Hearing Awareness Project

Seniors

The population of Canada is "booming"... many of our senior citizens have attained respected positions in the fields of industry, government and education. Seniors frequently make up the majority of people attending places of worship, vacation tours, obtaining medical help from clinics, hospitals etc. Besides age, many of them have one thing in common, 40% of them are hard of hearing. The following information, web links and resources will hopefully help you advocate for improved service or help your company or agency provide the service hard of hearing and deafened seniors require.

How To Communicate

Communicating with someone who is hard of hearing simply requires knowing a few simple rules. There are many "tips" lists available on the Internet. CHHA's own website has three such lists developed to educate health care professionals:

If you are hard of hearing or deafened, the same rules apply whether you visit a health care facility, a restaurant, or a retail store. Identify yourself, tell the person serving you how to communicate with you and if you still don't understand what's being said, ask them to repeat it or write it down. Mutual respect, between consumer and service provider, combined with a degree of patience, is the key to successful communication.

Reading Your Way To Hearing Health

The following are readings you might find interesting and useful on your hearing help journey.

  • To Hear Again: CHHA Publication A-5
    A training/resource manual for volunteer visitors and other caregivers to hard of hearing and deafened seniors.

  • Unheard Voices
    Increase your understanding of the emotional impact of hearing loss by viewing this video by Gael Hannan, 23 minutes, closed captioned, English, available from CHHA at: www.chha.ca

  • Canadian Consumer Guide to Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
    Booklet by the Canadian Hearing Instrument Practioners Society. