ALDA-Sonora / Arizona - Founded 2009The Association of Late-Deafened AdultsArizona’s 1st GroupThe last time Bob Maddox was at a party, he was miserable. The 65-year-old retired scientist, who had been steadily losing his hearing over 25 years, recalled, "I couldn't understand anything that was going on."Over the years, he'd had trouble hearing his university students. He dreaded the airports, with the buzz of humanity and the poor public-address systems. And don't get him started on answering machines. But he'd finally had enough and recently wrapped up a five-week course at the University of Arizona designed to help adults with hearing loss learn coping skills. The UA's speech, language and hearing sciences department started offering the courses in the fall, and with two more sessions coming up in the spring.Frances Harris, the clinical chair in audiological rehabilitation for adults at the University of Arizona, said people with hearing loss are dealing with the aftermath of losing a vital sensory function that affects their social and work relationships, their self-esteem and their feelings of security."Sometimes, as people lose the ability to communicate, they become more withdrawn. Groups are harder for them, and they don't know how to advocate for themselves," Harris said. "Untreated hearing loss absolutely affects quality of life — and not just for the people who have hearing loss, but those around them, including partners, family members and caregivers as well."The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hearing loss already affects 37 million people in the United States, an increase from the 31.5 million identified in 2000. Those ranks will only swell as more baby boomers join the aging population,Book editor Dixie Nixon, 74, said she's not a "joiner" by nature, but the class made her realize she wasn't so alone.Not only did she learn more about assistive-listening devices that would help compensate for her severe hearing loss, but the class gave her some more advocacy tools. People with hearing loss tend to develop a more passive role in social settings. Sometimes they'll bluff, pretending that they're following the conversation, or they'll learn to sit back and not participate at all."The one key thing I learned was not to pretend I understand when I don't," Nixon said. "I should have learned that long ago, but you get exhausted or embarrassed to ask people to please repeat that one more time, so I just took on the bad habit of faking it. And what I came back with was a non sequitur, which was even more embarrassing."Class members learn to say something akin to, "I have a hearing loss, but I want to be included. And this is what it will take." They learn to coach other speakers, whose natural inclination is to speak more loudly or directly into someone's hearing aid, which only distorts the sound. Instead, speakers should speak slowly and more clearly. And they should try to have discussions face to face to the degree possible.Harris said adults with hearing loss generally first lose the ability to hear higher pitches, so they might notice they're no longer hearing crickets or birds. Then they realize that while they can hear sounds, they can't pull out distinct words, so it sounds as though people are mumbling with greater frequency. Over time, it progresses to where they'll miss dialogue in a play or can't make out what's being said in a large gathering. "It's a pervasive health issue that's often overlooked," Harris said, calling it "the unseen disability."The course is heavily supported by UniSource Corp., which donated $25,000 a year for each of the next 10 years. James and Dyan Pignatelli have matched that grant. Although the cost of the five-week session is $45, there are scholarship opportunities for people who can't afford it.For Maddox, the difference is night and day from previous, rushed clinic visits he'd had with earlier audiologists.He was fitted with a far more advanced hearing aid. He is planning on attending some seminars in the spring semester. He can hear his mother again. He can have a conversation with his soft-spoken son, who is learning to speak with more clarity and precision to help his father. And for better or for worse, he can even hear phone solicitors now."It was a revolution," he said. "Now I'm looking forward to Christmas dinner and seeing how that works."Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at 573-4243 or rbodfield@azstarnet.comArizona Daily StarTucson, Arizona - 12-21-2009
ALDA-Sonora / Arizona - Founded 2009
The Association of Late-Deafened Adults
Arizona’s 1st Group
The last time Bob Maddox was at a party, he was miserable. The 65-year-old retired scientist, who had been steadily losing his hearing
over 25 years, recalled, "I couldn't understand anything that was going on."
Over the years, he'd had trouble hearing his university students. He dreaded the airports, with the buzz of humanity and the poor public-
address systems. And don't get him started on answering machines. But he'd finally had enough and recently wrapped up a five-week
course at the University of Arizona designed to help adults with hearing loss learn coping skills. The UA's speech, language and hearing
sciences department started offering the courses in the fall, and with two more sessions coming up in the spring.
Frances Harris, the clinical chair in audiological rehabilitation for adults at the University of Arizona, said people with hearing loss are
dealing with the aftermath of losing a vital sensory function that affects their social and work relationships, their self-esteem and their
feelings of security.
"Sometimes, as people lose the ability to communicate, they become more withdrawn. Groups are harder for them, and they don't know
how to advocate for themselves," Harris said. "Untreated hearing loss absolutely affects quality of life — and not just for the people who
have hearing loss, but those around them, including partners, family members and caregivers as well."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hearing loss already affects 37 million people in the United States,
an increase from the 31.5 million identified in 2000. Those ranks will only swell as more baby boomers join the aging population,
Book editor Dixie Nixon, 74, said she's not a "joiner" by nature, but the class made her realize she wasn't so alone.
Not only did she learn more about assistive-listening devices that would help compensate for her severe hearing loss, but the class gave
her some more advocacy tools. People with hearing loss tend to develop a more passive role in social settings. Sometimes they'll bluff,
pretending that they're following the conversation, or they'll learn to sit back and not participate at all.
"The one key thing I learned was not to pretend I understand when I don't," Nixon said. "I should have learned that long ago, but you get
exhausted or embarrassed to ask people to please repeat that one more time, so I just took on the bad habit of faking it. And what I came
back with was a non sequitur, which was even more embarrassing."
Class members learn to say something akin to, "I have a hearing loss, but I want to be included. And this is what it will take." They learn
to coach other speakers, whose natural inclination is to speak more loudly or directly into someone's hearing aid, which only distorts the
sound. Instead, speakers should speak slowly and more clearly. And they should try to have discussions face to face to the degree
possible.
Harris said adults with hearing loss generally first lose the ability to hear higher pitches, so they might notice they're no longer hearing
crickets or birds. Then they realize that while they can hear sounds, they can't pull out distinct words, so it sounds as though people are
mumbling with greater frequency. Over time, it progresses to where they'll miss dialogue in a play or can't make out what's being said in a
large gathering. "It's a pervasive health issue that's often overlooked," Harris said, calling it "the unseen disability."
The course is heavily supported by UniSource Corp., which donated $25,000 a year for each of the next 10 years. James and Dyan
Pignatelli have matched that grant. Although the cost of the five-week session is $45, there are scholarship opportunities for people who
can't afford it.
For Maddox, the difference is night and day from previous, rushed clinic visits he'd had with earlier audiologists.
He was fitted with a far more advanced hearing aid. He is planning on attending some seminars in the spring semester. He can hear his
mother again. He can have a conversation with his soft-spoken son, who is learning to speak with more clarity and precision to help his
father. And for better or for worse, he can even hear phone solicitors now.
"It was a revolution," he said. "Now I'm looking forward to Christmas dinner and seeing how that works."
Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at 573-4243 or rbodfield@azstarnet.com
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona - 12-21-2009
