'Hears' to Life!

After spending the weekend with several older and wiser people, I heard one question over and over from some of them.  How can you find out the return policies of hearing aid dispensers?  So, I came back home to good old Wisconsin and did a little research. 

As many of you know, there are no "State" laws here that pertain to the refund of your money for hearing aids.  If you buy a car, service for your home, furniture, etc you are entitled to the well known 3 business day right to back out of the deal.  This even applies to mortgage closings and home equity loans.  So, what consumer rights do you have after paying several hundred or even thousands of dollars for your hearing aid?  Not many!

If you would like to see what the State of Wisconsin has on its' website pertaining to this, please go to http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/disabilities/wistech/hearingaids.pdf   There you will see not only the "recommended" return policy, but also the steps outlined for you to find and purchase a hearing aid.  Keep in mind, that there are no "laws", so make sure that you read the fine print and never take any verbal promises given.  Get it all in writing.  They have to disclose to you up front what the costs are that are non-refundable.  Unfortunately, depending on who you go to, they will not bring this subject up unless you ask since it's probably in the fine print on the "contract".  Remember, there are those places out there that unfortunately want your money and don't really care about your hearing issues. 

I've heard some very disturbing stories here in our area of places that truly do take advantage of those that are no longer good at making informed decisions.  But, from my perspective, if someone is telling you that they can "fix" your problem, you are wanting to "believe" and will pay the money to achieve the positive outcome.  I know of one person that went to a "anchor" store at a mall and got new hearing aids for over $6,000.  A few days later, he called the vendor and explained that they really weren't working out for him.  They had him come in and do some "adjustments" to the aids.  He asked then, if he could return them, but was told that he should really try them for a bit longer since there had now been adjustments made.  Before he knew it, the 30 days were up and they would no longer take them back.  Another instance is when an older lady purchased her hearing aids ($9,000) and upon receiving them realized that this was definitely not what she was looking for.  The store took them back, but only after charging her a $900 per aid restocking fee plus the price of the ear mold and testing.  She ended up paying almost $2200 to come home with nothing.  In hindsight, she now wishes that she would have brought a family member along for the entire process so that she had another person there to question and get everything in writing.

There is another website that has testimonials on it regarding the purchase of hearing aids should you wish to learn more.  It is http://www.pissedconsumer.com/?option=com_Search&Itemid=38&searchword=hearing+aids  There are actual names of vendors and stores on there.  I really don't care to be threatened with lawsuits, so choose not to name names here.  As always, if there are any vendors out there who wish to "post" their return policies on here, feel free to click on the comments section.  And if you want to share any positive or negative experiences as a consumer, let the rest of us know by sharing your stories. 

For those of you that wish to voice your opinions on hearing aids to the folks in Madison, feel free to contact them.  I would start with your representative.  Who knows, maybe they have had a hard time hearing the sounds in their lives.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

This column is for all of those businesses out there that are trying to think of ways to market their goods.  As you all know, we are in an "unofficial" recession.  That means that your customers are getting quite savvy in coming up with ways to cut costs and live within their means.  All of the businesses are in the same boat. 

So, how does hearing loss figure into your business?  How many of you have had a customer come in and have a hard time conveying their needs verbally?  Are you getting frustrated trying to communicate with those of us that ask you to repeat what you are saying?  And, are these customers coming back after a frustrating experience with their ability to communicate with your employees?  Odds are, you probably don't know if they came back or not.

 Well, here's a little tip for all of you that might make you look at your facilities a bit differently.  It's called the Induction Loop System.  If you want to learn more about this technology, visit the following website:  www.hearingloop.org  If you want to see what this product looks like and how it works, the UniversaLink store located at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has all that you would need in stock and would be happy to assist you.  They can be reached at 414-541-5465 or by email at universalink@cdhh.org.  What exactly will this do for your clients?  It's a common fact that 1 in 10 persons are hearing impaired.  After the age of 65, that goes to 1 in 3.  Think of all of the baby boomers that are approaching this age! 

For those with hearing loss, we tend to shy away from drive-up windows at fast food outlets, banks, etc.  Why?  We can't understand what is being said over the speaker.  So, we park our vehicles, get out and go in.  Only to find that with all of the environmental noises (talking, music, etc.) we still have a very hard time hearing the conversation that we are trying to have as we place our order or do our banking. We also don't like eating in restaurants, since they are notorious for noise pollution in our situation.  How can the Induction Loop System help us out?

All hearing aids now have t-coils(telecoils) and can be equipped with FM systems.  This enables our aids to be programmed via our audiologists to "pick up" the Induction Loop System signal.  What does this do for us?  It basically turns our hearing aids into our own private sound system which enables us to "hear" conversations (as long as both parties are inside the looped area) much better.  It cuts out the background noises so that we can actually understand what you are saying. 

How will we know that you have a Loop system on your premises?  That's easy!  Once you put one in, you can place a decal on your door, brochures, advertising, etc to let all of us know that you really care about your customers and you've taken the extra steps to better communicate with all of us.  Churches in our area are now starting to put these in their sanctuaries.  I know of at least one in Wales that now has it and have heard from some of their parishioners that this has facilitated them attending church again.  If any of you want to check it out, it's located at Bethlehem Lutheran.  Down in Racine, WI they are trying to become a "Looped city".  Menominee, WI is already close to being one.  If you want to do just one area of your restaurant, you can have your hostess ask if we would like smoking, non-smoking or loop system seating areas.  If you look overseas at Britain, they are so commonplace that they are even in the "Mass Transit" areas. 

