Ronni
Well-known Member
- Location
- Nashville TN
Ron’s hearing is compromised from having worked on the railroad for years before it was regulated. He has actual damage, and can’t function normally without hearing aids
But even WITH hearing aids, he still struggles. If his back is to me, he can’t hear me when I speak. I have to remember to get his attention so he’ll turn round before I launch into whatever I say.
He doesn’t realize he’s doing it most of the time, but he relies on lip reading to a degree to understand what people are saying. If they speak fast or are covering their mouths he has trouble.
If we’re talking between us, he will bop his head in a certain way and that movement tells me to repeat what I said.
If we’re with the others and he didn’t understand what they said to him, he’ll look at me so I can repeat it.
I attribute some of the disagreements we’ve had (we don’t have many) to his inability to hear so that what I actually said is misunderstood by him.
He’s tried many different hearing aids, from the most expensive, hearing tested custom fitted ones, to less expensive over the counter models. He ultimately stopped buying the custom aids worth many thousands of dollars because the over the counter ones did the same job for thousands less.
It’s frustrating at times. I’m patient, but sometimes especially when he’s misunderstood something I’ve said, or I’ve repeated the same thing 4 times, I get edgy. But so does he, because it’s even more frustrating for him.
Do any of you deal with this, either as the hearing partner or the hearing-compromised one?
But even WITH hearing aids, he still struggles. If his back is to me, he can’t hear me when I speak. I have to remember to get his attention so he’ll turn round before I launch into whatever I say.
He doesn’t realize he’s doing it most of the time, but he relies on lip reading to a degree to understand what people are saying. If they speak fast or are covering their mouths he has trouble.
If we’re talking between us, he will bop his head in a certain way and that movement tells me to repeat what I said.
If we’re with the others and he didn’t understand what they said to him, he’ll look at me so I can repeat it.
I attribute some of the disagreements we’ve had (we don’t have many) to his inability to hear so that what I actually said is misunderstood by him.
He’s tried many different hearing aids, from the most expensive, hearing tested custom fitted ones, to less expensive over the counter models. He ultimately stopped buying the custom aids worth many thousands of dollars because the over the counter ones did the same job for thousands less.
It’s frustrating at times. I’m patient, but sometimes especially when he’s misunderstood something I’ve said, or I’ve repeated the same thing 4 times, I get edgy. But so does he, because it’s even more frustrating for him.
Do any of you deal with this, either as the hearing partner or the hearing-compromised one?
