Hearing aids interview =)

[heheitsstacey]

Hi everyone,

My name is Stacey. I am currently taking an Audiometry course and even though it is only a twelve week course, I feel like I am learning so much from it. I recently became a school nurse and wanted to take this course to conduct hearing screens for the children and to assist them in anyway that I could to promote their wellbeing.

One of the assignments is to wear earplugs for a few hours and make observations of "life as a person with hearing loss". I am currently doing this part of the assignment right now and it has been an eye-opener.
Another part of the assignment is to interview a person who wears a hearing aid. I do not know anyone who has a hearing aid, so I googled hearing aids forum and I was happy to come across this thread. If anyone is interested in being interviewed, I would greatly appreciate your time!

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?
2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?
3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?
4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?
5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?
6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?
7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?
8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?

Thank you,
Stacey

 

[DeafNerdMommy]

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?
Saying hearing impaired could be a little harsh. I love being hard of hearing. It is who I am even if it does make something harder.
2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?
I am not a huge fan of my HA, I take them off often. I thought if I wore them, people would notice that I am hard of hearing but people don't really notice them.
3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?
I can't listen in a big crowd and I have to read lips. When people turn away from me or look down or are eating I don't understand them.
4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?
I always knew I had hearing problems but I wasn't diagnosis until I was 7 with mild hearing loss but recently lost a good amount to be severe to profoundly hard of hearing.
5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?
I like that I can decorate my hearing aids and hear a little bit better while wearing them. But I dislike how they make the world sound and the feedback.
6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?
Hearing aids hasn't really affected my loved ones or family other than we have a running joke. "She doesn't have her hearing aids on, don't talk to her."
7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?
I loved this documentary, so much pain. Anyways I am already saving up for my kids. I have central auditory processing disorder and I can pass it on. Hearing aids make its better. But yes if any of my kids develop hearing loss they will have hearing aids and I am already teaching them sign.
8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?
The hearing world has being cold and harsh to me. Hearing people could be mean and not understanding. But the deaf world took me in with no judgment. I mostly live in the hearing world because it is where my family, friends, and job is at but I feel normal in the Deaf world.

I hope this helps.

 

[heheitsstacey]

Thank you for responding! I would love to continue this conversation if you'd like?
1. I would first like to apologize for using an inappropriate term.
2. My only encounter with a person hard of hearing is really through the Sound of Fury documentary. My class had a discussion about it, and one person brought up identity. How has your identity changed since you received the hearing aids?
How come you are not a huge fan of your hearing aid?
3. Ahh, I see. Yes, I am currently wearing ear plugs and I have to read the lips of the workers at this tea place. I feel as though I am yelling my responses to them too so that I can hear my own voice.
4. How did you find out that you were hard of hearing? Was it at school when they were doing the hearing screens?
5. I also saw a Facebook group where people shared how they decorated their hearing aids. How does the world sound like to you when are you wearing the HA?
6. Haha that is funny!
7. If I may ask, how old are your children? That is great that you are teaching them sign language. When did you start using sign language and was it difficult to learn?
8. After watching the documentary, I felt as though Heather's father was against getting the cochlear implant because he had a bad experience with the hearing world and he did not want Heather to become a part of that world. I am sorry to hear that the hearing world was harsh to you. I hope that as you went through life, more people were more understanding. How was the deaf world when you decided to get a hearing aid? And if you do not mind me asking, what job field do you work in?

Thank you again for your response!

 

[DeafNerdMommy]

