I'm still getting a lot of questions on where to go for more information on different topics regarding hearing loss.  So, I've compiled all that I know of in one column for you.  Feel free to click on the links.  Special Thanks to the Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in obtaining some of this information!

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):  www.asha.org/default.htm

ASHA is the professional, scientific and credentialing association for more than 127,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists and Speech, Language and Hearing scientists.  Click on 'The Public" for resources.

Audiology Online:  www.audiologyonline.com

Source of news, information, training and education offerings (live E-seminars, recorded courses, text-based courses) from many manufacturers of hearing aids, cochlear implants, batteries, ect.  Many courses are free!

Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CDHH):  www.cdhh.org

Provides comprehensive programs and services that enhance communication and promote independence.  Located in West Allis, WI.  Also home of the UniversaLink store where TEPP vouchers can be filled out and used for telecommunications equipment as well as many other D/HOH equipment needs.  Audiology Services are also located at the center.  This includes complete audiological evaluations, hearing aid fitting & selection and different classes for effective communication alternatives.  They can sell you any brand of hearing aid that you are looking for versus some 'Hearing Aid' stores that are restricted to selling only one brand.  This means that you will have several choices to find the best hearing instrument for your type of hearing loss and lifestyle.

DAWN (Disability Advocates Wisconsin Network):  www.dawninfo.org

Provides current information on state disability issues, state budget, legislative activity and national disability issue links.  Hearing aid legislation is currently included in their "Take Action" box.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA):  www.dhha-wi.org

Provides opportunities for leadership and personal growth within the Signing (Deaf) community while respecting culture, language and a visual environment.

Deaf Bilingual Coalition (DBC):  www.deafbilingualcoalition.com

Promotes the basic human right of all deaf infants and young children to have access to language and cognitive development through American Sign Language (ASL).  National organization website at www.dbcusa.org

Deaf Empowerment (DE):  www.deafe.org

Provides services among Deaf and HOH individuals in the Fox River Valley area of Wisconsin.

Hearing Healthcare:  www.healthyhearing.com

Helpful information on hearing aids, hearing loss, cochlear implants, tinnitus and more.

Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA):  www.hearingloss.org

Has lots of information on hearing loss as well as a link to all State chapters. 

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD):  www.nidcd.nih.gov/index.asp

Provides research information, health information and topics, news & events including information on communication methods and devices for people with hearing loss.

PACER Center:  www.pacer.org

The mission of PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.

Postsecondary Education Programs Network (PEPNet):  www.pepnet.org

A National network of regional centers providing resources, information, in-service training and expertise to enhance educational opportunities for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.

Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (SVRI):  www.svri.uwstout.edu/

Provides solutions to positively impact the future of persons with disabilities and others in the community through education, research and services.  Archived newsletters and publications from SVRI may be available on their website.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA):  www.fda.gov/default.htm

Provides consumer health information.  Enter topic in "Search" engine.  For example:  Hard of Hearing, Hearing Loss, Deafness, ect.

Wisconsin American Sign Language Teachers Association (Wisconsin ASLTA):  www.wiaslta.org

Site for information for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Sign Language Teachers Association.  ASLTA is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching of ASL and Deaf Studies at all levels of instruction.

Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD):  www.wi-deaf.org

Site for information on State Chapter meetings and events.  National site is www.nad.org

Wisconsin Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (WisRID):  www.wisrid.org

Site for State information and events.  National website is:  www.rid.org

Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH):  http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/sensory/

Lots of information on everything from state programs to getting an interpretor for an event.  There are also regional offices located through out the state.

Dizzinews :  Is a vestibular disorders discussion group.  To subscribe, send an e-mail to:  majordomo@samurai.com  Leave the subject line blank.  In the body of the message type:  subscribe dizzinews

Meniere's Discussion Group :  www.menieres.org

Support and Information on Menieres as well as online discussion groups to join.

ParentDeaf-HH:  A list serve for the discussion of parenting issues faced by parents raising children who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Parents, educators and professionals are invited to subscribe.  This discussion list is sponsored by the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) to provide a forum for parents to share their questions, concerns, successes and failures with others.  To subscribe, send an email message to listproc@list.educ.kent.edu.edu  Leave the subject line blank.  In the body of the message type:  subscribe ParentDeaf-HH and your real name(not your screen name!).