Some of us are now "looping" our vehicles, homes and office spaces.  The places to "loop" are endless.  Now, you are probably asking just how much will this cost?  It varies based on if you are going to do it using in-house labor or hire a company to install it.  We are basically talking about speaker type wiring.  I know that some hearing impaired have gone to the local hardware store for most of the supplies.  For my car, it runs around $125.00 with the costs going down as more are buying the equipment needed to do it.  I know of one hearing impaired woman that will not lease or buy a new car without having the dealership install the loop system in the vehicle.  Do we have any automobile dealerships or car rental agencies here in Southeastern Wisconsin that do this?  If so, let me know! 

So, here's my deal to all of you out there.  If you decide to "loop" your business, let me know and I'll be more than happy to post your business name in a column.  Or, if you wish, just click on the comments icon and enter your information there for all of the readers to see.  After all, if you are going to go to the trouble of helping all of us out as well as yourselves when it comes to positive customer experience, the least we can do is support your business and pass the word along to others.

As always, if you have any questions that I can help you out with, feel free to contact me.  I'll be more than happy to listen!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

First of all, this is not a guilt trip for those of you out there that have decided not to get a hearing aid, but based on the emails that I'm getting from your family members, I think that this needs to be addressed a bit further.  So, grab a cup of coffee and leave your "self image" at the door! (ha)

How many of you have listened to a conversation and then totally missed what the conversation was really about?  You know what I mean.  You are at a family gathering or having dinner around the table, the kids are all talking at once, the radio or T.V. is on in the background and you say something that doesn't even come close to what the topic is really about.  I know in my case, that when I don't have my hearing aids in, I miss a few words here and there and before you know it, I'm saying things that have no relevance to the conversation.  In the past, before all of our family members were "brave" enough to confront Mom on her mistake, they would pretty much just let me babble on and on and let it go.  But, now since I've finally gotten all of them confident enough and checked my ego at the door, they let me know right away that either I need to go put my ears on or patiently review the conversation to let me know just how far off of the topic I really am.  Ouch!

 We all know how much work it is to "hear" what is going on in your daily life.  But, for some of us, the thought of actually getting a hearing aid(s) is just too mind boggling to comprehend.  It may be that we just don't want to admit that yes, there's a problem.  Or the infamous comeback of my husband/wife mumbles.  We need to take ownership of this problem.  If we don't, we all run the risk of really alienating our friends and family to the point where all of a sudden you realize you really aren't a part of their conversations anymore.  I've heard from some of you that even though you've been told that you aren't hearing things and in some cases even gone for the hearing test (audiogram) to verify it, you are still in denial that maybe you should check hearing aids out. 

If someone needs glasses, they get them.  If you need hearing aids, what's the problem?  I know, the last thing that you want to do is to actually have to wear something that in your mind announces to the world that yes, I have a problem.  But, come on, look at all of the other people around you and I'm sure that you will see something that also tells you that they too have something that's not "perfect" in our body image world.  Think of the number of times that you have answered incorrectly or perhaps not at all.  How frustrated are you getting by the end of the day when once again, you misinterpreted something someone said to you?  Is it worth all of this when by wearing a hearing aid(s), you can once again be in control of just how others perceive you? 

For those of us that refuse to "fix" the situation, we call that "bluffing".  You know what I mean!  You are taking part in a conversation and aren't quite sure what was said, so you smile and nod.  Or, you go off on the wrong subject and everyone pauses, looks at you and then you know that once again you goofed.  All of us at one time or another, thought that we were pretty good at pulling this off, but I know just from listening to my family that I was just fooling myself.  And here, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of covering my mistakes! 

How many arguments have you had with your family just because you didn't hear correctly?  How many times have you said to them, "you need to stop mumbling", "you need to stop talking to me from another room", "you need to not talk so fast".....  Usually by this point, you are getting responses from those you are doing this to along the lines of "If you don't hear me after I've repeated it a few times, I'm not doing this anymore.  Whamo!  Communication over.  Frustration levels high for all of those involved.  Is this any way to live on a daily basis?  I don't think so!

So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go get that hearing aid.  Pretty soon, you will be asking yourself, "What on earth was I thinking"?  Your relationships will improve, your self confidence will skyrocket and best of all, your family/friends will once again realize just how important they are in your life because you took control and did something about your situation for the benefit of all.  Now, where did I put those hearing aid batteries.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

How many of you out there have had a problem "hearing" on your phone?  I know that I don't use our phone nearly as much as I once did based on the frustration that I have with not being able to hear the conversation correctly.  After a few "pardon me" or "I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?" it's just so much easier for me to rely on email or a face to face conversation.  Not to mention the frustrated responses that I sometimes get from the person on the other end of the phone!

 I was recently talking to a business down in Kenosha and once again realized how difficult it is to "hear" a person with an accent.  It certainly wasn't the callers fault.  But, every time he would say something, I would be stuck guessing what he was saying to the point that I asked if he had email.  His response was that if I could answer the phone and hear him on some of the conversation, I must be playing a trick on him by pretending not to understand all of the conversation.  Needless to say, this is not a great ego booster when you are in my shoes.

So, I ended up driving down there just so I could not only have a face to face with him, but also show him that I was not as idiotic as he probably thought I was.  By the time that we got done with our communication, he apologized for the comment and had lots of questions as to how his business could communicate better with the hearing impaired.  Next week, they are having a TTY installed at their business and all of their employees are going to receive training on how best to interact with those with less than perfect hearing.  Believe me, this is very unusual for a business to do, but that's how important his clients are to him and it also didn't hurt that he had a person in his family that was recently diagnosed with hearing loss.

So, what do you do when you can't hear on the phone that you purchased from the local store?  At our last meeting, this was actually one of the topics that came up.  So, for our May meeting at our Southern Wisconsin Lake Country HLAA Chapter, we are very lucky to have the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing coming out to do a presentation on just this topic.  They will be bringing telecommunication equipment with them so that our group members will get a hands on demonstration as to how easy it is to get phone conversations back into your life.

