Making Sense of Speech

The Importance of Hearing Aids - Getting The Message Across

***** On 15th February 2017 Action on Hearing Loss (Now RNID) asked me to answer questions about my experiences of hearing loss on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.  Action on Hearing Loss (Now RNID) then asked my permission to quote from my ‘Making Sense of Speech’ article in a presentation designed to help people understand hearing loss.  On 9th June 2017 I was presented with an Action on Hearing Loss (Now RNID) UK National Volunteer Award. I feel hugely encouraged in continuing to campaign to raise awareness of what it means to have hearing loss and in the fight for the retention of hearing aid provision on the NHS for all who need them.*****

Making Sense of Speech

Do you:

• complain about people mumbling?
• have difficulty following conversation in a crowd?
• find yourself asking some people to repeat what they have said?
• complain about how noisy everywhere is?
• turn the television up louder than other people might like?
• smile and nod in a crowd with little idea of what is going on?
• feel more tired at the end of the day than you used to?
• think you do not have hearing loss because you can hear sounds just fine?  The problem is clarity of speech.

I did. If you answer, “Yes,” to any of these questions you may have hearing loss.  It has a habit of creeping up almost unnoticed.

The article below was originally written for - and published on - Action on Hearing Loss’s website as part of their campaign to highlight the importance of addressing hearing loss by providing hearing aids on the NHS for all patients who could benefit and who sought help.

In this version I have removed letters and sounds that someone with so called ‘MILD’ high frequency hearing loss might struggle to hear in an attempt to offer some insight into the difficulties those of us with impaired hearing might face.  It should be remembered that whilst we can read and work out meaning at our own individual pace we do not enjoy that luxury in real time verbal conversations. If we lose the thread of a conversation it is easy to become isolated either because the concentration needed to follow conversation becomes too great for us or others become frustrated with trying to communicate with us.  Isolation can lead to depression and there is evidence to suggest that hearing loss can accelerate the development of dementia.

This is my story.  At the end there are a few points you may like to ponder.

I am a -earing aid wearer wi-- mild to moderate, -igh -re-uen-y -earing lo--.  I -ave worn digi-al N-- -earing aid- -or --e la-t eight year-.  To -ay --at --ey -ave tran--ormed my li-e i- no e-aggeration.  

Loo-ing ba-- over my -re--earing aid year- I wonder -ow I managed.  A- a middle ---ool tea--er in charge of the -E de-artment but tea--ing -al- my timetable in -la--room -ubje-t- I -tru--led -on-tantly.  -earing what --ildren were -aying in the gym or on --e -ield wa- a -er-etual -roblem and I wa- re-eatedly -om-laining about --ildren mumbling and --ea-ing indi-tin-tly in the -la--room.  -ta-- meeting- were a nightmare.  My brain -ad to wor- overtime to try to -ee- tra-- of di--u----ns --at I wa- too o-ten relu-tant to join in a- I -ould not be -ure what -ad been -aid.  Al--ough I did not reali-e it at --e time it -a- be-ome a--arent --at --e --eer e--ort of ma-ing -en-e of -onver-a---n --roughout --e day wa- what -au-ed me to -lum- into a -oma-li-e -lee- every evening - --u- robbing me of true re-t and rela-ation a-tivitie-.  On o--a-ion- when I -tarted wat--ing a televi---n -ro-ramme I o-ten had to a-- family member- what had been -aid only to be told --at I --ould -ay -ull atten--on.  I rarely -aw --e end- of -ro-ramme-.