SayWhatClub:  www.saywhatclub.com

An on-line group of over 200 late deafened and hard of hearing people who provide support and encouragement to each other through e-mail.  If you'd like more information about joining the SayWhatClub, contact:  info@saywhatclub.com 

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

One of the most frustrating things for a person with hearing loss is trying to watch TV with others that have normal hearing.  Most of us can't understand the speech, miss out on the punch lines of jokes (people tend to lower their voices when they get to the punch lines!) and have to constantly ask those around us to turn up the volume.

We recently spent a week at my fathers' home down on Lake of the Ozarks.  My Dad has hearing loss and has no problem wearing hearing aids.  But, like me he also likes to have the luxury of taking them out yet still be able to hear certain things. 

While we were down there, I saw that he had a TV listening system.  I've never tried one of these and thought 'what the heck'.  So, I gave it a try.  Keep in mind that I didn't have my hearing aids in, so that automatically means that I would normally have the volume at the more than halfway point on the television.  This usually causes my family to go somewhere else in the house to watch a show since it's just too darn loud for them. 

The TV listening device that I tried is called TV Ears.  The Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Universal Link store in West Allis has this in their online catalog.  There is also a website for the company.  Both of these links are  http://www.cdhh.org/khxc/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=catshow+ref=Infared+Systems Go to the left hand columns under categories and click on TV listening systems.  Then click on Infared Devices.  This will take you to the TV Ears information and pricing or for those of you wanting to go to the company website for TV ears  www.tvears.com

If you are close to West Allis, I'd recommend that you go there since you will definitely get better customer service as well as technology support vs. the phone or email with the tvears.com website.  Price seems to be a bit lower also at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. 

From what I can find out, there seems to be 3 different types of this device.  For those of you with LCD or Plasma TV's, you will need to upgrade to the power stacker model.  Dad has the original one.  I was pleasantly surprised in that it is recommended for people with mild hearing loss.  Both of us have moderate to severe loss.  But, I was able to turn the volume down on the television to the lowest setting and even tried muting it and was still able to hear what was going on in the program with no problems.  There is a volume control on the 1.6 oz. headset that you wear.  The headset was very comfortable once you got used to something going from your ears to beneath your chin.  The ear molds were very soft and I really could not find any 'sharp' areas which caused me discomfort. 

The quality of the sounds were very good with speech clarity being excellent.  Remember, for those of us with hearing loss, the louder it is, the more trouble we have actually understanding the speech.  I did notice that if I was near a fluorescent light, there was some buzzing in the background.  But, once the light was turned off, the buzzing disappeared.  It has a range of 900 sq. feet.  The set-up is very simple.  There are 2 cords that connect to the TV and electrical outlet with a 6' reach. 

The headset can be charged in 1 hour.  I'm not sure how long the charge lasts.  But, I didn't have any problems while watching TV for about an hour.  It was actually kind of fun to turn the volume way down on the TV and have my family ask me to turn it up so that they could hear! 

According the TV Ears website, audiologists both recommend and sell these devices.  I would definitely check out the pricing if you are going to acquire one of these through your audiologist.  You can get a basic set for $89.00 at CDHH Universal Link Store.  Online at the TV Ears website, it is $99.00. 

So, on a score of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, I would give it an 8.  If you have any products out there for the hearing loss population that you'd like me to check out, send me an email and I'll try my best to do it!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

This is the fourth and final column on Communication in the Workplace.  If you missed the other three just go back to the previous columns to catch up on what we've talked about so far.  You've made the list of all of the problems that you are having when it comes to hearing and being able to do your job.  Now what?  Here are few ideas for you.  If any of you have any other ones, feel free to post them in the comment section.  There are always new things coming out for those of us with hearing loss and we need to get the word out to others!

Here are a few that I know of.  If you need more information you can always type what you are looking for in your search engine and learn more.  I am in no way an expert on any of them.  Some of them I have and use and others I have not yet looked into.