There are so many options that you can go with and it would not do any of them justice for me to try and explain all of them in this format.  John Kinstler, a Communication Technology Counselor at the UniversaLink store located at the CDHH will be bringing out equipment that we can try as well as become familiar with.  He will also be letting all of us know which works best based on whether you have hearing aids, cochlear implants or just need to be able to "read" the conversations (TTY).  And yes, Margo Lucas will be there providing CART for those that like that way of communicating better.

As many of you know, the State of Wisconsin Public Service Commission has a voucher program that in most cases covers the cost of some of this equipment.  We will have voucher applications at the meeting should any of our group want to apply for those funds via the State.  I am in the process now of becoming more educated on what my own personal options are and will in the next couple of months be getting the equipment that I need in order to make my "phone life" a lot less stressful.  John will also be able to answer questions and give possible solutions if you use a cell phone.  Exciting stuff!

If you would like more information on this, please feel free to connect with me and I will be happy to answer your questions.  If you would like to talk to someone at the UniversaLink store at CDHH, just go to their website for the contact information www.cdhh.org or you can call them at 414-604-2200 (voice).  If you use a TTY machine, that number is 888-742-7651. 

If you would like to come to our May meeting, it will be held on May 8th (Thursday) from 6:30 - 8:PM.  Family members are welcome!  We meet at the Wales Community Center located at 216 W. South St. in Wales, WI.  All meetings are free and the door is always open!   If you are looking at upgrading your business telecommunication equipment feel free to give CDHH a call to see what they may be able to do for your business.  I know that the business in Kenosha is very happy to have found them.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

Had an interesting thing happen this week.  OK, I'll be honest here, this usually happens every week.

Went to a shopping mall with a friend of mine who just happens to have a hearing service dog.  As you know, there are not a lot of places that will let animals (pets) in, but if you have a service dog (yes, hers wears an identifying "vest") odds are you will be let in to the store as long as you have them under control. 

While we were shopping around and having a conversation, a mother walked past us with her little boy.  The one drawback to having service animals out in public is that usually little kids want to pet them.  If you are ever in this situation, please make sure to ask the owner if this is OK.  Remember, these dogs are "working" and they are used to pretty much being ignored as they do their job and alert their owner to special situations.  While the little boy was getting acquainted with her dog, we continued to talk.....just like normal people.  Only, we were also reading each others lips and since both of us can hear some sounds having a "vocal" conversation is normal to us.

 As the little boy was walking away from us, he turned and asked his mom why we got to bring our dog to the store.  She said that we were deaf and needed the dog to help us get around.  Part of me wanted to go up to them and continue the conversation from an educational aspect, but I also realize that there are times when I tend to jump the gun on this, so I just let it pass.

As we were exiting the store, the mom came up to us again and asked why we needed the dog if we could both see and obviously talk.  So, she got "educating" from both of us.  You see, she had never heard of a hearing service dog and rightly thought that only service dogs were used by the blind.  Once she realized what this dog does for it's owner, she explained to her son that maybe they should contact the humane society and see if they had any of these dogs for her mother who just so happened to be hearing impaired and lived alone.  We both went on to explain that this type of service dog would not be found at the humane society.  Well, to make a long story short, we ended up exchanging contact information and since she lives in Delafield, it is very likely that I will hear from her wanting more information on our next Southern Wisconsin Lake Country Chapter HLAA meeting in May.  It appears that her mom didn't think anyone else with hearing loss lived in the area.

My friend was laughing about my recruitment efforts and suggested that I think about getting a  dog.  From her point of view, I can see how it would help with my recruitment efforts for the hearing loss group.  I just smiled and with a nod said, "We are just getting to the point of getting all of the kids out of the house!  I don't think I want to spend the time training a dog".  At this she replied, "You are spending just as much time training the public, a dog would be easy."  

I wonder if my husband would mind pooper scooper duty.....   

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

OK, I'll be the first to raise my hand and say yes, we need ADA as well as special accommodations in public venues for the "handicapped".  But, after seeing what I recently saw while trying to board a flight at Mitchell Airport, I think there are some of us "disabled" people out there that really need to rethink how we are approaching the business sector.  Let me back up here and explain.

 While waiting for a flight at Mitchell, (only on Midwest Express!) I got to see how far some people will go when it comes to getting their way.  As all of you know, there have been lots of cancellations on some very big carriers due to the infamous problem with the wire bundling.  Of course, this leads to all of the other airlines having to try and accommodate those that no longer have a plane to fly on.  Believe me, I know what it's like to have your flight canceled or delayed, but after you've been flying a while, you learn to get used to it and make the most of some quiet relaxation time. 

Pull out your laptop, go for a walk, catch up on a few business calls.  It really doesn't do any of us any good to get all upset to the point of distracting the other passengers that are for the most part in the same boat as us.  When you add in the passengers that are "truly" handicapped, everyone needs to take a few extra moments to realize that while you may have all of your limbs in working order as well as your senses, there are also those that take an extraordinary amount of time and effort just to get out of bed and dressed everyday. 

Having a hearing loss in my mind (Oh boy, here come the negative emails!) does not qualify me for "special" considerations when it comes to flying.  I can walk onto the plane, seat myself and have no problem following the rules.  I don't have a problem with letting the "disabled" passengers board first or get a little extra attention from the flight crew.  They pay a heavy price everyday in order to live in the "un" handicapped world.  And, I really admire them for that. 

But, believe it or not, while at Mitchell I got to witness a hearing impaired person much like myself push and threaten her way onto a plane by justifying that since she was hearing impaired, she deserved special treatment.  This lady went so far as to threaten to call the ACLU.  Where's Michael McGee when you need him? (ha)

It seems that since she would have a hard time "hearing" the stewardess explain the emergency landing instructions as well as the pilot announcing what altitude we were flying at and estimated time of arrival, that in her mind, she deserved a first class seat with first rights to board.  She had a "coach" ticket and obviously knew that she would be flying that day.  So, why didn't she bring this all up when making the reservation?  Beats me. 