It i- only in retirement -in-e re-eiving my -ir-t N-- -earing aid- --at I -ully a--re-iate ju-t -ow -ard --e -tru--le wa- during my wor-ing year-.  No lon-er do I need --e -ubtitle- when wat--ing televi---n.  Now I -an enjoy -onver-a---n- wi-- -amily member-, -riend- and a--uaintan-e- wi--out re-eatedly -aving to a-- for re-eti---n and -u--ering --e en-uing embarra--ment of -till not -aving -eard -ro-erly.  --ere are only -o many time- one -an a-- for re-eti---n and --ere i- alway- --e added worry of ini-iating t-e o-ten uttered di-mi--ive re--on-e, "Oh! It doe-n't matter."  Only re-i-ient- of --o-e -ew word- will truly under-tand --e -ru-tra---n --ey -au-e.  --e -on-tant worry about being -iltered out of --e -rou- whil-t al-o dealing wi-- --e -train of trying to -tay -onne-ted i- now -one.  

The -train on -amily member- and other- --ould not be undere-timated.  A -riend told me --at -eo-le wi-- -earing lo-- --ould do -omething about it a- it wa- e-tremely -ru-trating to have to re-eat --ing- -o much.  I wa- an-ry wi-- her at --e time but on re-le---on --e did me a -avour.  -onver-a---n i- de-igned to -low and re-eated re-eti---n --oil- --e -low.  It i- diffi-ult to move on when -on-tantly moving ba--.  -ontinuity is di-ru-ted and bo-- --e -earing and the -earing im-aired be-ome -ru-trated.  --i- i- e--a-erbated on --e tele--one - a -om-lete nightmare -or --e -ard of -earing and --o-e trying to -ommuni-ate with --em.

Retirement o--ers relea-e from a li-etime of -lo-ely -tru-tured a-tivitie- but al-o -re-ent- challenge- o- it- own. -ow will we ju-ti-y our -ontinued e-i-ten-e in --e world?  I de-ided to be-ome involved in lo-al -a---nt-' -ommittee-.  Why -ut my-elf --rough --e a-ony o- yet more meeting-?  I am a -ommuni-ator and I wanted to -ontinue to -ontribute to -o-iety.  De--ite -ur--er deteriora---n in my -earing my N-- -earing aid- allow me to do ju-t --at.  Deva-tated i- a much overu-ed word --e-e day- but it -ully de--ribe- -ow I would -eel wi--out my -earing aid-.  -o---l out-a-t would not be too -tro-- a de--rip---n.  (I a-tually --ought one o- my -even -rand--ildren had a -eriou- --ee-- im-ediment a- I -ould not under-tand any--ing he -aid.  Thi- -ear -roved un-ounded on-e I re-eived my -earing aid-.)   

A- a wal-er and a -y-li-t I rely on my -earing aid- to help alert me to -oten---l -azard-

a--o-iated wi-- tho-e a-tivitie-.  In addition devi-e- -u-- a- doorbell-, timer- and alarm- would be inaudible wi--out --em.

I -eel driven to -ee- u- --e-ight again-t any -oten---l -ut- in N-- -earing -ervice-.  I, and -o many like me, would become -eriou-ly -o--ally i-olated and vulnerable wi-- all --e o--er -roblem-

a--o-iated wi-- bei-- ex-luded from normal everyday a-tivitie- --at tho-e wi--out -earing -roblem- ta-e -or -ranted.

1. How far did you get?   
2. If you gave up part way through could you explain why?
3. Were you able to read at your normal pace?
4. Would you like all your reading matter to be like this?
5. During conversation the brains of people with hearing loss have to work extra hard to decipher words spoken orally.  The conversation may move on too quickly resulting in gaps in comprehension.  Eventually the effort becomes too great and many are reduced to smiling and nodding - or, worse, total withdrawal.  
6. If your answers to 3 and 4 were, “No,” would you welcome help to overcome these problems?  For your convenience the full text of this article with all the gaps filled in is below.
7. If you feel you may have hearing loss help is at hand in the form of hearing aids.  They cannot restore normal hearing completely but modern digital hearing aids are programmed for each individual and enhance the hearing we have.  Think about having your hearing assessed.  See your GP and ask for a referral.  Try a pair of NHS hearing aids.  What have you to lose?  You might experience your own WOW moment like I did.  Good Luck!
   
