To view this, you need to install the Flash Player 7. Please go to here and download it.
Visit our Commercial Media Center to learn more about Glassman's Hearing Aid Service.
A gradual change in hearing is so taken for granted today, that when you ask the hearing impaired why they continue to needlessly suffer, they are often startled. Most explain their hearing loss in a one dimensional way, with reasons such as "people don't talk plainly anymore", or "I don't always concentrate on what others say, so my wife thinks I have a hearing loss".
Hearing loss can be regarded as being in one of four stages. A mild hearing loss; 2OdB to 4OdB, those who have trouble hearing clearly from distances of ten feet or further in quiet surroundings, or who have trouble from any distance when background noise is present. A whisper (25dB) is not heard. Their exorbitance may show either by the frequency in their asking others to repeat or responding incorrectly; and by the social or economical consequences of their continued denial of their hearing problem. They may attempt to adjust to life by seeking professional help only to fail, if the diagnosis is normal hearing for your age or nothing should be done now, stop back in a year or two. If hearing aids are not tried to help this person hear clearly again at the mild stage of hearing loss, an active lifestyle may become history. As this person's hearing level moves into the moderate stage, it will become increasingly difficult to offset such impairment with hearing aid use. The same is true for that person's ability to adapt to amplification.
The second stage is moderate hearing loss, 45dB to 65dB; impaired hearing at this stage causes at least half of the conversation to be missed, causing most words to be misinterpreted. Normal conversation at close range or about three feet away, (6OdB), if heard, is out of focus to the point that ones confidence in what they think was said, or their concentration on what is being said, is almost non-existent. Without proper treatment at this stage, the hearing impaired can proceed into a state of depression that could take months of rehabilitation to overcome, once the impairment is (medically) corrected or offset by using hearing aids.
A third stage, severe hearing loss, (70dB to 9OdB); only allows bits and pieces of speech to be heard at close range in quiet surroundings. At this stage, the hearing impaired's physical and emotional state have become so harmed that the effects continue even after the problem has been helped.
Moderate or severe hearing loss can cause a person to escape from personal and social difficulties by withdrawing from friends and family and further isolating themselves from a world once filled with sound. For those at the crucial stages of hearing impairment, should seek the needed professional help they are in serious need of. A hearing test should be their first step.
Profound hearing loss is the fourth stage; in which 10% or less of their hearing is present. Speech is not heard. Power tools or trains at close range are barely audible. Very powerful hearing aids may amplify sounds enough to give the person afflicted with profound hearing impairment the awareness of what the disturbances in the air are, people or things. No speech discrimination is present.
The first sign that one has a hearing loss is their defensiveness when approached with the insinuation that they have such a loss. They may rebel or try to prove otherwise. Some of the hearing impaired will recognize their handicap without being told.
Irreversible sensory neural hearing impairment is by far the most common type of hearing loss. This type of hearing loss generally continues to show a threshold of hearing decrease of about 3dB or 5dB in as many years. However, this varies greatly with individuals. The actions of hearing impairment are brought on or enhanced by circulatory or infectious diseases and high fevers, sharp blows to the head, sudden or continuous loud noise exposure, drugs or the degeneration of the hearing mechanism, in particular the cochlea.
Hearing impairment is a physical and emotional imperfection of a person; however, denial of ones hearing loss is a social and spiritual imperfection. Through proper assistance, the hearing impaired can be freed from this counter productive life style.
PHYSICAL
When determining how hearing affects an individual, most of the research has focused on the middle ear and labyrinth. High doses of noises, quinine, aspirin, nicotine, salt or circulatory and other diseases or high fevers, consistently depress and reduce the sensitivity of the thousands of microscopic hair cells that fill the inner fluid lining of the cochlea. When this occurs, the electrical impulses, which are transmitted from the cochlea to the brain decrease in frequency and intensity. Hearing impairment slows down mental activities, affects speech, alertness and impairs ones judgment.
EMOTIONAL
Humanity today places a great amount of stress on being authentic. We play roles and place masks over our faces to disguise our true and real selves. None of us want to live a lie, but the fears that we experience and the risks that honest self-communication would involve, seem so intense to us that seeking refuge in our roles has become an almost natural reflex action. For many of us, it has become difficult to distinguish between who we really are and what we pose as being. In many people, there is a dissatisfaction with themselves and the in ability to perceive or accept reality. Unable to adequately cope with their dissatisfactions, the dreamer will escape from reality to a magic world of fantasy, a place where problems cease to exist. Many who are vulnerable to stress, such as those who react poorly to deprivation are most easily overcome by defeat and self-conscious around others. The hearing impaired to some extent will use their hearing loss as a means of entering this imaginary world.
