The whole issue of hearing impairment is complex. When our son was a 3rd grader, we noticed he wasn't responding to us when we called him. My husband and I accused him of having "selective hearing." Soon after, I received a note from the teacher saying that she thought Kenny had trouble hearing. She asked if the school nurse could test him. I agreed to the test. The report from the nurse indicated the test was inconclusive. I made an appointment with the pediatrician. The pediatrician conducted a test and an examination. The result was that Kenny had bilateral ear infections. Boy, was I chagrined!

You may know someone who has a hearing deficit. If you are not aware of others with hearing loss, look around. Soon you will notice someone who needs you to repeat something you've said. If you have a hearing loss yourself, you may have more tips and ideas than those that I'm sharing.

I have a friend who recently noticed she was losing a significant amount of her hearing. She found that she could not sit in a meeting and hear everything that was said. She missed important information. She began feeling left out ot the conversations and alone. She started smiling and faking it when someone would speak to her. She did this even when she couldn't hear the entire message. Sometimes she would do well. Other times, she would be embarrassed when she made a comment which made no sense. Occasionally people who can't hear well actually think others are talking about them.

My friend got hearing aids. They helped, but she still has difficulty in large rooms or large groups. She has some great tips to share:

o Sit close to the main speaker facing him/her
o Ask the entire group to speak loudly and clearly
o Try to converse in areas without extraneous noise

Some tips to make yourself more sensitive to others who have difficulty hearing include:

o Turn off any background music or T.V.
o Find a quiet place to talk
o Keep in mind that hearing loss is not easily detected. If a person gives you a strange response, you may just need to repeat what you said.
o Speak slowly and clearly
o Rephrase what you say if the other person is unable to understand you

Hearing aids are not the perfect remedy for hearing loss. A person must acclimate themselves to the hearing aids. They need to be worn for increasing amounts of time. They also need to be worn in gradually louder environments. Please be patient and keep trying.

If you have questions, please call your parish nurses, at 314-837-1090.

In His Service,
Nicki Reynolds, RN