Help for a friend losing his hearing
Hello Everyone, I hope you are all doing well today. Maybe you guys could give me some suggestions here - my boyfriend was born deaf in one ear, and is busy losing his hearing in his other ear. He can possibly get a cochlear implant in a few years but not now. It is starting to affect his work, and life, and I don't know how to help. I was thinking of "smart technology" like a smart bracelet you can connect to a smart doorbell or things like that, but I'm quite clueless. I'd appreciate it if anyone who's who'd experienced hearing loss could give me some advice - what to do, how to help, what he might be feeling? Thank you, much appreciated!
@TheOriginalRex The most important thing you could probably do for him is just to be supportive and let him know that you're there for him if he needs someone to talk to. If he knows a sign language, you could maybe learn a few phrases in that language to show that you're happy to adapt to his needs because often a worsening of a disability can lead to feelings of being too much work for someone or a burden. You're asking for advice here so clearly you care a lot! I'm sure your boyfriend will see that and it will mean a lot :)
@TheOriginalRex I am sorry to hear that your boyfriend is losing his hearing. Can he maybe apply for accomodations at workplace according to disability protection acts? Can he maybe also learn sign language? It would be of great benefit as many accomodations for deaf include having sign language interpreters for meetings, etc. Can he also get any support from local deaf and/or hard of hearing association (non profit organization)?
He said he doesn't want to learn sign language, although I have started learning a little bit. At work they said they would look for positions available that would be more accommodating, but they havent gotten back to him yet. I have struggled to find local organizations, as we are in a very small town and the nearest one is quite some distance away, but I will keep looking. Thank you so much for your help :).
@TheOriginalRex The Hearing Loss Association of America has chapters throughout the country and online meetings as well. Here's a link to their website.
@TheOriginalRex
I'm sorry your boyfriend and you have to go through this. My sister was diagnosed with hearing loss about a year ago. At first, she denied wearing a hearing aid, she just couldn't get used to the thought that her life changed. All our family supported her and persuaded her to use hearing devices. Now she wears them all the time. She just chose those that make her feel comfortable. Speaking about other helpful things, I can suggest paying attention to assistive listening devices. My sister got a CapTel phone for free at the hearing aid shop. This device works like any other phone, in addition, you are able to see captions of everything the caller says. So, it is great for people who struggle to hear on the phone.
@TheOriginalRex Being supportive is a great start. I am hard of hearing, so perhaps I can offer something helpful here.
1. Check the accessibiilty settings on his smartphone if he has one. For instance, one of my settings allows me to use my flashlight in conjuntion with the phone ringer. That way if I can't hear the phone, the flashing will alert me.
2. Turn on captions on the RV if they are not already on. You can usually find those settings under the menu button of the remote.
3. Depending on the type of work he does and how much he needs to interact with supervisors, coworkers, the public etc, there is an app called Live Transcribe. It uses the microphone on the phone and live captions (transcribes) what is being said. I find it useful in noisy settngs or plac3es like dr. appts, where info is being giving quickly.
4. ASL (American Sign Language) can take time to learn but may be helpful in the meanwhile until he can get the implant. I use this site for learning ASL
http:// https://www.lifeprint.com/?fbclid=IwAR1yvoQQ9LWgBkZOG1ypNrjC23n927iwIBW5gVpFmThhUDYGJ3PUbLolURo
Hope some of this helps. So glad you asked the question 
Thanks so much! These are very practical ideas! I didn't think of smart phone accessibility settings, that will help a lot. The irony of his job is at the moment he works in a call centre. They are looking to see if they can move him to another position but if they can't they might medically board him. We'll look into that app too. Thanks a thousand times!
@TheOriginalRex You are very welcome! I understand the difficulty of working in a call center. I did that prior to quitting when I couldn't get my accommodation needs met and fought to do so for many months. Another app I found is InnoCaption which allows calls and voicemails to be captioned. I've found it useful because while I have hearing aids, I can't always make out words. It makes it easier for me to understand and keep up with the conversation.
