The way we were

Hearing is an essential part of your communication and relationships, so if you lose it, it can be difficult to adjust to and deal with.
Jan 03, 2012 | Kevin Forde

I've recently lost my hearing. What can I do to make communcating easier?

Hearing is an essential part of your communication and relationships, so if you lose it, it can be difficult to adjust to and deal with. Hearing loss changes people. Your ability to communicate is diminished; you’re no longer able to hear even the simplest things.

Even if you get a hearing aid, adjusting to having this in your life can still be difficult and may require some additional help. Losing a part of your life is never easy, and we suggest getting counseling to cope with the loss if you find you’re experiencing emotional side effects.

It will take some practice and time to get used to having a hearing aid. But, no matter how difficult it may be, the good news is that, with new technologies, hearing loss doesn’t mean you have to stop doing everything that you once did when you could hear.

Hearing impaired people are still able to attend school, work and participate in activities with the help of aids like programmable hearing aids, FM systems, cochlear implants, real-time video captioning and voice recognition software.

Many hearing impaired people can also read lips and use American Sign Language, cued speech or other sign languages.

At home, those with hearing impairments can watch closed-captioned TVs and know when the doorbell or phone rings by the flash of a light.

So even though losing your hearing can be devastating to you and those around you initially, with professional help, technological aids and a little bit of patience, you can still try to live the life that you had before you lost your hearing.

Kevin Forde is a hearing professional who has been educating medical practitioners and the general public throughout southern Ontario. Kevin was educated at the University of Miami, and Conestoga College, of which he graduated with honours. This was followed by passing an International Licensing Exam and completing a 3000 hour internship program to earn the hearing specialist status. Kevin's compassionate nature, combined with his "whole health, whole lifestyle approach", has helped over 500 individuals and their families regain connectivity and intimacy they did not realize had slipped away. Kevin Forde currently practices at Progressive Hearing Healthcare in Etobicoke, Ontario. http://progressivehearing.ca/

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