Being Hard of Hearing
Being hard of hearing means navigating the world with varying degrees of sound perception, often relying on hearing aids, cochlear implants, ASL, or other devices to enhance communication. It comes with unique challenges, but also fosters a deep sense of resilience and adaptability. Many find strength in connecting with others who share similar experiences, creating a supportive and understanding community. Let's explore the dynamics of being hard of hearing.
Exploring the dynamics!
Explore the different device options that are available for the hard of hearing population.
What is the difference between Deaf, deaf, and hard of hearing?
There are two ways people identify themselves when it comes to being D/deaf: Medically or Culturally.
Definition of deafness: Having profound to complete hearing loss without residual sounds.
When a capital "D" (or big D Deaf as they call it) is used, it means they are using it as part of their cultural identity. The Deaf community has its own languages, social norms, and shared experiences, which contribute to a strong sense of belonging and pride. They primarily communicate through sign language, regardless of their hearing ability.
When a lowercase "d" is used, it simply means they refer to the physical condition of having hearing loss. People who identify as deaf with a lowercase 'd' don't always have a strong connection to the Deaf community and don't always use sign language or may not have been exposed to sign language. Therefore, they may communicate or prefer to communicate with speech. They also are more open to adapting to hearing devices such as hearing aids, BAHA, & cochlear implants.
When it comes to being Hard of Hearing, there are more variables involved. When someone is hard of hearing, their hearing still works, but not as well as usual. Their hearing loss may be permanent or temporary, already present at birth, or develop following an illness/accident (Sudden Hearing Loss Trauma). It also often occurs in older people as they age.
Hard of hearing refers to people with mild-to-profound hearing loss. They typically still have some hearing capability that is still present. People who are hard of hearing usually communicate through spoken language and usually choose to benefit from hearing aids, BAHA, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices as well as closed captioning. Find out more about the different categories of hearing loss that relates to being hard of hearing.
Categories of Hearing Loss
Someone with hearing loss is generally considered not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing. Hearing threshold of 20db or more in one or both ears is said to have hearing loss. Hearing loss maybe mild, moderate, severe or profound. It can affect one ear or both ears.
Here are the following hearing loss category according to the National Library of Medicine:
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Mild Hearing loss: Hearing loss of 20-40 decibels
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Moderate Hearing loss: Hearing loss of 41-60 decibels
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Severe Hearing loss: Hearing loss of 61-80 decibels
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Profound Hearing loss: Hearing loss of more than 81 decibels
A hearing loss of more than 40 decibels is considered to be a hearing impairment.
Hearing loss among the elderly....
It's very common for people’s hearing to get worse as they get older. About 25 to 40 out of 100 people over the age of 65 are affected. Half of all people above the age of 75, and 80% of 80-year-olds, are hard of hearing. This usually affects their ability to understand what people are saying more than the range of tones they can hear, and they can hear low frequencies better than high frequencies. That's why people with age-related hearing loss find it particularly difficult to follow conversations in noisy environments. So be kind and patient to our hard of hearing elderly folks who could be struggling in a conversation. Practice the CAP Method with them to encourage a smooth and engaging conversation.
Think you have some hearing loss?
Here are a few basic symptoms:
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Difficulty hearing speech clearly especially due to background noise, in noisy environments or during group conversations.
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Frequently asking others to repeat themselves or needing to turn up the volume on devices like TVs or phones.
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Struggling to hear high-pitched sounds such as children's voices or birds chirping.
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Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or muffled hearing.
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Avoiding social situations due to challenges in following conversations.
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Misunderstanding words and responding inappropriately.
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Feeling tired or stressed from having to concentrate on listening.
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Clogged feeling in the ears without obvious cause.
Hearing loss can develop gradually, so many people may not realize it's happening at first. Here are the next steps to take if you have several of the symptoms mentioned above.
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Schedule a Hearing Test: Speak with your primary care physician who can refer you to an audiologist and/or an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist. A hearing test will be performed to assess the level and type of hearing loss. This is a key step, as it helps in understanding whether the hearing loss is temporary (e.g., due to an infection) or more permanent.
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Discuss Treatment Options: Based on the hearing test results, your audiologist may suggest treatments such as hearing aids, BAHA, cochlear implants, or other assistive devices, depending on the severity and type of hearing loss. They might also recommend medical treatments if the loss is caused by an underlying health condition.
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Seek Support: Hearing loss can be emotionally challenging as it changes your dynamics of how you communicate and socialize with others. Joining support groups or communities can provide resources, encouragement, and understanding from others who are on similar journeys.
Effects of hearing loss on speech
Hearing loss impairs their ability to produce and monitor their own speech and to learn the rules that govern the use of speech sounds (phonemes) in their native spoken language if they are born to hearing parents.
Speech for someone who is hard of hearing can be affected in various ways, depending on factors like the degree of hearing loss, the age at which it occurred, and the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants. Here are some common effects:
1. Pronunciation: Without full access to sounds, especially higher-pitched ones (like "s," "f," "th"), speech may sound unclear or muffled. Hard-of-hearing individuals might mispronounce certain words or sounds because they can't hear them as clearly.
2. Volume Control: People may speak too softly or too loudly since they can't gauge how their own voice sounds. They might not realize if they're speaking at an appropriate volume for the environment.
3. Speech Rhythm and Intonation: Hearing loss can impact the natural rhythm and intonation of speech. Some may speak in a more monotone way or have difficulties with stress patterns in sentences, which can make speech sound less fluid.
4. Clarity and Confidence: Difficulty hearing others can sometimes lead to pauses, hesitations, or a lack of confidence when speaking, as individuals might struggle to fully understand conversation flow or how well they are communicating.
5. Speech Development (for children): In children, untreated hearing loss can delay speech and language development, as they may not be exposed to enough sounds and spoken language to learn how to produce them accurately.
With hearing aids, BAHA, cochlear implants, and speech therapy, many of these challenges can be improved, helping enhance communication.
CODA: Child(ren) of Deaf Adults
With the success of the 2022 movie, CODA, this term has become more popular in today's society. A Coda may consist of one deaf parent or both. Also it could be one deaf parent and a HOH parent. A legal guardian raising them who is deaf would also be a CODA.
90% of Codas are hearing and the other 10% are hard of hearing or completely deaf. They frequently navigate between Deaf and hearing culture as they grow up in the similar way as a child born to immigrants navigates between the culture of the country in which they live and the culture of their parents’ countries of origin. They often use mix form of communication between ASL with their family or spoken language with the hearing culture. It all depends on the situation and environment they are in when socializing.
Codas are frequently raised in the Deaf culture with their parent(s)/legal guardian as their main form of communication. They often feel they are a part of the Deaf culture even though they are not deaf themselves.
Hearing & Assistive Listening Devices
Here are the different hearing and assistive listening devices that are available to help the hard of hearing population engage and function at their best:
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Hearing Aids: Amplifies sound; used for mild to profound hearing loss. Best for "sensorineural hearing loss" (damage to inner ear or nerves).
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Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHAs): Transmits sound through bone conduction; used for conductive hearing loss, single-sided deafness, or mixed hearing loss.
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Cochlear Implants: Bypasses damaged parts of the ear, sending signals directly to the brain; for profound or severe sensorineural hearing loss.
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Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs): Includes FM systems and loop systems; for mild to moderate hearing loss or improving sound in noisy environments.