When a friend or spouse suggests that we didn't hear what was said, our first reaction may be one of smiles, laughter and a carefree attitude. The main intention for hearing is to be able to communicate with others effectively so that one feels they are a part of society. However, living with uncorrected hearing loss is an exemption from reality and a constant suspension from truth. The actions, which we have adopted in order to get along with others become hard to restrain. When this occurs, an irrational behavior rises to the surface releasing impulses, which can be forcefully expressed. While afflicted with hearing loss and around others, the hearing impaired can no longer assess what is proper to say or when to keep silent. The outgoing become shy, the sociable person becomes a solitary one. The hearing impaired become defensive, self-conscious or suspicious of what others may be saying (about them). These personality changes can produce a very lonely and withdrawn person who once enjoyed an active lifestyle. Later stages of hearing loss may cause that person to be loud and domineering, which causes embarrassment for them and others, and can be life threatening when vital warning information is not heard.
At times, the hearing impaired will strike out at those around him, releasing negative emotions through violence or the use of harsh words. Once the harm is done, the realization of what has happened leaves the individual with a feeling of guilt and shame. The hearing impaired finds the victim of his violence angry or fearful from the outrage that had occurred. The hearing impaired feels conscience stricken, with a strong intention to either isolate himself further from reality or seek help. Unfortunately, the latter is usually the very last option the hearing impaired will look for and generally comes about after several years of communicative problems and embarrassments, with friends and family. One who needlessly suffers from hearing loss becomes trapped in a vicious circle, caught between facing reality or avoiding it by the use of their vanity or misconceptions. Many doctors, psychologists and dispensing hearing aid specialists believe that unless the hearing impaired can experience an entire psychic change, which may come from prayer, an embarrassing situation, or through someone who cares, there is very little hope they will get better and in all probability will continue to regress either socially, physically, spiritually, emotionally or in all ways.
SPIRITUAL
Believing in a power greater than ourselves can be the answer which we have all, at one time or another been in search of. There is a point in all of our lives, when things seem to go wrong. We feel lost or defeated, with no place to turn. At moments like this, turning our problems over to the hands of someone or something more powerful than ourselves, can help us solve the difficulties in life. Most people feel this awareness is the essence of a spiritual experience. The experience can manifest itself in many different ways, for different people. The awakening can be in the form of a spiritual or idol type God, or in the shape of a person or thing, depending on how the individual perceives it.
Many hearing impaired will use their vanity to stand in the way of seeking help. However, the hearing impaired who have had their hearing problem offset discover their awakening in a more positive aspect, the hearing aid. The (N.H.A.S.) Nat'l Hearing Aid Society's Members and Chapter Members use the idea of the hearing aid as a major part of their rehabilitation method. They feel that anyone suffering from sensory neural hearing loss can be helped to a large degree, if they are capable of honestly facing their problems, and provided that they do not close their minds to the hearing aid concept.
The willingness to accept and the honesty to admit that they do not hear normally, nor will they until they seek professional help, are the essentials for the hearing impaired to progress again. The third essential ingredient is keeping an open mind. Being open minded is the belief in the hearing aid dispenser or hearing specialist, which could and would relieve the symptoms of hearing loss if he were sought.
The (NHAS) National Hearing Aid Society, is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who are competently trained in the anatomy of the ear, psychology of the hearing impaired, acoustics of hearing and speech, hearing testing and interpretation of audiometric testing and corrective hearing instrumentation devices; their fitting, evaluating and maintenance of such amplifying devices. They have banded together to solve the hearing impaired's common problems and to help those who can be helped through hearing devices and consultations, to build their confidence again in better communications with others.
One of the most difficult problems with anyone who suffers from hearing loss is getting them to realize what their life has really become. Before anything good can be resolved, the hearing impaired must admit they have a hearing problem. Then and only then can they be helped. Once that person admits they have lost the ability to communicate correctly, they have passed the first step and are on their way to progressing in a positive and healthy manner. These psychological principals which have long been recognized as being effective in the reorganization of the handicap's personalities.
The hearing aid dispensers consultations always consist of reducing the hearing impaired's fears of a hearing aid and encouraging the use of amplification. Here they are shown that they are not a worthless individual, but one who is suffering from a hearing loss that can be correctly offset by using hearing aids. The individual is also encouraged to lean on the dispenser for strength, until they are able to stand on their own feet. By this, I mean they are encouraged to come back to the dispenser's office, no matter how often, for motivational advice and guidance, also for verification checks of the amplifying devices performance.
Other community activities where hearing impaired individuals can meet each other and discuss their problems or share new positive aspects of their lives are encouraged. Community programs administered by State Hearing Aid Associations would be a welcome and logical approach. Positive public awareness would help bring our Chapter and the public we serve closer together by letting those people afflicted with hearing loss know they don't have to "go it alone" anymore.
CONCLUSION
Denial can be a lethal weapon you alone aim at yourself. Three important suggestions for coping with your hearing impairment:
Better communications with others makes life more enjoyable and worth living. Every word is worth hearing, but you will never realize the lie you're living until you hear it.
Mark F. Glassman, B.C.HIS,ACA
Audioprostholgist
Contact Mark Glassman, and the team at Glassman's Hearing Aid Service.
Glassman's Hearing Aid Service
Omaha
3015 N 90th St
Ph. 402-571-1207
Fremont
33 W 6th
Ph. 402-727-7866
"My wife
appreciates my hearing aids as much as I do. She claims it has helped my
disposition. I know hearing aids have helped me enjoy my family and
friends."
Chris Gutschow, Fremont, NE