It was also rather humorous to see that before she started demanding her "rights", she was talking to her companion and explaining to him that they would have first class seats after she got done explaining her disability.  SCAM!  Sorry to those out there that really do need to be in first class, but as a fellow hearing impaired passenger, I took great offense to her demands.  And, for those of you that know me, I'm not very good at keeping my mouth shut.

As far as not being able to hear the pre-flight announcements, I know of people with perfectly normal hearing that have problems with that once the engines start up.  And, if you are really concerned that you will forget how to disembark from the plane in an emergency, there are great placards in the seat backs with lots of pictures and written instructions on them.  Other than needing my husband to order my beverage for me from the stewardess, I'm perfectly fine being treated like a "normal" passenger.  I even take out my hearing aids once on-board, since the pressure in-flight tends to make them useless anyway.  A great time to read a book, play some cards or take a nap.  Believe me, if we are going down, I will not have any problem realizing that. 

If I am flying alone, I always let the stewardess know of my hearing problem so that when the beverage cart comes, she won't have to struggle to communicate with me.  Let's face it, on a plane I can't hear anything.  But, notepads and pencils solve that problem.  And no, I don't request an exit row!  There aren't enough of you out there that know sign language. (ha)

So, it ends up that she is placed with the rest of us "coach" people and no, she was not happy.  But, she got where she needed to go and it was kind of interesting to see that upon our arrival, there was no one waiting for her.  Maybe they forgot to bring the car that had first class seating for her.....  

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

As promised, here are Jim's thoughts on our first Lake Country HLAA Chapter meeting last Thursday.  He sent this email out to all of our new members today and with his permission I am posting it on here for all of you. 

Have a great week!

 4/13/08

Hello!

It was nice to meet all of you last Thursday at the FIRST EVER meeting of the HLAA Lake Country Chapter.  I want to thank you for giving up your evening and coming out in the rain to make the meeting a success.

Each of us who came to the meeting came because we are affected in some way by hearing loss, or someone we know and love has a hearing loss, we came to be with each other, share something, learn something about hearing loss as well as learn about what we can do to help ourselves and each other to live our lives to the fullest.

I am rather new to the HLAA, but as one of our new group members mentioned at the meeting, it was formerly known as SHHH - Self Help for the Hard of Hearing.  That is EXACTLY what our group is all about - helping ourselves and helping each other!

It was especially encouraging for me to listen as each of us shared a little about ourselves.  I know that it is NOT easy to do something like that with a room full of people whom you have just met, but I think that each of us learned a little about each other, as well as some of the things that we deal with each day as we deal with our own or a loved one's hearing loss.  I hope that this meant as much to all of you as it did to me, because it is this sense of belonging, this sense of community, this sense of a shared goal that brings us all together in forming our group.

When I first started exploring a cochlear implant for myself about 3 years ago, one of the first things that I did was talk to other CI users, by email and in person.  It was the FIRST time in my life that I had actually reached out to meet other HOH or deaf folks and the impact on my life was wonderful. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was truly a member of a group, sharing a common bond with other people.  What I found out was that there are MANY  MANY people out there just like us who deal with the struggles of hearing loss each day.  I found out that I was not alone and these people were always willing to share their stories, their successes, their failures and offer me support in my own life.

At the meeting in Wales last week, we came up with several ideas for discussions at future meetings, and we will put those ideas to good use as we plan for upcoming meetings and other events.  Each of you will have a chance to help out as much as you would like and each of you are encouraged to spread the news to others who could benefit from our meetings.

Our next meeting is in Wales on Thursday, May 8th starting at 6:30pm.  I hope to see you and even more new friends at the meeting.  In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact Tami or I with any questions, concerns or suggestions.

With warm regards,

Jim Savageau

No, I'm not talking about a cornfield in Iowa or even Miller Park!  But, since so many of you are asking me how our first Lake Country HLAA Chapter meeting went last Thursday, I figured that this would be the easiest way to respond to all of you at once vs. sending out separate emails.  Don't get me wrong, I love hearing from all of you, but I just really wanted to spend some time outside in the great weather that we are having counting the snowflakes......

As many of you know, we (Jim Savageau and myself) "launched the rocket"!  I just love this phrase since it is what Jim has termed our newest endeavor in the Hearing Loss world.  Last Thursday night in the 40 mph winds and driving rains, we had our first meeting.  Needless to say, we were humbled by the number of people who chose to venture out and see what we were about.

We all made lots of new friends, saw neighbors that we had no idea were dealing with hearing loss and just generally learned even more about how we can enrich our lives as well as those of the people around us.  The age of our group members ranges from 28 to a very lively 93 year old.  They came from as far away as Sullivan and Brookfield, WI.  We met their spouses, children and friends. 

Special thanks to Dee Evert, Building and Grounds Supervisor for the Village of Wales, for taking time out from his busy schedule to open the building up for us and also to provide a nice warm and cozy place to get to know each other in.  With the number of people that showed up, it would have been hard to have it at someone's house!

What did we talk about?  Boy, would you be surprised!  The topics covered everything from what Hearing Loss Association of America is to getting the telecommunication equipment that you didn't know you would need.  Plus, many more too detailed to go into here.  Having the CART for the meeting (Communication Access Realtime Translation) enabled all of us to "hear" all of the conversation and not get lost in the chaos! (ha)  If you want to know more about CART, please go to that column on my blog. 

