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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sarah said: "<FONT face="Times New =
Roman"
size=3>Seriously, I know an elderly woman with Alzheimer's who was =
recently
fitted <BR>with a hearing aid. The device (one ear only) has been =
checked,
rechecked, <BR>and re-re-checked, and it functions as it should. =
Even her
psychometric <BR>test data confirm this. Although she can now =
understand
us when we are <BR>speaking, she complains that ALL sounds are obnoxious =
to her,
including <BR>anything with frequency components that were in her =
hearing
deficit range <BR>(e.g. onions frying in a skillet). She is =
happiest with
the hearing aid <BR>turned down or even off (serving as an ear
plug).<BR><BR>Because her sensitivity curve changed with her hearing =
loss, she
became <BR>accustomed to hearing the world in muted tones. The =
"normal"
sound of a <BR>piano, for instance, would be very muffled and heavy on =
the bass,
probably <BR>including a spinet. (Think of one of those booming,
consumer-grade, muffly <BR>stereos from the early 1970's.) When =
you change
that sound envelope by <BR>restoring higher frequency hearing (the range =
most
frequently lost), sound <BR>becomes tintier (as it normally sounds to =
someone
with healthy ears). Thus <BR>higher partials, buzzes, rattles, =
etc., etc.
-- sounds with higher frequency <BR>components -- sound =
obnoxious.<BR><BR>So the
problem isn't Sir John's spinet, per se <cough, cough>, but the =
fact
<BR>that he is now hearing this magnificent instrument as it normally =
sounds to
<BR>the rest of us. He may in fact have preferred the spinet's =
sound to a
<BR>larger instrument's sound because of its relatively greater emphasis =
on
<BR>higher frequencies. That would enable him to hear the melody =
better,
for <BR>instance. Now that his "tone control settings" have been =
diddled
with, he <BR>doesn't like the sound. Ask him to listen to a =
larger, better
piano and see <BR>if he likes that more.<BR><BR>In short, he's going to =
have to
accept that the world sounds differently <BR>from what he's previously
experienced.<BR><BR>Peace,<BR>Sarah,</FONT><BR>I just spent the better =
part of
an hour, typing a response to your comments. Damned 'puters! grrrrrr! =
Damned
thing froze up on the last sentence! grrrrr!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Anyway, I'll try again.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All of what you have written is true. =
However,
there is far more to this, than any can know.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've given classes on The Stigma of =
Hearing Loss,
with a teaching partner who is a highly respected Dispenser. During our =
first
class, we started by showing everyone the proper way to insert foam =
plugs. As we
spoke the plugs expanded and most all, attending, were told that they =
now heard
how I hear w/o my hearing aids. About midpoint through this segment, one =
gentleman jumped up and, (literally), slammed out of the class. I was =
startled,
as were most in attendance. My teaching partner gave me a knowing look =
and
continued on with the class. After the class was over, I brought up this =
incident. He told me he has seen this before. In all likelyhood the =
gentleman
had a serious hearing loss and had come to the class seeking some kind =
of
panacea. When he inserted the plugs, he no longer could hear ANYTHING =
and became
frustrated/angry. Hence his reaction. To this day, I wish that I could =
have had
a private conversation with him and told him that he wasn't alone and =
there
likely was help avaiable for him. That never happened and I'm sad about =
it.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Many technicians have approached me =
with questions,
regarding hearing and their hearing loss. Many have been steered in a =
good
direction for help. Some cannot be helped as they have a different type =
of
hearing loss that aids, (at this time), will not help their situation. =
It is
unfortunate that hearing is the least understood of the medical sciences =
endeavors. Although, technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, there =
is,
unfortunately, MUCH to be learned and understood in this =
regard.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>One of the problems, in our industry, =
is that "we"
make our living with our ears. "We" have set ourselves up as =
"authorities" on
sound. Our egos get in the way of common sense, in this regard. Guys are =
definately worse at dealing with this than the Ladies! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I strongly urge you all to : HAVE YOUR =
HEARING
CHECKED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR!!!!)<g> (Hopefully, you must realize =
that I
am not "preaching", but rather just giving you all that "nudge" to do
it.<G></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Finally, Diane Hoffstetter is becoming =
a
knowlegeable advocate for us, in this great/odd profession. It is my =
hope that
others will follow in her footsteps and make more inroads to discovering =
what
can Really be done to help us. If any of you suspect some hearing loss,
pleeeeeese, get yourself checked. My hearing aids have suppressor =
circuits in
them. When I subject myself to LOUD sounds, they simply diminish the =
amount of
sound that reaches my ears. This feature, hopefully, is saving what =
little
hearing I have left. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Another part of the equation is that =
the Research
costs a whole lot. Inroads and discoveries are being made almost daily. =
Because
of the costs of Research, high-tech hearing aids are VERY expensive! =
There is no
"cheaping down" as in computers, etc.! If a person has hearing aids that =
are
more than a year or two old, they have really OLDE technology. The =
epitome of
the "Catch 22"!!!! Not many of us can fork out $5k-$10k every few years, =
so we
muddle along with the OLDE ones.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know this is very long, but I =
consider this
subject tatamount to all tuners in NEED TO =
KNOW!<G></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<BR>Captain, Tool
Police<BR>Squares R I</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>