Anyone know of forums for the hearing impared?

[dullard]

CliffNotes: I need to find a forum for the hearing impared.

Full text:

My GF's sister seriously needs hearing aids. She has a hard time hearing most of what people tell her. Unless you talk right into her face and speak up, she probably is just guessing at what you say. It is causing problems socially, but now that she has graduated from college, she can't find a job as she doesn't do well on interviews.

She tried a hearing aid years ago in her youth, but it was painful and she hated it. Thus, she absolutely refused to try them ever again. But finally, she may be open to the idea as she is realizing how much it is harming her to not be able to hear.

We need advice on:
(a) how to help get her to want to have hearing aids,
(b) which hearing aids are good/bad,
(c) what can be done to adjust to the new sounds, new distractions, pains, etc.

Does anyone here know of a good source of information like that? A forum would be ideal.

Thanks.

 

[kranky]

I don't have a forum to refer you to, but I have a friend whose in her early 30's and needed hearing aids badly. She went to a guy who sells them and tried a handful of models until she settled on the one she uses now. There was a good bit of tinkering (apparently the high-tech models can be "tuned" to some degree for the specific user) but she LOVES them now. They are not uncomfortable in the least. If your GF's sister goes to try out some models now, she will be astounded at the improvement over what she experienced years ago. And they fit completely in the ear canal so they are practically invisible - and if she wears her hair over her ears, they WILL be invisible. My friend does not wear her hair long, and unless you stare right into her ear canal you could not know she wears hearing aids.

All she could get from a forum is tips on adjusting to having them - there's no point in using forum advice to rule out (or in) certain models, since what works for one person might not work for another depending on their specific hearing situation.

I'm puzzled why advice from strangers on a forum would motivate her, when she already knows she has a problem.

I say again, she needs to ignore her earlier experience altogether - it's a completely new ballgame now compared to even 10 years ago.

 

[dullard]

Thanks for the input, kranky.

She blazes her own path. Whatever her friends/family suggests, she often does the opposite because she is independent. Hopefully, stranger's advice won't have that same effect. If she can read and select the advice from people who aren't trying to influence her (ie friends/family), then hopefully she'll follow some of it.

 

[waggy]

first off i have had hearing aids since i was 12.


have her go to a audioalogist. they will do a hearing test and find out how bad/what level hearing loss she is at. She will also be able to recomend the corect type and power aid.


I go to NIU (in dekalb IL) and they have training center for this. so i go in and get tested by students (suprivsed) etc. saves me some money.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: waggy
have her go to a audioalogist. they will do a hearing test and find out how bad/what level hearing loss she is at. She will also be able to recomend the corect type and power aid.

I go to NIU (in dekalb IL) and they have training center for this. so i go in and get tested by students (suprivsed) etc. saves me some money.

There is the problem. How do you convince someone to do something that they are adamant against? Her family/friends have tried for years to get her to go to an audioalogist. The more they try, the harder she resists.

What has worked, is if the friends/family hinting towards sources of information, and having her decide to follow the information's advice.

I have heard from one of my friends in town with hearing loss that the local university is a good resource. My GF's sister graduated there, so I think she may be more comfortable going there.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: waggy
have her go to a audioalogist. they will do a hearing test and find out how bad/what level hearing loss she is at. She will also be able to recomend the corect type and power aid.

I go to NIU (in dekalb IL) and they have training center for this. so i go in and get tested by students (suprivsed) etc. saves me some money.

There is the problem. How do you convince someone to do something that they are adamant against? Her family/friends have tried for years to get her to go to an audioalogist. The more they try, the harder she resists.

What has worked, is if the friends/family hinting towards sources of information, and having her decide to follow the information's advice.

I have heard from one of my friends in town with hearing loss that the local university is a good resource. My GF's sister graduated there, so I think she may be more comfortable going there.

more then likely the uni has a program for Audiologist. i would try to get her to go there.

hell i would just try to get her to go anywhere.

 

[Yreka]

What ?