I'm going to include some links/websites in this column to try and answer some of the most commonly asked questions from your emails.  If you need further clarification, don't hesitate to connect with me again.  We'll start off with the Telecommunications Equipment  Purchase Program.  This is through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.  Their website is http://psc.wi.gov  This program which we all pay for via our land-line telephone bills (USF Charge) is for people with disabilities as well as those of us that don't consider ourselves disabled.  The USF charge on your phone bill enables the State of Wisconsin  to help you buy equipment you need in order to use basic telephone services.  By going to their website or attending one of our meetings in the future, you will learn if you qualify or not.  Odds are, you do and don't even know it.  What does it pay for?  Here is a partial list:

      TTY -  Amplified handset or phone  -  TTY with Braille or large visual display   -  Special Modem   -  Hands-free Speaker Phones  -  Puff Activators  -  Phone signaling systems  - 

 And the list goes on and on.  How many of you have pretty much given up talking on the phone because you can't hear the caller?  Or, you don't even hear the phone ring?  Wouldn't it be nice to get that aspect of your life back?  This program can help you to do that.  We have vouchers at all of our meetings that can be filled out and then turned into either the USF Administrator in Madison, WI (don't really recommend this route since there is no one to talk to or equipment to see) or by taking it to the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in West Allis, WI.  They have a UniversaLink store on-site with personnel that will be able to answer all of your questions as well as address your concerns.  They can be reached at 414-541-LINK or via the web at www.cdhh.org.  There is also an email link on the website should you prefer to communicate that way. 

As our new members learned on Thursday, these vouchers will pay for your specialized phone equipment based on your degree of hearing loss. There are no income limits and it is purely based on need for equipment in order to "get back into life!"  There is a lot more information on this, but if you are really interested, please go to one of the links above or better yet come to our meeting on May 8th and meet an actual employee from the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing UniversaLink store.  They will be bringing equipment out to our meeting for you to see, try and ask questions about. 

In future columns, I will go into more areas of what we discussed at the meeting as well as what the new members that are attending want to know about.  Our next meeting is on Thursday, May 8th.  Feel free to come on out to Wales and see how our "rocket" is doing!  You never know, you just might see someone that you know.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

I was looking at the calendar today and suddenly realized that in 5 weeks, our college kids will be back home.  Now, this in itself may not seem like a big deal to those of you with kids or even empty nester's, but in our case it's a milestone!  You see, this is the first year that we've been empty nester's.  Our baby of the family, John, left the nest and headed for Academia World (Carthage College) last September.  Our 3rd child, Kristi was also at the same college doing the "senior" thing and wondering how it was going to go with having her little brother on the same campus.  And, our 2nd child, Kari was continuing her college education at UW Whitewater.  I remember saying to my husband, Brian, as we finished dropping the last one off, "Well, Here we are!"

After having 4 kids in the house off and on for the past 27 years, this is a combination nightmare and dream come true.  The first night we spent having dinner at the dining room table and looking at the other empty chairs.  How many times had we over the years proclaimed of the plans that we were making in our heads once this moment came?   Needless to say, we moved to the living room the second night for dinner.  It was just too darn quiet at the table!

I tried to hold back on over communicating with any of them for the first few days, but old habits are hard to change as any Mom will tell you!  We finally got to the point where their older brother, Jeff, called me and suggested that I might need some additional things to do now that all of the kids were gone.  This was followed shortly by Kari calling to see how things were and what I was up to.  Amazing how they all communicate with each other to try and keep their parents in-line! (ha)

Back in 1998, when Jeff left for Knox College in Galesburg, IL, I thought that I was going to lose my mind with worry.  Was he getting enough to eat, did he have clean clothes and God forbid was he being ruined morally by all of those other wild kids.  Typical reactions for a first time college mother!  Then when he married our wonderful daughter-in-law, Lindsey, and moved to Florida, I could barely handle the fact that we would not be seeing them for months at a time.  Three years later, he is still making it much easier for us by calling and emailing to our hearts delight.  When Kari went off, I was much better and it helped that she was at least in the State of Wisconsin.  Within 45 minutes I could be at her side if needed.  I kept waiting for that call.....and waiting....pretty independent daughter I had! 

So, we made it through the first few weeks by immersing ourselves in work and commiserating with other friends that were also in the same boat.  It's funny that we had all spent so many years watching our peers deal with the last child leaving the nest and kind of laughing about how they were handling it emotionally.  Now, we were doing the same things.  Think of how many times a day you talk about your kids (and in our case, 4 of them) with those that you interact with?  What on earth were we all going to talk about now?  Politics?  Global Warming?  No, we did what everyone else does in this case, we told each other of the conversations we were having by email or phone and how the kids were handling being so far away from us.  When each of us knew in our hearts that in many ways, the kids were looking forward to this much more than we were.  Freedom!

So, here we are, just 5 weeks away from at least 2 of ours coming back home.  Back to the phones ringing and kids showing up on the weekends.  Back to lots of laundry and bigger grocery bills.  Back to late nights and trying to be quiet in the mornings so that they can sleep past 7:00am.  Back to Normal! 

 I'll have to check the calendars and see when the Fall terms start.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

Remember the days when you turned on the television and unless you could hear were not able to enjoy the program?  How about when they first started running the streaming news, weather, etc. on the bottom of the screen?  I know that all of a sudden I was spending more time tuned in to CNN and the Weather Channel instead of watching the shows that were still using oral communication only.  Boy, have the times changed since then!  With all of the great technology out there, it seems that you are always hearing about something new that will make it easier for you to stay connected.

 For those of us with hearing loss, the ability to text message from our cell phones was a big boost for the cellular industry in terms of new customers.  And without email, there are a lot of HOH people out there that would become further isolated since it so hard for some of them to "hear" on the telephone.

Well, how many of you have heard of CART?  It's just one of the many ways of communicating that is now becoming much more mainstream in the public venues.  If you don't know what CART is, I'll try and explain it for you.  I've also included some links should you desire to check it out further.  And, if any of you know of a public place here in South Eastern Wisconsin that uses this type of communication, please let me know.  I'd love to be able to post a list of those places for all of us to support and visit.  After all, if they are going to make the effort to help us in our communication styles, the least that we can do is give them our business!

