Working With People That Are Losing Their Hearing

By Rey Vetangelo


It is very likely that you have been exposed to various individuals of varying levels of deafness throughout your life. These individuals, in addition to the culture of their homes are able to participate in their own culture that has a separate language, and customs that are amazing and unique from all other cultures in the world.

First, you should understand that volume does not necessarily mean clarity. There are some people that only start to talk louder when they realize that they are working with someone that is struggling to hear and understand what they are saying in their conversations.

When you are speaking to someone that is struggling with hearing loss, you want to make sure that you are as clear as you can be. This means that you will want to talk to them face to face to ensure they are able to use your body language and your lips to interpret what you are saying.

As decreased mobility is often one of the major limitations that the elderly suffer from, alterations to the home that help improve the owner's mobility can begin to be considered early on. Such modifications as stair climbers that transport people up and down stairs or increasing the width of doorways in the home to allow for wheelchairs or motorized scooters to pass through are two modifications that can instantly help with mobility.

As you talk, you should be sure that your mouth is not obstructed and that you are annunciating as well as you can. This way, you can make the process of hearing and interpreting what you are saying much easier for someone that cannot depend solely on his or her ears to hear.

Cochlear implants consist of a few essential parts. First, a microphone that picks up sound from the world. Second, a processor which is used to distinguish sounds from one another. Third, a transmitter that takes the data from the processor and converts it to electrical impulses. Fourth, an electrode array that stimulates the auditory nerve to create the sensation of sound. This does not, in fact, replicate normal hearing, but it does create the ability for an individual to experience a representation of sound.

Unlike hearing aids which simply amplify sound, and are completely ineffective for individuals with complete deafness, Cochlear implants are used to bypass the damaged portions of the ear by completing their purpose. In that way, cochlear implants act as a replacement for damaged portions of the ear.

Third, you should be familiar with how a captioned telephone works. Your client may be using a captioned telephone and you want to make sure that you are speaking in a manner that allows this service to translate what you are saying for your client.

Trying to avoid speaking on the phone may be your best option. Talking face to face as often as possible is a great way to ensure that nothing is going to be lost in translation and that everything that you need to convey is going to be heard and understood properly. Working with clients that have hearing loss may require a little extra effort on your part, but it is important that you do what you can to make sure your client understands. With a little extra patience and time, you can tap into a target market that you may not have been able to communicate with before.




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