Hearing Aids - I've written a lot of this subject.  If you click on the tag at the bottom of the columns, it will take you to the columns that I've put comments or information in about hearing aids.  Bottom line is, if you have a hearing loss you really do need to go and check these things out.  I know that they are expensive and most insurance won't cover the cost.  But, if this is going to enable you to keep your job as well as your relationships on a positive note, they are well worth the investment.  Once you get them, you are going to have to be patient and take the time to become used to them.  It's going to change the way you hear things and let you hear things that you have not heard in a long time or as in my case, never before.  It's a frustrating as well as humorous thing to go through.  Oh, the stories that my family could tell...

Assistive Listening Devices - Some education and training is going to be needed once you get these.  Employers would be looked upon very favorably if they made this into an all office thing.  John Kinstler and his staff at the UniversaLink store at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing now go to workplaces as well as some homes to facilitate this.  It's a great service.  Feel free to contact them and set up an appointment. 

Visual displays - For some meetings the use of CART (Computer Assisted Real-Time Captioning will be a big help to those with hearing loss.  Margo Lucas is our CART person for our Southern Wisconsin Lake Country HLAA meetings here in Wales.  She would be happy to answer any questions you may have on obtaining this service for your company.  She can be reached at SeeingtheWord@wi.rr.com or by cell at 262-442-6676.  CART enables those in meeting situations to read what the conversation is as it is being spoken on a screen.  It is the same technology that is used by Court Reporters.  In our case, Margo provides the equipment.  This is good for training programs, video conferences, televised education programs and videotapes.  It's interesting to see how many normal hearing people also like this service since some of us 'learn' better by reading instead of listening.

Alerting Devices - I'll never forget the first time we drove up our driveway at night after installing the alerting devices for the telephone, doorbell and smoke alarm to see lights flashing all over the house.  Kind of looked like a 70's disco!  But seriously, these alerting devices are just another way for a hard of hearing person to 'see' if the phone, doorbell or smoke alarm is ringing.  I can be in room where there is no phone and be alerted by the flashing light if it is ringing.  And, if there's someone at the door, they no longer think that I'm ignoring them.  For those of you that need a little extra help from an alarm clock, those are also available with flashing lights or a 'bed shaker'.  Believe me, you will wake up!  And, no more worries about being late for work or having to rely on someone else to get you up in time.  In an office setting, it takes the stress out of having to work hard to hear the phones or even the fire alarm.

Education about Hearing Loss - Most people who are hard of hearing know very little about hearing loss.  Why would normal hearing people be any different?  Education via your computer searches, audiologist, Hearing Loss magazine (a part of your membership in the Hearing Loss Association of America), and even your friends with hearing loss is an ongoing process for all of us.  Take the time to try and educate those around you so that they are on the same playing field as you when it comes to positive communication strategies.

Coping Strategies Training/Education - You need to be able to tell people what to do in order to communicate with them better.  You need the opportunities to practice doing it.  And, you need feedback on how well you are doing with it.  Where do you get all of this?  From my own personal experience, I've taken the speechreading/lipreading classes at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in West Allis through Pam Bergum.  You can contact her at 414-604-7209 or by email at pbergum@cdhh.org  They have many classes available based on your particular needs.  She can come to your workplace and get all of the employees involved or meet with you one on one or in small groups.  You will need to be able to identify the causes of your communication problems, solicit behavior changes from those that you communicate with, remind them when they inevitably forget and model the communication behavior you desire from others.  Believe it or not, these classes have been both humorous and very informative and even after thinking that I knew all that there was to know when it came to lipreading, found that there were a lot of bad habits that I had developed over the years that in hindsight caused me to have negative communication experiences.

Manual Communication Training - People with profound hearing loss as well as those that will most likely become deaf can certainly benefit from sign language classes.  These are also available at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and can also be found on DVD at some libraries.  I used to know American Sign Language, but over the years have 'lost' it since I was not using it everyday.  In the work place setting, if the people that you are working with are willing to learn some of the signs, it would be a great help to you.  For those of you in the normal hearing world, there is a big misconception out there that if you are talking with someone that is hard of hearing that means that we know sign language.  Most hard of hearing do not use sign language.  The Ddeaf and Hard of Hearing cultures are two very different things.  So, don't make assumptions!

