Bay College is pleased to host “Living with Hearing Loss” on May 27 from 4 – 6 pm ET in Room 225 of the Catherine Bonifas Building on the Escanaba campus. The information session, led by Rose Aird Minette, will help community members by sharing resources and communication strategies for living with hearing loss. The event is being held to benefit the community; Minette is not a licensed audiologist or hearing instrument specialist and will not be selling anything.
After growing up with severe hearing loss in Gladstone, Michigan, Minette studied communication and education at the University of Texas in Austin. The long-time member of the Hearing Loss Association of America then became employed by the state of Texas, where she provided presentations on hearing loss topics for more than 25 years.
Minette says, “There is a common misconception that a person with hearing loss simply needs to purchase a hearing aid and their ears will be fixed, similar to putting on a pair of glasses. However, hearing loss is much more complicated, and we find that hearing aids help us ‘hear’ but not always ‘understand.’ We have to ‘manage’ our hearing loss, similar to managing diabetes or another health issue.”
Ms. Minette explains, “In our society, there may also be shame involved with admitting one has hearing challenges; therefore, many people delay going to the Dr. or hearing instrument specialist for years. I find this so sad, as amplification is the best first step to help get us back into the communication loop with those we care about. I love my hearing aids and depend on them so much, and I won’t go anywhere without them, but there is still so much more that I need.”
“My hearing loss impacts my family, coworkers, and friends since it is a ‘communication disorder’ and involves another person. I want to know how to explain my hearing issues to my Dr. when I can’t understand them and help my family realize why I don’t enjoy noisy get-togethers.”
“There are daily challenges as I struggle to understand – in a restaurant, at a doctor’s appointment, in a meeting, at a family event, or in church. Having a hearing loss means there’s an invisible disability, so even friends and family who KNOW I have hearing difficulty forget and need constant reminders. This leads to a lot of frustration for everyone involved.”
A microphone and good clear communication practices will be used during the session while sharing valuable resources and information. Because hearing loss impacts those around us, family members are strongly encouraged to attend.
For additional information, contact Dr. June Klees at kleesj@baycollege.edu.