Help for your hearing loss, tinnitus and other ear conditions
My family and friends just don’t seem to get it—that I need them to talk differently so I can hear them. What can I do to get through to them?
Too often family, friends and coworkers don’t know the right ways to talk to the hard of hearing people. This article includes a form letter to give to family, friends or coworkers to teach them the basics of effectively communicating with hard of hearing people.
I am going to the hospital shortly and I am worried that I won’t be able to hear, or will misunderstand, the instructions and questions of the doctors and nurses since I have quite a bad hearing loss. What can I do to make my stay in the hospital more communication friendly?
The secret is to be prepared ahead of time for your stay in the hospital. This article explains the steps you should take to do this. It explains what should be in your hospital kit and gives two sources for good low-cost kits you can take to the hospital with you to help you effectively communicate with those you come in contact with in the hospital.
I am hard of hearing. If I am stopped by the police at night, what is the best way for me to let the police know that I can’t hear their orders. I don’t want to be manhandled or shot for deliberately disobeying orders I cannot hear.
If you are stopped by the police at night, this free visor card will let the police know at the outset that you can’t hear them before anything bad happens to you.
I am looking for information on lip-reading—it’s accuracy and associated difficulties. I understand that lip-reading really is very hard and not particularly accurate. Is this true?
Speechreading is an invaluable skill for hard of hearing people to have. This article explains what speechreading is and what it can and cannot do.
I’ve often heard that there are movie theatres with captioning but have never heard of one near me. Is there some central place that lists which theatres have such help available? How do you learn of captioned movies shown in your city? Are they listed as such in your local newspaper movie line-up or where?
When it comes to finding captioned movies and plays, many hard of hearing people don’t know where to turn. The good news is that there are several organizations dedicated to helping us by listing which movies and live theatre events are captioned. This article shows you where to go to find this information.
“How do you drive if you can’t hear?” is a question I’ve been asked a number of times. And I normally answer, “I use my eyes when I drive. What do you use?” “Judy”, a hard of hearing lady, responding to this same question, quipped, “I use my hands. My ears aren’t able to reach the steering wheel.”
This article explains a number of practical coping strategies for driving safely even though you can’t hear honking horns and sirens when you drive.
Neil G. Bauman, Ph.D.
1013 Ridgeway Drive, Lynden,
WA 98264-1057 USA
Email: neil@hearinglosshelp.com
Phone: 360-778-1266 (M-F 9:00 AM-5:00 PM PST)