Counseling/Therapy - Let's face it, if you are just starting to experience a hearing loss after having had normal hearing most of your life, this is a very devastating thing to adjust to.  I'm lucky in that I've had it all of my life and don't know what it's like to live as a normal hearing person.  So, I've never had a problem accepting it.  But there are those out there that truly feel that this is the end of their world as they know it.  In these cases, employers would be very wise to offer some counseling and/or therapy.  Most company insurance plans cover the costs and it's a win/win situation for both sides considering that this will enable your valued employee to continue doing the great job that he had done for you over the years.  It's very frustrating to see how some employers gradually 'get rid' of the hard of hearing employee.  It doesn't have to end this way for either of you if you are both willing to take the time and figure out what needs to be done to keep the relationship positive in the workplace.  Try and put yourself in their shoes or better yet think about what you would do if it happened to one of your family members.

Relaxation Training - Stress, muscle tension and fatigue go hand-in-hand with hearing loss.  This can lead to a decline in job performance.  Check and see if there are yoga classes, relaxation classes, ect. offered through your employer.  These can be a great help in helping you to see the signs of when you've had too much for one day and what to do about it.

Cochlear Implants - Froedert Hospital has a really great Cochlear Implant program.  Our co-leader Jim Savageau had his first one at age 50 and is now checking into getting his other ear done.  I'm not good on this subject since it doesn't apply in my case.  But, if you have questions on this subject, Jim has volunteered to answer them by email.  He can be reached by phone at 262-367-9057 or email at jsavageau@wi.rr.com  Jim also attends a support group at Froedert if you are interested in learning more about that.  Cochlear Implants have enabled those that were classified as being deaf the ability to join the hearing world.  John Kinstler down at the UniversaLink store is another cochlear implant expert.  It is really amazing to see what both of these gentlemen have been able to do to enhance not only their lives, but also those around them.  It was a big step for both of them to take and I've really enjoyed watching their progress. 

Hopefully, these last 4 columns have helped you on having a more positive experience in the workplace.  As I learn more I will pass it on.  Let me know if there's a particular topic that you are needing more information on and I'll try my best to get a column up on it.  Who knows, we might all finally get the hearing world to the point where having a hearing loss isn't such a big deal anymore....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

This is part three of four on Communication in the Workplace.  The final column will be posted in the next few days. Here's a little homework for you.  It may help you to start your journey on making conversations in the workplace a bit easier.

We will go over the impact of Noise, Lighting, Behavior, Location, Distractions, Not using Hearing Aids, Not using Assistive Listening Devices (ALD's), Telephones and Alerting devices.  Look around your workplace and think about where you are having conversations as well as problems understanding them. 

Noise - This is a big one!  Are you having to deal with any of the following:  Voices of people talking, electronic equipment sounds, mechanical equipment sounds, echoing sounds, telephones ringing or construction sounds.  How might you minimize them or get yourself into a more quiet situation? 

Lighting - Is the lighting too bright or dim?  Is it shining in the person's eyes that you are trying to talk with?  This can make lipreading/speechreading more difficult for you. 

Behavior - Is the person looking at you when they are speaking?  Are they paying attention to what you are saying or are they distracted by something going on around them?  Are they repeating what they said when you are asking them to or getting frustrated with you and refusing to expound upon the subject matter?  Are they speaking too rapidly or softly?  Do they have a foreign accent?  Is that rather big mustache or beard getting in the way of their lips?  All good things to notice!  Once you figure out what the other person is not doing to help you out, you can now start 'retraining' them.  Don't get frustrated!  It's going to take efforts from all parties involved to finally get it into the normal hearing persons' behavior pattern to communicate your way.  Bad habits are hard to break!  And, to be honest here, normal hearing people don't even think about these things.  So, here's your chance to facilitate change.