What is CART?  Communication Access Realtime Translation is the instant translation of the spoken word into the English text using a stenotype machine (court reporters use this), notebook computer and realtime software.  The text appears on a Computer monitor or other display (Large screen TV).  This technology is primarily used by people who are HOH/Deaf or who are learning English as a second language.

CART providers provide services in a variety of places.  Here are just a few of them.

Church Services & Events                            Doctor Appointments                 Judicial Settings

Classroom Settings                                     Government Functions               Performing Arts

Conferences, Meetings & Conventions           Investments & Banking

We will actually be having CART for our first Lake Country HLAA Chapter meeting this Thursday.  So, if you are really interested in seeing how this works, feel free to come by.  Recently, I started getting the information that I needed in order to get CART for our meeting.  In the process of doing this, I met a person here in our area that actually does this at all of the above venues.  In talking with her, I realized how important this type of communication is not only to the HOH/Deaf, but also for those that may have a hard time comprehending the spoken word.  Sometimes you just retain information better if you can read it!

Her name is Margo Lucas and if you would like to contact her with more questions on her services, she can be reached at SeeingtheWord@wi.rr.com .  Her cell is 262-442-6676.  In speaking with her, she related some of her experiences that have made a  profound impression on her.  One of them is when she was asked by Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI to provide CART for one of their Sunday services.  For those interested, it's on Sundays at 9:30am at the South end of the sanctuary. 

One of the reasons that they contacted Margo was that they had a member who had a severe hearing loss, but really wanted to attend the services.  So, Margo agreed to do it for them.  This was started shortly before Christmas 2007 and now instead of using the television monitor that they started with, they are actually looking at expanding to a large LCD monitor based on the number of people that are now attending the service and using CART. 

Here are some statistics for you that represent just the church-going population.  Did you know that 98% of people with hearing loss do not have a church home and 90% with hearing loss do not use sign language?  As Margo says, it has been such a joy for her to be able to provide CART to her fellow church members.  To "hear" the spoken word in a way that all can understand has now become one of her personal missions.

For more information on CART, please follow the links below.  If you are looking for CART service I've also included the website for the State of Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  They have a list of CART providers for the State as well as possible funding based on your needs and programs.

Journal for Reporting and Captioning Professions website:  www.ncraonline.org  Go to Communities and click on CART.  There's a lot of topics to choose from ranging from personal stories to consumer rights.

State of Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website:  http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/sensory/   Go to CART for information and for funding information, go to Funding.  I've worked with the people at this office and needless to say they work tirelessly to get the communication issues resolved for all of us here in Wisconsin.

 And by the way, if you are looking for a career, the need for CART providers is rapidly expanding.  They use the same equipment/skills as a Court Reporter/Stenographer.  So, you might want to check out the education/training requirements and hop on the CART bandwagon.  More on additional communication techniques in future columns. 

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

I've had some questions regarding how I live comfortably in the "hearing" world.  So, I thought I'd give you my thoughts from a personal perspective on this.  Keep in mind that there are many opinions out there and this is just one of them.

I look back on how far technology has come since I was a child.  Back in the 60's, there just weren't that many options to improve your hearing to the point of being able to "hear" like your peers.  The programs available now as well as the options for schooling simply did not exist.  So, in my case, I was expected to conform to my environment the best that I could.

Needless to say, as I've mentioned in previous columns, you learn to interact with non hearing impaired by coming up with solutions that work best for you in whatever situation you are in.  The downside to this is that you also tend to look like an idiot when you are either not hearing the entire conversation or answering incorrectly.  Thus, the stigma develops that you are "dumb".  Once that  happens, you will spend a lot of time trying to prove their conclusion wrong and quite frankly that's a lot of work.  For those that suffer from low self esteem, this can be devastating.  It is so much easier to just stay "hidden" so that you don't run the risk of making the common mistakes HOH (hard of hearing) are famous for.

And, it is a sad thing to see how all of a sudden your opinion or talents are no longer listened to or given the chance to make an impact in the "world of business".  I've been told many times by not only employers, but also acquaintances that they are totally surprised at my level of intelligence. Now, by no means am I a candidate for the infamous MENSA group (ha), but once someone gets to know me the ultimate topic that is always brought up is "I just didn't know that you could understand/do/accomplish this.  What a kick in the pants those comments are. 

Imagine that attitude for all that wear glasses?  It seems that in our society, once someone is found to be "damaged goods" they are written off or looked at as being a liability to those that see themselves as non-handicapped.  I will be the first to admit that yes, there is a definite problem working with all of us HOH.  But, if you ask us, we could probably find a few characteristics that are lacking in those that are considered "whole".  The one thing that most HOH have is a very big dose of patience.  At least once we finally come to accept our lack of hearing.  We learn in our lives to not only have more patience with ourselves, but also to try and take the time to make the hearing world understand our ways of communicating and hearing. 

I know people that are HOH that have spent years hiding their hearing loss.  They are afraid to tell their employers, friends and even spouses.  They hide their hearing aids by keeping their hair long or sometimes don't even wear them out in public for fear of being categorized as a problem.  By hiding the "challenge", they also tend to pay the price.  This can be in the form of lost jobs due to misunderstandings of the employers' job instructions all the way to broken relationships with spouses or significant others.  Not to mention the many stories that I have heard of lost job promotions once the employer realizes we are HOH. 

How do we get past all of this?  Well, I can tell you that after 45+ years of doing this, it's not easy.  For HOH or anyone else.  I still firmly believe that the sooner you "come clean" with anyone that you are dealing with or working for, it tends to clear up a lot of confusion in the communication arena.  But, once again, are you willing to take this step for fear of losing the credibility needed to move up in the "working world"?  We all know of the ADA (American Disability Act) and the "rules" for employers to adhere to with regards to this.  But, I can't count the number of times I've seen both personally and via conversations with others how an employer gets around this law.  All that it takes is one mistake on the part of HOH to pretty much put you on notice with those that you are working with.  And let's face it, in the dog eat dog world, there are people out there that will go to any extreme to look better than their co-worker in order to attain that promotion. 

