Do you tell everyone you meet about your hearing issues?

Hello yes I do most times. I am a cna and work in a long term care facility. I had to fight every step of the way for my right to work as one. I was fully assessed by the state people and given the go ahead by them to do it. I have been working as a cna almost 20 years now. But at every facility I have worked there is a buffer time between getting hired and actually being accepted. I usually have to suffer great controversary and gossip and the situation does get imflammatory at times. Today, a social worker actually brought me a hearing aide in her pocket to give me because she thought it might *help me*. When I pulled back my hair to show her I already wore one she was taken aback. I then had to explain to her that I have been assessed by the country's best neuro otilic surgeons and doctors and that I can hear Just not when people talk too low or behind my back. I asked her if she wanted to talk to my state caseworker from VESID about me. and she did the back up thing with her hand up and said * oh no, I don't even want to get into that! I just wondered if you needed an hearing aide that's all?" I couldn't have just taken that aide anyways as you all know one has to be fitted for a hearing aide and I tried to explain that to her too. They were worried because the bed right across from the nurse's station has a bed alarm that I can't hear. They say it is very loud and I should be able to hear it. and yet..... I can hear all the other bed alarms go off........ I went in to check that bed alarm's volume button and it was on 2. it goes from 0 to 9. Yet the social worker who wanted to give me a hearing aide said she could hear it all the way at the nurse's station......... right across the way. Honestly is this going to be another case of discrimination again?????? I have been working as a deaf cna for 20 years. And some of the things I have heard through out the years are; * don't you see the pressure you are putting on the others?* Sometimes I just want to go home and cry and cry and cry! I try to compensate by always being there. I never take a day off if I can help it. One year I had PERFECT attendence. I get so tired of explaining myself but I HAVE to. I love taking care of people and most of my patients tell me they love me too. I have been called an * everyday angel* and given a plaque by a patients wife when I worked the altzheimers unit. So it's been a mix of people throughout the years..........some love me , some hate me. In my next life I think I wanna be an owl with an owls hearing.........both ears please! Just had to get that all off my chest. My dh asked me tonight how did your day go.........all I said was * fine* no sense in ruining his day too. Love Kristine
 
As my personality allows it, I only let some people know that I'm HOH. It depends with me in terms of my co workers or classmates or people who I know I'm going to interact with on a daily basis or occasionally. Once I let them know about me, then that's when my personality comes out of me being wild and crazy and a nutball has nothing to do with her hearing....that's just BB for you! LOL.

HOWEVER, I don't feel that it's EVERYONE'S business to know. Don't let them know what they don't NEED to know!!! It's not that detrimental for most people to know my life story...lol
 
I find it's easier to tell everyone. I hardly ever wear my hearing aids, and even If I do wear them I only wear one at a time. Kevin.
 
Usually when i dont understand one speaking to me, i let them know then. When they say, "Oh im sorry", i say " Why, you didnt make me deaf."
 
Most of the time, I don't..... I don't see the need to if I can communicate fine.... however if I am trouble understanding them, I would tell them that I am deaf, that I need to read their lips, so it would be easier for me to understand them, not have communication problems.

I'm sure there are times that when I don't hear people, if they are behind me or something and they probably thought I was either rude or ignoring them.... I don't mean to, it just that I couldn't hear them.
 
Back
Top