Location - Are you trying to talk to people that are behind office dividers/cubbies?  Can you see their face at all times?  Is there too great of a distance between you and the other person so that you can't hear or see what they are saying?  Do you have to twist around just to have face to face contact with them and in the process lose the first few sentences of what they are talking to you about?  When someone comes up to you from behind and starts talking, you are probably not going to hear all of what they say.  Ask them to get your attention first! 

Distractions - Are there lots of things going on when you are trying to have a conversation at work?  People walking by and greeting both of you?  Sudden sounds or movements?  Lights flashing?  You will have to take charge of where these conversations are taking place if at all possible.  Look for the opportunity to hold the conversation in a private office or where there are the least amount of distractions for all parties involved. 

Not using Hearing Aids - Are you wearing hearing aids to work, but find that the background noises are just too distracting to the point where you are turning the volume down or the hearing aid off?  If you are, it's time to go back to your audiologist and get another program put on them.  All aids have switches on them that can have a minimum of 2 different hearing programs on them.  I have 4 on mine and when I push the toggle switch, a series of beeps tells me what program I am on.  You can have one for 360 degree hearing or everything around you and one for just the sounds that are coming at you from the front.  Don't forget to have them put the t-coil program on also!  These programs will help to eliminate the many background noises that are not allowing you to hear what is being said.  Of course this now means that you are going to have to get in the habit of pushing the toggle switch to go to the program that works best based on where the conversation is being held.  But, after you've done if for a few days, it becomes a habit and you don't even realize that you are doing it.

Not using Assistive Listening Devices (ALD's) - With the TEPP voucher program available in many states (see column on TEPP) there really is no reason for anyone to go without the many Assistive Listening Devices that are out there and approved for use by the program.  Many of the telecommunication devices can be used for other areas of listening.  Your TEPP provider will be more than happy to work with you on it.  If you want additional information on the provider here in Wisconsin, go to the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing UniversaLink website at www.cdhh.org  John Kinstler is there and he is a master of figuring out what will work in your situation.  It is also very possible that your employer will pick up the costs for this equipment in your workplace.  Let them know what you need and then send them to the website.  This enables you to have your own devices at home and additional ones at work.  If you are lucky enough to have a conference room set up with an induction loop system, you can use the t-coil program on your hearing aids to hook up to that.  This makes your hearing aids the receiver of all sounds within the looped area.  Kind of like a personal sound system.

Telephones - I used to hate these things!  I'd get on the phone and have to constantly ask the caller to repeat what they were saying.  Add in an accent and I was really in trouble.  I have a Clarity C4230 telephone.  It has speaker-phone, answering machine, caller ID, call waiting, a cordless handset and is compatible with my alerting devices that I have plugged in around different areas of the house and office.  These also work with the doorbell and once the grandkids come can be used in the room that they are in so that I won't miss anything that is going on.  A godsend!  A side-note here - No pressure Jeff and Lindsey to have kids yet!   And yes, the TEPP voucher program paid for all of it.  After all, I've been paying the additional charge on my land-line phone bill for years.  I might as well take advantage of the program.

Alerting Devices - Does your workplace use amplified phones, TTY or the telephone relay service?  Did you know that if you are using the telephone relay service there is no additional charge for this?  All that you have to do to access someone with the telephone relay service is dial 711 (at least in Wisconsin) and tell the operator that you wish to call a certain number.  They will then make the call for you and as the person is speaking, type the conversation so that you can read it on your TTY or CapTel phone.  This is a great service and many people don't know that there is no additional charge to either party for it.  Are there visual or tactual alerting devices in the work area?  This can consist of flashing lights when an alarm sounds or the telephone rings.  On my phone, doorbell and smoke detector, they are all connected to one alerting device that is plugged into a wall outlet and will flash a light on a lamp or a strobe light connected to the alerting device in the wall socket.  Takes a lot of the stress out of my life!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

Based on the number of you that are emailing me with questions on the TEPP voucher, I've gone on the State of Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website and gotten the following links for you. 

As you know, the TEPP voucher will help to pay for telephone equipment for the hearing impaired, deaf and blind.  Depending on the degree of your loss, this can range from $125.00 all of the way up to $7,200.00 in equipment once every 3 years.  For those of you that have used TEPP before, you can also check the status of your eligibility (has it been 3 years yet?)

