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Connecticut Tech Act Project
Newsletter Ficarro’s
Feedback – Winter 2003 It’s been a while since our last newsletter. In fact, it’s been long enough that I can now report that I’m not just Director of the Assistive Technology (AT) Project, I’m also a user of AT. I finally admitted to a hearing loss that has slowly but steadily resulted in more situations where I’ve had problems understanding what people are saying. Road noise made conversation with the front seat passenger in my car impossible. Dinner in a noisy setting, and people with soft voices were also problematic. So, I decided to bite the bullet and get a full audiological evaluation. It showed that while my low and mid ranges were fine, the upper range dropped like a sharp cliff, showing a 90% loss. The test was done by audiologist Alan Dumaine. He had been highly recommended and his commitment to getting my hearing optimized made all the difference in the world. If anything, he undersold the amount of help I would get from hearing aids, and he encouraged me to take some time to think about what I wanted to do, given the cost, the time commitment for fine tuning, and some of the issues in getting used to hearing aids. He also was clear about what they could and could not do. Issues like amplification of background noise were spelled out very clearly. However, I knew I was ready. The type that would work best for me was also among the most expensive. Like buying a new car, there is the initial sticker shock, but I felt that if the aids would help me at all, it would be worth it. Surprisingly, I found the adjustment quite easy. The best initial experience was hearing a songbird. I didn’t realize how much of a songbird’s music I had been missing. The one disappointment was that my rather expensive guitars sounded very tinny. Alan made some adjustments and all was well when I played music. But I did find that the price of compromise was that in some situations, intelligibility was lost. Alan said that I shouldn’t have to live with that kind of compromise. The hearing aids went back to the factory and a new pair were made for me with 2 programs. (There was no charge to me for this change.) Now at the push of a button I can switch between the speech optimized and music optimized programs. Since then I’ve returned for a little fine tuning and one repair (my fault). I’ve also found a secondary use for the aids. When putting them in or out, there is a whistling noise until they are seated. This brings my dogs running to me. So no more need for a dog whistle! I have heard from folks who have had difficulties in adjusting to hearing aids and in some cases just gave up on them. I think, however, with a good audiologist, you should know what to expect, what the aids can and can’t do and some of the issues in adjusting to life with hearing aids. Knowing about these issues will help you have realistic expectations. In my case, the hearing aids exceeded my expectations, and with encouragement to come back with any problem, it’s been an easy process to get them fine tuned and well fitted for me. So, the next time you see me, you don’t have to shout. |
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