Deaf Person To Live With

My grampa got pretty hard of hearing in his old age. And he would look us right in the face and say, "Now what?" Never would get it completely through to him. He was frustrated and so were we. Tried to get him a hearing aid but he wouldn't use it. Stubborn from Scottish background.

My ex mother in law and father in law were both deaf or so they liked to pretend. I spent most of my time communicating with them by making sure to speak carefully so that they could "read" my lips or wrote things down on paper for them. They sure could hear just fine without the paper and lips whenever it benefited them. You mention money or grumble something under your breathe they were all ears. It does take some patience It would probably be good for him if he had some other people like himself to hangout with. My ex in laws were part of some deaf and blind association and they'd meet up at different places and have all sorts of fun. I was invited along a few times.

I am a primary school teacher and I once taught a little girl girl called Olivia. Her mom and dad were both deaf. I wrote down things to her parents and her mom was able to lip read. I made sure I heard Olivia read every day because her parents were both deaf. I think she and her younger sister were noisy in their home. Their parents had no idea of this. It isn't right to argue when a deaf person is in the household. It is essential to have lots of patience around a deaf person.

Would hearing aids help? If not and the hearing loss is going to continue, you father might consider learning sign language. I took two years of sign language and it is very easy to learn (it also fulfilled my foreign language requirements for graduation from college). So many people think it's just flailing away in the air with hopes that the other person will understand...it isn't ! And, NO, he isn't too old to learn to sign. But it also depends on the person's wanting to learn. Both Bill and I have to have a LOT of patience with each other. Bill is losing hearing, and I have ringing in my ears that causes me to miss certain tones. So it is almost like being deaf. There are times it is very hard to be patient...but once you learn how it is very easy to be patient with the people that you care about.

I'm sorry things are so difficult for your family right now... My hubby & I both don't hear very well, and it can be really frustrating... If the person can read lips, that could help a lot. I can read lips a little bit, so it helps to be able to see the person when I speak to him/her. If I can't see the person's lips move, like if they're covering their mouth or whatever, it makes it a lot more difficult for me to "hear" what they're saying... Hopefully some other myLotters will be able to give you some good advice too. :)

I come from a family where hearing impairment is prevalent. My mother, in spite of wearing two hearing aids still does not hear well. My brother had to get a cochlear implant so that he could hear. I myself wear two hearing aids and one of my younger sisters has hearing aids as well. Yes, it can be extremely frustrating for all those involved. Why would you fight with someone because they have a physical impairment? Would you fight with a blind person just because they are blind or a person in a wheelchair just because they can't walk? Does your father wear hearing aids? If so he should go for regular ear exams to make sure that the model of hearing aid he is using is the best one suited to his particular needs. Also, regular visits are need in case adjustments to the device are needed. If he doesn't wear a hearing aid, maybe he should think about getting one. There are some things that one can do to improve their situation. When people speak to your Dad, or anyone who is hard of hearing they should face that person when talking. Too many people lower their heads, turn their backs on or even yell to someone from another room. It is much easier for a person who has a lack of hearing to make out what one is saying to them when that person makes an effort to face them while talking. Even if they can't read lips it helps them to differentiate between words that may sound similar. Also, lots of times people yell at the hearing impaired thinking that it will help. This is not necessarily so. At times it is more important to speak slowly and more clearly, enunciating words properly than to speak more loudly.