If you want to see as well as try out the latest equipment, I would recommend the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing UniversaLink store located in West Allis, WI.  There is a list of other vendors in the State on the TEPP website, but I've found that they are the most helpful when it comes to being able to see what is the best fit for you and your situation.

Link for TEPP program:  http://psc.wi.gov/consumerinfo/assistancePgms/tepp/tepp-ind.htm

Link for TEPP Voucher application:  https://tepp.wipfli.com/voucher-application.asp

All funds are via the Public Service Commission for the State of Wisconsin.  We all pay into this fund via our landline telephone bills.  All residents of the State of Wisconsin are eligible as long as you have a verifiable hearing loss, deaf or blind.  This is not a welfare based program!  So, don't think that you won't qualify.  We all know how expensive it is to stay in the hearing world.  This is one program that can help everyone with hearing loss.  Now, if we could just get the insurance companies to help us to pay for our hearing aids.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

As we all know, this past week has been full of situations where we all relied on being able to hear what is going on with the weather and flooding.  For those of us that have hearing loss, we needed to work pretty hard to stay informed.  Closed captioning on the television is a godsend in that we can actually 'read' what is going on and make a plan if it is going to affect us.  But, for those of us that are in our cars, away from our televisions, ect, we have to go to visual cues or in a lot of cases have someone with us that can alert us to things that we need to take action on.  Nothing like having to depend on someone else to let you know if you should be heading for your basement or taking shelter in a public place...

We had our Hearing Loss Group chapter meeting in Wales last night while the storms were coming and going.  Luckily our spouses also attend these meetings with us, so it was just a matter of turning on the television in the room and making sure that someone was paying attention to it during the meeting.  But, as I looked around at all of us I couldn't help but feel that once again we were in a situation of which to some point we felt we did not have control over.  At one point the lights went out and the frustration level grew for me since this now meant that I needed to rely on my husband to let me know what was going on since it was totally dark outside.  Being a very visual person, this meant that I was now at a disadvantage since I couldn't actually "see" what was happening. 

I've found a pretty good video complete with closed captioning from the Ready.Gov website.  If you don't have adobe flashplayer on your computer, you will need to download it in order to see the closed captioning.  It also is available online in text format for those of you wishing to print it out.  It pertains to all people with disabilities, so some of it may not apply to you.  But, it's a good precurser for making sure that you are ready for many situations.

Here's the link:  http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/disabled.html  

One of the big problems with all of the rain that we've had is the humidity associated with it.  This tends to make our hearing aids 'sluggish' in that we feel like we have something blocking the sounds going into our ears due to the elevated moisture in the tubing.  There are many 'drying' kits on the market for your hearing aids.  Some are pretty expensive and others are not.  It all depends on your preference.  There are also some available at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing UniversaLink store in West Allis.  Their website is www.cdhh.org 

I know how hard it is to give control over to people around you that can hear.  But, sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and do it.  It doesn't make you look stupid or inadequate.  And in the long run, safety is the top priority.  But, after you get all of the mess cleaned up from this past weather system, take some time to sit down and make a plan on just how you are going to be on top of things when the next situation happens where you may need a little extra help on knowing what is going on out in your world.  It sure beats sitting in the dark and not knowing what's coming next....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

As you know, we started a support group for all of those dealing with hearing loss as well as their families and spouses in April.  At our first meeting, we had 14 show up.  For our May meeting, we had 28!  In May, we had John Kinstler from the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing UniversaLink store come out and do a presentation on the many new things that are out there that make those of us with hearing loss able to live in the hearing world.  We also had the vouchers for the TEPP program that could be filled out and sent in to the State so that our members could tap into the fund to enable them to 'buy' any equipment that they needed.  This included telephones, alerting devices, pocket talkers, ect. 

If you would like more information on the fund, please read my column entitled Telephone Equipment.  Any HOH, deaf or blind Wisconsin resident qualifies regardless of income.  So, if you know of someone that has trouble hearing on the phone, pass the information on!