So, do you become so frustrated that you concede defeat or keep plugging along and try and change the attitudes of those that refuse to educate themselves or work on a solution with you.  It all depends on how much you want to continue doing what you are doing.  There are days when it would be so much easier to just give up, but how much fun would that kind of life be?  I choose to take the time to try and educate those around me that don't have a clue.  There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't ask me about my hearing aids since I proudly wear them in a way that the public can see.  It's my way of making sure they see the flashing yellow light and take the time to consider how best to interact with me.  At one time, I was very shy about talking about my loss, but found that once I explained what I could and could not hear, the conversation tended to become more positive for both of us.

Don't get me wrong, I still make some of the most outrageous errors while having a conversation.  But, once you learn to laugh at yourself, it makes others comfortable with the fact that not only have you accepted your loss, you have also not lost your sense of humor or dignity.  Remember that no person has the right to make you feel bad or inadequate unless you give them the permission to do so!  But, let's be honest here and come to the realization that not dealing with your loss is also really unfair to those that you interact with on a daily basis.  So, in a lot of ways by doing this, you are just setting yourself up for yet another failure as well as added frustration.  Is it worth the loss of a valuable relationship, a marriage, or your ability to contribute to the world?  I don't think so! 

Don't forget, we have our first HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) meeting this Thursday April 10th at the Wales Community Center located at 216 W. South St. in Wales.  The meeting starts at 6:30pm.  And yes, we encourage all of the "hearing" people in your lives to come with you.  After all, they need all of the help that they can get!

If you have any comments on this topic, I'd love to hear them!  Who knows, maybe we can educate the world to the point that hearing loss is no longer considered a negative!  I know that I'm going to keep trying.  It's too much fun not to!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

As many of you know, we are in the process of acquiring new hearing aids for me.  Yesterday, we went to the audiologist for the "next step" in this process.  It is very interesting to see what has become possible in the last 5 years since I got my current Canta Resound Digital Behind the Ear aids.  Technology rocks!

My husband, Brian, came along because my audiologist now has a computer program (visible speech mapping) that will take my hearing loss and input it into a computer program that he can interact with so that he hears what I hear.  Needless to say, there were some very humorous moments for me as I watched his face and the realization that he was now, after over 35 years of knowing me, going to actually experience what I "hear" on a daily basis. Validation!

The first program that she did with him was the sound of birds.  First he listened to what a normal hearing person hears and then she hit the icon to go to what I hear.  It was silent!  Just that morning, while we were outside, he was commenting on how noisy the birds were with the arrival of Spring.  Of course, I just smiled and agreed with him since the only thing that I can hear are the crows. 

 Next, she went to the program that had children's voices in a setting similar to a playground or classroom.  Normal hearing icon first and then onto my abilities.  I think that he finally realized just how hard it was when all 4 of our kids were small for me to actually hear what was going on.  My theory was to react to the loudest sounds for that meant that someone was having a problem.  And, having a pot/pan and lid in all of their bedrooms for when they woke up at night suddenly made sense to him.  If I was asleep and Brian was on a business trip, I would not hear the kids if they needed something in the middle of the night.  So, my solution was to give all of them a pot/pan with a lid to bang together so that it would wake me up or at least the closest sibling in the next room so that someone could come and get Mom to respond to the problem.  The noise made by cookware is in the range that I can actually hear without a hearing aid.  And you thought they were only good for cooking! (ha)

The best one was when she went to the restaurant/social gathering icon.  Boy, we all know how hard it is to hear correctly with lots of noise!  When she hit the icon for my hearing, he looked at me and said "OK, now I understand why you stand on the fringes of the crowd and have people come to you!"  For more information on this program I've included a link below if you are interested in finding out more.  Special thanks to my audiologist for this information, Tricia Chirillo, at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in West Allis, WI.

Link:  http://www.audiologyonline.com/news/news_detail.asp?news_id=2123

After this little exercise, she put a FM microphone neck loop on him and showed him how that would work if I had an FM system on my hearing aids.  Basically, this enables the HOH person to hear what the person speaking is saying even if the room is noisy.  Pretty neat little gadget.  And, to my husbands' credit, he said that he would have no problem wearing the "necklace" if that meant that we could actually carry on a conversation at a gathering.  They also make units that you can hold in your hand as you meander through the groups of people.  Wherever you are, this will pick up the people speaking to you as long as it is fairly close to the speaker.  In a meeting situation, it can be placed on the table top.  Wow! 

All of this is very overwhelming to me at this point.  I feel like a kid that has been let loose in the candy store.  I see what is now out there for all of us dealing with hearing issues and wonder why there is not more in the media to educate all of us on what our options are.  I see people struggling everyday or deciding to "check out" by staying safe at home just because the thought of being in a situation where all they hear is distorted noise is too frightening to comprehend.  And, then there are the financial issues of trying to come up with ways to pay for all of this.  As you know, most insurance will not cover hearing aids or the other equipment to enhance the users' hearing capabilities. 

But, just think of all of the people out there that we are not hearing from that could possibly be responsible for the next great solution that would benefit all of us.  All because of the lack of money to once again make them a contributing member of society.  I've been doing some research on the "cost" of hearing loss when it comes to incomes.  The statistics are very humbling.  For instance, did you know that for every 10 decibels of loss, there is an average of $10,000 lost in income per year?   