2. My only encounter with a person hard of hearing is really through the Sound of Fury documentary. My class had a discussion about it, and one person brought up identity. How has your identity changed since you received the hearing aids?
I don't feel like wearing hear aids has changed who I am at all. But more people believe I have hearing loss.
3. Ahh, I see. Yes, I am currently wearing ear plugs and I have to read the lips of the workers at this tea place. I feel as though I am yelling my responses to them too so that I can hear my own voice.
Place your hand o your vocal cords, if they vibrate you are talking. Notice the louder you talk the stronger the vibration is.
4. How did you find out that you were hard of hearing? Was it at school when they were doing the hearing screens?
I had ear glue when I was 7 and did a hearing screening then. I have sealed eustachian tubes so my ears are always in negative pressure. Which is sucking back my ear drums and stretching them out. It also makes my ear drum rub against the bone which are close to snapping. I am waiting for the bones to break or my ear drums to blow out.
5. I also saw a Facebook group where people shared how they decorated their hearing aids. How does the world sound like to you when are you wearing the HA?
I mostly hear the wind or my hearing aids cut out a lot. I am hoping once I get stronger ones here soon they will sound better.
7. If I may ask, how old are your children? That is great that you are teaching them sign language. When did you start using sign language and was it difficult to learn?
My kids are 4,3, and 1. Asl was the easiest thing I have even learned. I started learning when I was 14.
8. After watching the documentary, I felt as though Heather's father was against getting the cochlear implant because he had a bad experience with the hearing world and he did not want Heather to become a part of that world. I am sorry to hear that the hearing world was harsh to you. I hope that as you went through life, more people were more understanding. How was the deaf world when you decided to get a hearing aid? And if you do not mind me asking, what job field do you work in?
Since I got hearing aids I had something to talk about. It was a great way to talk to deaf strangers. I would ask how they liked their hearing aids or if they wanted to switch. Also I work in a group home for severe disabled adults.

 

[Reba]

First, I'm a hearing person, and I'm not speaking for any deaf people. I'm speaking hearie-to-hearie.

As a hearing person I will say that a hearing adult wearing ear plugs for a few hours isn't even a taste of what life is like for someone who was born deaf or who became deaf at a pre-lingual age. Growing up deaf and living daily with hearing family members who can't communicate, and attending a so-called mainstream school can't be experienced by a hearing adult.

I suggest you do some topic searching at this forum and read the many heartfelt posts you find. Survey questions can't dig out the full stories.

 

[heheitsstacey]

To DeafNerdMommy
2. I am glad that wearing hearing aids has not changed who you are.
3. Thank you for the tip!
4. Ohh, did you have ear infections often as a child?
5. Are hearing aids costly? We are learning about hearing aids now. Do you have Behind the Ear, In the ear, in the canal, or completely in the canal hearing aids? I hope your new hearing aids fit acoustically!
7. How cute! Oh, I want to try something new this year; maybe I will try to learn ASL. My friend learned it in high school and was showing me then, and I thought it was pretty neat.
8. It is a great conversation starter. Have you seen more people nowadays with hearing aids as compared to before?

To Reba
I believe that my assignment was enlightening for those few hours though. It made me realize how difficult it was to communicate with us and how frustrating it may be to have hearing loss. But, I agree. A few hours is nothing compared to years or a lifetime of being deaf and to see how their daily lives would be. Through this experiment, I realized how much I love hearing sounds and I should not take my ability to hear for granted.
Thank you for your suggestion; I will look through this forum and read the posts! Thank you! =)

 

[JayBoi]

Hi Stacey

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?

Having experienced life before and after hearing impairment I can honestly say it now does not bother me. At the time I felt rather annoyed but now its no real issue.

2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?

I feel a lot happier wearing them on the basis that without wearing them life becomes a challenge

3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?

Intitally I struggled with lots of aspects of life such as having to learn to lip read etc however now im used to it things have become easier

4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?

2007. I was involved in an industrial accident in which a giant compressed air cylinder exploded in close proximity

5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?

Pros- I can hear better than I ever had before hand. Also makes things like holding a concersation less tiring from having to over concentrate without the aids. I can turn them off when Nathan annoys me!

Cons- Wind noise, this makes the most simple tasks such as holding a conversation very difficult. In my experience I find people who see you use aids tend to shout... I find it quite rude and conter productive because the whole point of using them is so people dont have to shout!

6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?

My partner already had hearing aids when I met him so his experience has helped a lot. Generally it has not had an impact on family.

7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?

Most deffinetly! It has improved my life dramatically since I had them.

8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?

I havent watched the documentary?

 

[flyingscott58]

Hi everyone,

My name is Stacey. I am currently taking an Audiometry course and even though it is only a twelve week course, I feel like I am learning so much from it. I recently became a school nurse and wanted to take this course to conduct hearing screens for the children and to assist them in anyway that I could to promote their wellbeing.