For our May meeting, Jim Savageau will be doing a short presentation on Cochlear Implants.  Jim received his first implant at the age of 50 and is now looking at having his other ear done.  His story can be read in the column entitled 'Jim's story on his cochlear implant at age 50'.   This enabled him to go back to the hearing world with the implant as well as the use of a hearing aid.  He's a technology wizard and can answer questions on this topic much better than I can.  We will also be having 'group' time in that we can get to know each other better, discuss our concerns regarding hearing and it's impact on our everyday lives and troubleshoot to try and learn more tips and tricks on dealing with hearing loss.  Jim's wife, Sherri and my husband, Brian will also be meeting with family members and spouses to brainstorm on how best to live with all of us!  (Would love to be a mouse in that room!)

If you are interested in coming, the door is open!  Meetings are free and are held at the Wales Community Center located at 216 W. South St. in Wales, WI.  They start at 6:30pm and usually end around 8:00pm.  I know that I've been hearing from some of you who have lots of questions on how to improve not only your life, but also your friends, co-workers and family by learning of the many new things out there for HOH.  One of the hardest steps that you can take is taking ownership of your hearing loss and then doing something about it.  So, if you are ready to take that first step and wish to meet quite a few other area people who are also dealing with hearing loss, feel free to join us this Thursday, June 10th at 6:30pm. 

If you have any questions, my contact information is in my bio.  Or, you can also post a comment on here and I'll respond.  Who knows, you may finally 'hear' what you've been missing....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink

If your husband or wife has a hearing loss, it can be a major negative factor in your relationship.  We all know how tough it is to communicate in a relationship, but for some of us, there are even greater challenges when we have hearing loss.

If you are married to a HOH person, you have life experiences that are unknown to those married to normal hearing spouses.  Some of the most common frustrations are:

     My spouse calls me from another room

     My spouse can hear what they want

     My spouse is always asking me to make phone calls for them

     My spouse never wants to go out

     My spouse walks away in the middle of a conversation

     I have to wake my spouse up

     I have to tell my spouse that someone is at the door or the phone is ringing

We'll start with the first one.  My spouse calls me from another room.

I know that there are days when both my husband and I feel that we spend a lot of it walking into the room where the other one is because one of us started talking and the other one (usually me!) doesn't hear what they are saying.  I have to say that from a personal point of view, I really hate it when someone talks to me from another room.  This means that I have to drop what I'm doing and go see what they want.  But, my husband also does this when I call to him from another room since he knows that there is no way that I am going to understand his reply unless he's in the same room as I am.  So, it works both ways.  I guess that we could make more of a concerted effort to stop trying to have conversations from different rooms, but the natural flow of thoughts and talk sometimes make us forget to do this.

My spouse can hear what they want.

I have heard so many people say this about their spouses.  Here are a few reasons why your normal hearing spouse may think that you really do have selective hearing.

I know that on some days, I definitely hear better than others.  There are a number of reasons for this.  The most important one is the fact that the environment is different.  This can be attributed to weather, outside noise, how tired we are mentally and just plain losing our train of thought because we are not focused on the current conversation and instead thinking about something else.  Those with normal hearing have an amazing ability to tune things out that don't interest them and focus on what does.  They can do this even when the thing that they are focusing on is nearly as loud as the environmental noise.  We on the other hand, have a hard time differentiating the different sounds and thus tend to listen to whatever noise is occurring no matter if it has anything to do with the conversation or not.

When I got my digital aids 5 years ago, I had a very hard time having a conversation in the office with the computer on.  The noise of the fan made it totally impossible for me to understand what was being said.  People with normal hearing don't even notice the fan on a computer.  Another example for me is if I am having a meeting early in the morning, I'm pretty good at 'hearing' everything.  But, if I've been in conversations all day, by afternoon I'm missing a lot.  Mentally, my brain has shut down and it's exhausting to try and keep up with all of the words.  For those of you with normal hearing, communications is effortless.  You don't have to work as hard to differentiate the words and sounds.  The sound just flows into your ears and your brain processes it.  Kind of like breathing!