   

Kathleen Hill

Member of:  GP PPG, Wyre Forest Patients’ Group,

NHS Wyre Forest CCG Membership Scheme,

RNID Volunteer Speaker and Information Stand Host

Updated 26th January 2021

The Importance of Hearing Aids

This is the complete original Action on Hearing Loss Blog Article Posted on Monday, February 2, 2015 (Not available on the new RNID site.)

I am a hearing aid wearer with mild to moderate, high frequency hearing loss.  I have worn digital NHS hearing aids for the last eight years.  To say that they have transformed my life is no exaggeration.  

Looking back over my pre-hearing aid years I wonder how I managed.  As a middle school teacher in charge of the PE department but teaching half my timetable in classroom subjects I struggled constantly.  Hearing what children were saying in the gym or on the field was a perpetual problem and I was repeatedly complaining about children mumbling and speaking indistinctly in the classroom.  Staff meetings were a nightmare.  My brain had to work overtime to try to keep track of discussions that I was too often reluctant to join in as I could not be sure what had been said.  Although I did not realise it at the time it has become apparent that the sheer effort of making sense of conversation throughout the day was what caused me to slump into a coma-like sleep every evening - thus robbing me of true rest and relaxation activities.  On occasions when I started watching a television programme I often had to ask family members what had been said only to be told that I should pay full attention.  I rarely saw the end of programmes.

It is only in retirement since receiving my first NHS hearing aids that I fully appreciate just how hard the struggle was during my working years.  No longer do I need the subtitles when watching television.  Now I can enjoy conversations with family members, friends and acquaintances without repeatedly having to ask for repetition and suffering the ensuing embarrassment of still not having heard properly.  There are only so many times one can ask for repetition and there is always the added worry of instigating the often uttered dismissive response, "Oh! It doesn't matter."  Only recipients of those few words will truly understand the frustration they cause.  The constant worry about being filtered out of the group whilst also dealing with the strain of trying to stay connected is now gone.  

The strain on family members and others should not be underestimated.  A friend told me that people with hearing loss should do something about it as it was extremely frustrating to have to repeat things so much.  I was angry with her at the time but on reflection she did me a favour.  Conversation is designed to flow and repeated repetition spoils the flow.  It is difficult to move on when constantly moving back.  Continuity is disrupted and both the hearing and the hearing impaired become frustrated.  This is exacerbated on the telephone - a complete nightmare for the hard of hearing and those trying to communicate with them.

Retirement offers release from a lifetime of closely structured activities but also presents challenges of its own. How will we justify our continued existence in the world?  I decided to become involved in local patients' committees.  Why put myself through the agony of yet more meetings?  I am a communicator and I wanted to continue to contribute to society.  Despite further deterioration in my hearing my NHS hearing aids allow me to do just that.  Devastated is a much overused word these days but it fully describes how I would feel without my hearing aids.  Social outcast would not be too strong a description.  (I actually thought one of my seven grandchildren had a serious speech impediment as I could not understand anything he said.  This fear proved unfounded once I received my hearing aids.)   

As a walker and a cyclist I rely on my hearing aids to help alert me to potential hazards associated with those activities.  In addition devices such as doorbells, timers and alarms would be inaudible without them.

I feel driven to keep up the fight against any potential cuts in NHS hearing services.  I, and so many like me, would become seriously socially isolated and vulnerable with all the other problems associated with being excluded from normal everyday activities that those without hearing problems take for granted.

The above articles and other items concerning hearing loss can be found here:

https://bliss2hear.blogspot.com

Kathleen can be followed on:

Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bliss2Hear/

Twitter @kathleenlhill

Emailed at:

kathleenlhill@gmail.com

See here:  Free hearing aids cut on the NHS for the first time  We need to stop this!

Please help someone else understand hearing loss by passing this message on. 

Updated 26th January 2021