One of the assignments is to wear earplugs for a few hours and make observations of "life as a person with hearing loss". I am currently doing this part of the assignment right now and it has been an eye-opener.
Another part of the assignment is to interview a person who wears a hearing aid. I do not know anyone who has a hearing aid, so I googled hearing aids forum and I was happy to come across this thread. If anyone is interested in being interviewed, I would greatly appreciate your time!



Thank you,
Stacey

Hi everyone,

My name is Stacey. I am currently taking an Audiometry course and even though it is only a twelve week course, I feel like I am learning so much from it. I recently became a school nurse and wanted to take this course to conduct hearing screens for the children and to assist them in anyway that I could to promote their wellbeing.

One of the assignments is to wear earplugs for a few hours and make observations of "life as a person with hearing loss". I am currently doing this part of the assignment right now and it has been an eye-opener.
Another part of the assignment is to interview a person who wears a hearing aid. I do not know anyone who has a hearing aid, so I googled hearing aids forum and I was happy to come across this thread. If anyone is interested in being interviewed, I would greatly appreciate your time!

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?
2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?
3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?
4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?
5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?
6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?
7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?
8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?

Thank you,
Stacey

Hi Stacey

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?

Frustration, loneliness at times, bit depressed occasionally.

2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?

Now I'm comfortable about my hearing aids. I have 2 behind the ear aids with ear moulds. I can't hide them because my hair is short. At first I was nervous about how people would react.

3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?

My hearing aids aren't a cure and sometimes I think that hearing people think that they are. Work situations can still be difficult espescially meetings with more than one or two people.

4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?

More than 5 years ago.

5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?

The big pros are that they help, the big cons are they don't cure deafness.

6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?

Life is better.

7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?

Yes I would. For children especially, hearing loss impacts their learning, development and education.

8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?

I've no experience of the "deaf world" as such and the "hearing world" has just behaved as normal. The downside of that is that many hearing people don't understand how difficult it is for deaf/hearing impaired/hard of hearing people to try and live in that world.

Good luck

Ian

 

[Rom]

Hi everyone,

My name is Stacey. I am currently taking an Audiometry course and even though it is only a twelve week course, I feel like I am learning so much from it. I recently became a school nurse and wanted to take this course to conduct hearing screens for the children and to assist them in anyway that I could to promote their wellbeing.

One of the assignments is to wear earplugs for a few hours and make observations of "life as a person with hearing loss". I am currently doing this part of the assignment right now and it has been an eye-opener.
Another part of the assignment is to interview a person who wears a hearing aid. I do not know anyone who has a hearing aid, so I googled hearing aids forum and I was happy to come across this thread. If anyone is interested in being interviewed, I would greatly appreciate your time!

1. What are your feelings about being hearing impaired?
2. What are your feelings about wearing hearing aids?
3. How has hearing loss affected your communication and your life?
4. When did you first experience hearing impairment?
5. What are the pros and cons in your opinion of having a hearing aid?
6. How has the hearing aid affected your family and loved ones?
7. I watched the Sound of Fury documentary. If you had a child with hearing loss, would you get a hearing aid for them and why?
8. From the documentary, they said there was a hearing world and a deaf world. How has each world treated you?

Thank you,
Stacey

Hi Stacey! I'm going to answer your questions in numerical order as you asked them, adding in my own snark as I see fit ).

1) It has its pros and cons. I can't communicate as effectively as I'd like because I either don't hear the conversation and have to lip read, or the person I speak with refuses to repeat for me, but then I never need earplugs. I get the best sleeps!

2) my hearing aids are my best friends, and my worst enemies. They allow me to hear things I've never heard before. I can communicate for the most part without issue, I can hear doors, people, even light switches! But it took a long time for me to get used to hearing these things.

3) my hearing loss has greatly affected my communication. Growing up I was constantly mishearing, answering inappropriately, or being told I wasn't a good listener. It meant I had to fight twice as hard as my normal hearing companions to get the same point across.

4) this is a gray area. We believe my impairment was brought on by a bout of measles from the orphanage when I was 2, but I wasn't officially diagnosed and aided until I was 20 (last year). It increased in severity after a water injury when I was 19, (which is what prompted the hearing test). My loss is more in the lower frequencies, so I was able to slither by without being too obvious.