So, what is the solution to this problem?  With 1 in 10 people now experiencing hearing loss, it is very unlikely that the insurance industry is going to step up to the plate and start paying for hearing aids/equipment.  And, there are certainly not enough government programs that we as taxpayers can afford to support for this either.  But, it would be very interesting to see what the actual cost of a hearing aid is to the place that is selling them.  I'm trying to get some statistics on that to share with you.  So far, it has been very irritating for me to see what the mark-ups are based on how much they are paying the companies that are making them.  Maybe we need to look at price controls.  Imagine how upsetting it would be to have access to a list of manufacturers with prices posted and then compare that to what your hearing aid dispenser is charging you? 

I know that if you are a veteran, the price that you pay at a VA facility is almost 1/2 of what the rest of us are being charged.  How is it that the government can get realistic and honest pricing, but the public can't?  What do we need to do as consumers to take back our rights and pocketbooks?  I'm too old to enlist in the military, so I guess that I'll just have to keep researching and post that list.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

One of the people affected by hearing loss in our area has graciously agreed to share his story with all of you.  If you would like to meet him, he will actually be helping me to get the Southern Wisconsin Lake Country HLAA Chapter going.  Our first meeting is on April 10th at 6:30pm.  It will be at the Wales Community Center located at 216 W. South St. in Wales, WI.  Meetings will be held the 2nd Thursday of the month.  If you have any questions about HLAA or the new group, please feel free to contact me. 

 The following story is one persons' experience with a cochlear implant.  Your experience may be very different.  Success with a cochlear implant is influenced by many factors including how long a person has had hearing loss, the age a person receives an implant, medical and anatomical factors and more.  Please consult your cochlear implant professional and/or the Bionic Ear Association with questions. 

Have a great week!

 Jim's Story

My hearing loss surfaced as a young boy.  Because my older brother had experienced a hearing loss at an early age, my parents were closely monitoring my hearing situation.  I was fitted with a hearing aid in my right ear at age 10, thus beginning my lifelong association with audiologists and other hearing specialists.  I was never given a firm diagnosis as to the cause of my hearing loss - only that it was probably due to a hereditary nerve loss.

From the age of 10 until age 30, I managed to hear very well with one hearing aid.  I went to college, got married and started a family.  At age 30, I experienced a sudden drop in hearing in my right ear and also in my left ear.  I was fit with a more powerful aid in my right ear as well as an aid in my left ear.  Once again, the specialists offered no reason for the sudden loss of hearing.  It was then (1985) when I first learned of a device called a cochlear implant that offered some crude "hearing sensations" to deaf persons.  I prayed that I would never lose enough hearing to ever have to consider that device.

At age 40 (in 1995), I was devastated when I lost all remaining hearing in my right ear and suffered a further loss in my left.  By this time, my left ear (my good ear) had profound hearing loss, yet I still could not accept that I was deaf.  I was terrified that I would no longer work as a Project Manager with an electrical engineering company and wondered how I would support my family if I could not hear.

Somehow I managed to follow conversations by relying heavily on speech reading and other people.  But as time went on, the physical and mental effort required to do this became too much and I withdrew from social settings.  I no longer enjoyed concerts or plays and stopped attending parties and family functions.  Business meetings were particularly stressful and I dreaded those the most.

In the meantime (in late 2002), my brother received a cochlear implant, which was a huge benefit to him.  I thought, but he has always had worse hearing than I have so it is no wonder he got a CI.  I was still not ready to seek out a CI for myself and I still thought I was doing fine.  Little did I know or even consider that the CI would be beneficial to me.

Finally in late 2005, at the age of 50, I came to realize that I was NOT happy with my life.  And unless I wanted to start a new career, as well as learn sign language to communicate, I had better see whether a CI would work for me.  Looking back at that decision, it is now ironic that it was not until I accepted that I was deaf that I could begin my journey back to hearing.

During my evaluation for the CI, I was amazed to learn how much I depended upon speech reading to understand conversation.  Seeing the very poor results of my hearing tests (which were done with my hearing aid in my good ear) made me anxious to receive my CI and get started on the journey back to hearing.

We decided to implant my deaf right ear and continue wearing a powerful hearing aid in my left.  It was up to me to decide on the CI device and after researching all three devices, I chose the Advanced Bionics HiRes 90k Implant and the Auria BTE processor.  As an engineer, I wanted an implant that not only had the latest in technology, but also had the potential for future upgrades without requiring additional surgery or re implantation.  I quickly recognized the design superiority of the Bionics' device with its 16 individual current sources for electrode excitation.  This innovative design allowed sound processing strategies that none of the other manufacturers' devices could offer me.

My cochlear implant outpatient surgery was done in March 2006 and I was home for the dinner the same day.  I returned to work after about a week at home and the CI was activated a month after surgery.

While I could indeed hear sounds immediately upon activation, those sounds were not understandable and were accompanied by a constant high pitched squealing.  I could not imagine ever being able to understand anything I was hearing with the CI.  However, after a few weeks, the squealing went away and my brain truly did begin to adapt to the sounds.  And, I was HEARING with my right ear again!

The first few months brought rapidly improved hearing, speech understanding and music appreciation.  When I went to several sessions with my audiologist and she refined the sound processing programs, my understanding of sounds improved.

By four weeks, my implanted ear could already understand speech about four times better than my other ear (with the hearing aid).  At three months, the difference was about six times!  In addition, I rediscovered the joys of attending concerts as well as connecting with family and friends.  Before I received my CI my wife was stuck by my side, acting as my interpreter/assistive listening device at social events.  Now, she happily complains that she has to hunt for me as I wander everywhere making conversation with anyone and everyone!  We have listened to bands and gone to the movies again.  For our anniversary we are looking forward to attending a play for the first time in 20 years or more.

As someone who has struggled for years with a profound hearing loss, I did not think that I would ever be able to enjoy the many things that hearing folks enjoy like concerts, plays and movies.  But as much as I missed these things, I missed being connected with my family and friends even more.  My cochlear implant has given me back my life by connecting me with my family, friends and the whole world!