My spouse is always asking me to make phone calls for them.

Guilty as charged!  I don't know how many times I've asked Brian or one of the kids to make a call for me.  I know that I've used my email much more in the past few years because it's so much easier to communicate that way.  I don't miss any words and I have a 100% understanding of what the other person is communicating to me.  The same goes for the many INTERNET chat rooms.  Hopefully with my new aids (getting them on May 29th!), I will be able to answer the phone easier.  Especially my cell phone.  Until then, text messaging is a godsend!

My spouse never wants to go out.

I've also done this.  There are a couple of reasons why a HOH person may prefer staying home.  The most obvious is because we can't understand the movie, TV, conversation, play, lecture or whatever the social event is.  The hearing spouse must be aware of this situation and sensitive to it.  Imagine spending an evening chatting with friends, but you didn't understand most of the discussion.  How boring and frustrating that is!  Imagine further that you had to PRETEND to understand (bluffing); sometimes you had to respond to questions that you didn't really hear about topics that you really weren't clear on.  These are my evenings from Hell.  It is not a nice fun, relaxing evening.  By the time that I get home, I'm ready to tune everything out and commiserate with myself on how once again I spent the evening not really knowing what was going on and tried my best not to embarrass myself or my family by saying the wrong thing. 

So, what's the answer to this one?  Well, here's what we do.  When we are going to a social event, my husband and kids know that I will initially "test the waters" to see what the hearing situation is and if it is not good for me, they can find me on the fringes of the group.  I do this so that people will come to me and I at least have some control over the noise in the environment by seating myself away from the worst part of it.  My family knows that this can also cause some of the other attendees to think that I am being snooty.  But, for those that know me well, you can find me in a corner with my chair against the wall waiting to hear the latest and greatest on your life!  The HOH person is the one ultimately responsible for figuring out what will work best.  This is not the job of your family, friends or spouse. 

My spouse walks away in the middle of a conversation.

What happens here is that the HOH person thinks the conversation is over.  The normal hearing spouse can't possibly understand why we think that!  This can become a very big misunderstanding and cause hurt feelings in more ways than one.  I tend to wait for a few seconds to see if someone is done talking and that is my cue that the conversation is over.  But, there are plenty of times where I think I heard the final sentence only to find out later that I missed the ending.  It's all in how we (HOH) perceive words and voice inflection.  So, if we start walking away and you're not done yet, don't be afraid to get our attention again.  But, be prepared to go back over parts of the conversation that we misunderstood so that we are both aware of what the conversation really was. 

I have to wake my spouse up.

We used to have this problem all of the time.  I would mentally wake myself up (no clue how I did this!) before the alarm was supposed to go off only to lie there waiting for it.  Lost out on a lot of sleep doing that !  Now, they have these great alarm clocks that 'shake' the bed.  It looks like a normal alarm clock, but has an attachment that you place under the mattress on the side that the HOH person is sleeping on.  The funniest reference that I've heard to this little contraption is when a lady who had just purchased one, started telling some normal hearing people that she knew about her alarm vibrator.  You can only imagine the looks that she got for that comment!  Seriously though, the vibrations from these things are like a small earthquake.  You won't oversleep!

I have to tell my spouse that someone is at the door or the phone is ringing.

Again, there are products out there to 'fix' this.  You can check them out by going to the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website located at www.cdhh.org  Go to the UniversaLink section.  And, as most of you know by now, the State of Wisconsin has a program that will pay for some of these things if they are being used for telecommunications.  I've written about it in other columns.  It's called TEPP voucher program.  The Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has those vouchers if you want to go there and do it.  They will then notify you when your voucher has been approved so that you can go back and pick out your equipment.  We also have them at our monthly Hearing Loss Group meetings. 

In conclusion, we all need to try and come up with the 'right' communication techniques when dealing with HOH.  It will initially take some work on all of our parts, but keep in mind that many of the things that we say to each other are worth hearing and if that means that we have to repeat some of them, so be it.  Besides, many of the things that my husband  or kids say are worth repeating!  Redundancy rules.....

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008 Tami Klink