By Lyle Larson
There is no way a person with relatively typical hearing can understand what it’s like for people with hearing loss. I am blessed with good hearing in my later years, but my wife Jennifer is not as fortunate, and it’s been an interesting journey for both of us.
Although she had experienced some degree of hearing loss for years, shortly after we retired in 2015 she experienced a profound deficit in her hearing. That year we moved into SaddleBrooke, an active older adult community near Tucson, Arizona.
It’s really difficult to enjoy life in SaddleBrooke when you can’t hear the speaker at events in the ballroom, music at the performing arts center, or even friends at dinner in restaurants. I saw my wife experience feelings of helplessness and begin to withdraw from socializing.
Our life at home suffered as well. No longer could we carry on a conversation at a distance and I became the resident ears for the house. She had difficulty hearing the doorbell, phone, or even a teapot boiling on the stove.
Image courtesy of Lyle Larson.
Fortunately, we soon met a couple who had already been down this road, with one of them experiencing a profound hearing loss and the other trying to cope. They had some great ideas, the first of which was a class at the University of Arizona on how to deal with hearing loss. Although it usually takes a person an average seven to 10 years to acknowledge their hearing loss and seek help, my wife was determined to improve her hearing and her quality of life.
The class at the university taught my wife strategies to improve our communication, such as walking to the person before speaking, facing each other when talking so the lips and facial expressions can be read, and speaking slowly and clearly.
She learned there are different types of hearing loss. While most people experience sensorineural hearing loss from continuous exposure to loud noise, hers was conductive on her right side since she had no functional eardrum. She also discovered there is a device called a BAHA or a bone anchored hearing aid, which enables her to hear through bone conduction.
Following surgery on her right ear, recovery, and learning to use the aid, my wife could hear again. Working with her audiologist, she was also able to use the latest hearing aid technology in her opposite ear so she could hear on both sides.
It’s important for people with hearing loss to realize even with the help of an audiologist and the proper hearing devices, your hearing will never be the way it was before. My wife’s hearing is improved, but she still struggles to hear at times.
The path to better hearing is a journey, and the two most important support systems are the audiologist and a partner or friend. I’m so proud of the effort my wife puts into improving her hearing. She has her hearing tested annually and continually works with her audiologist either in person or via email to make adjustments to her devices.
She also has such a heart for those with hearing loss that she started a support group here in SaddleBrooke that meets every month.
Lyle Larson and Jennifer Jefferis live in Arizona.
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I do feel like something is lost when older adults are put into what feels like isolation chambers due to our hearing ability. We have something unique to contribute from the perspective of our years, and I would like us to find a way as a society to allow us to do that.