5) hearing aids are not normal hearing. They have batteries that die without warning, they squeal, they require someone to perform guesswork on how you should be hearing, and on how to correct it. They're EXPENSIVE. My profoundly deaf cousin and I combined will have spent enough on hearing aids and their accessories in 20 years to buy a BMW... but again, they open the gate to communication. We can be apart of the bigger picture because of them, and for that, I'm forever grateful.

6) Prior to my aids, nobody wanted to speak to me, because they knew I'd only catch a third of what they were saying. I was rather secluded, because the only one willing to carry on long talks with me was my Dad. He had a loud clear voice that was easier for me to understand. And then he suddenly lost it, and he spoke at a whisper. That's when aids became absolutely necessary for me to exist. The one thing everyone was really paranoid about was them being visible, but we've found that A, they're not, and B, they're worth it.

7) I also watched Sound of Fury, prior to my diagnosis. This gives me the interesting perspective both as someone who unknowingly had a loss at the time, and later as someone who wore aids. If that were my child, I would give them aids, the implant, the bone anchored thing, whatever, to ensure as much communication, and as much success as possible. If when they are older, they choose to not wear them, that is okay by me, but I want to give them the opportunity young. If I could've had aids when I was younger, I wouldn't have faced half the issues I did when I was older.

8) I'm wary of answering this because I've literally never met a deaf person. My cousin has been raised in a hearing world, no sign, no deaf ed, just him and his hearing aids against the rest of the world. I would love to learn sign, and I think he would benefit from it too, but the opportunity has never presented itself. Hopefully someday!

I've literally never heard (no pun here, people!) of school hearing screenings. I never got one. I probably would've been caught a lot earlier if I had. My school just thought I had autism, and that was that. It was a horrible time for me. Also schools never put on captions when we watched movies so I always MISSED EVERYTHING EVERY CHARACTER SAID AND COMPLETED HALF THE ASSIGNMENT.

Happy nursing!

 

[Rom]

2. My only encounter with a person hard of hearing is really through the Sound of Fury documentary. My class had a discussion about it, and one person brought up identity. How has your identity changed since you received the hearing aids?
I don't feel like wearing hear aids has changed who I am at all. But more people believe I have hearing loss.
3. Ahh, I see. Yes, I am currently wearing ear plugs and I have to read the lips of the workers at this tea place. I feel as though I am yelling my responses to them too so that I can hear my own voice.
Place your hand o your vocal cords, if they vibrate you are talking. Notice the louder you talk the stronger the vibration is.
4. How did you find out that you were hard of hearing? Was it at school when they were doing the hearing screens?
I had ear glue when I was 7 and did a hearing screening then. I have sealed eustachian tubes so my ears are always in negative pressure. Which is sucking back my ear drums and stretching them out. It also makes my ear drum rub against the bone which are close to snapping. I am waiting for the bones to break or my ear drums to blow out.
5. I also saw a Facebook group where people shared how they decorated their hearing aids. How does the world sound like to you when are you wearing the HA?
I mostly hear the wind or my hearing aids cut out a lot. I am hoping once I get stronger ones here soon they will sound better.
7. If I may ask, how old are your children? That is great that you are teaching them sign language. When did you start using sign language and was it difficult to learn?
My kids are 4,3, and 1. Asl was the easiest thing I have even learned. I started learning when I was 14.
8. After watching the documentary, I felt as though Heather's father was against getting the cochlear implant because he had a bad experience with the hearing world and he did not want Heather to become a part of that world. I am sorry to hear that the hearing world was harsh to you. I hope that as you went through life, more people were more understanding. How was the deaf world when you decided to get a hearing aid? And if you do not mind me asking, what job field do you work in?
Since I got hearing aids I had something to talk about. It was a great way to talk to deaf strangers. I would ask how they liked their hearing aids or if they wanted to switch. Also I work in a group home for severe disabled adults.

Hey! Adam Savage from mythbusters has that exact same eustacian thing, he's had surgery and has aids and everything! He even did an interview.

 

[DeafNerdMommy]

Hey! Adam Savage from mythbusters has that exact same eustacian thing, he's had surgery and has aids and everything! He even did an interview.

Weird I didn't know that.