming new to hearing loss, it is a complete different world to live in and to deal with. Some have to find alternative ways to cope with their new-found hearing lost, while others may struggle with accepting the fact that they may have a hearing loss themselves. To ease worried minds, do not be afraid to get your hearing tested when you sense you are not hearing as well as you should. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the quality of life can improve.
The quality of life is greatly affected by hearing loss creating a sense of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, depression, and strained relationships. Many have spoken out about this and how it affected them overall. Since I grew up hard of hearing, I was always a loner, I never really did socialize much and if I did, I would say a good chunk of that socializing didn't happen until I was in college and after. I grew up in an all hearing world, so I understand the frustrations, issues, barriers and more that many have had to come across and dealt with. It is only then people learn how little the public knows about hearing loss and how the "hearing world" ignorant mindsets tries to justify their responses and misinterpretations of what one is capable of doing with a hearing loss. If one has been hearing all their lives and suddenly find themselves dealing with a hearing loss, they are shocked by the treatment they get after the fact. Why is that? People are scared of the unknown and to their thinking, they think "Oh great! Now I can't do this or that now!" in other words they don't want to communicate directly face to face all the time, they don't want to repeat everything all the time, they don't want to make an effort to help a fellow co-worker, colleague, associate, partner, or stranger with a hearing loss all the time. Well guess what, TOO BAD for them! The person with the hearing loss will have to work anywhere from three to ten times harder to keep up with the pace of everything and that's more tasking on the person with a hearing loss than it is on a person who doesn't have a loss. A simple repeat, to make sure a person without hearing loss is not constantly repeating themselves - slow down and speak just a bit slower (not too slow!) and clear. Make sure it's not in a very noisy environment, if its a noisy environment, write it out. I always try to carry a notepad and a pen wherever I go.
Now, as a long time hearing aid user, sounds will not sound exactly the same if you have been naturally hearing some time before losing your hearing. Yes, you may experience a robotic sound-like sound for a while until you get used to it. After wearing the aid(s) for a while, those new sounds will become your version of "normal sounds" to you. A hearing aid basically amplifies all the sounds around you according to your audiogram done by an audiologist. To understand the technology behind hearing aids check out Types of Hearing Aid Technology on the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Be sure you communicate with your audiologist about how you are hearing with your hearing aid, what sounds are bothersome and what things are you noticing that you are not hearing well-enough. To get the most out of your hearing solution, read the literature, listen to your audiologist and doctors involved, asked questions if you don't understand something and finally get familiar with Hearing Loss Association of America as they have support groups, meetings, events, and advocacy. You are not alone!
There are people who are showing more and more interest in Cochlear Implantation Technology today as we have all seen on the Today Show, The Doctors and more shows to name a few. However, cochlear implantation IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. To be a candidate for cochlear implant, you must first have a hearing evaluation done by a hearing specialist. Most of the qualification will depend on your insurance guidelines which means, most likely you will need to be profoundly deaf with little to no benefits from your hearing aid(s). If your are borderline, depending on the hearing specialists and the type of insurance you have, you may just have to wait a bit longer until the hearing specialists and insurance company are comfortable enough to give the go ahead. Now, I will say the surgery is expensive and so is the technology itself, so make sure you do your research thoroughly and cover all your bases.
Everyone is different when it comes to getting a cochlear implant. Some of us can pick up sounds and speech like it's nothing, while other may take up to six months to a year and maybe some a bit longer than a year. It really depends on how long one has been hard of hearing and deaf for. The brain has to go through its own rehabilitation in learning how to process hearing the new sounds through new technology. So, as you will find in many online communities, PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, PRACTICE and DETERMINATION are required to get the maximum benefit out of wearing a cochlear implant. Also making sure you have the support you need before, during and after implantation is vital. Many expect immediate results and are left to be disappointed. So, the best advice ever given and said was , "Go in with low expectations but high hope." As I will be approaching one year in November since my activation of my right cochlear implant, after several mappings aka adjustments, I'm still getting used to more and more sounds. It is not perfect but I can say it works. Some things sound robotic to me whereas some things may sound "almost" normal and I'm good with that. The bottom line is I am comfortable and I can hear. The best part is my speech has improved A LOT and I don't even see a speech therapist since my schedule is "busy". But I do have a five year old son and he is normal hearing as well as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult). He tends to correct me when I mispronounce something and I rather have him correct me for I know he hears it better than I do and that in turns gives him confident in his ability to communicate effectively and read out-loud much better. In a way its a positive trade-off.
So please, work closely with your hearing specialists and check out the resources I provided within my blog. If you are researching cochlear implantation technology please explore these sites: Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, Med-El, and Cochlear Implant Online. There are many more sites as well, but these sites are the most used.
For hearing aid technology check out the companies who make them: Oticon, ReSound, and Phonak. These are the ones that I know of, but your audiologist will choose the right type of hearing aid technology for you and if for any reason you are not benefiting from a particular brand of technology, and based on the audiologist you may have, they will try another brand technology to see if its better suited for your hearing needs. Do not give up hope or give up on life, there is help available just reach out and someone will be more than happy to help you!
Please feel free to ask any questions. If you know of a good resource please feel free to share the link in the comment section!
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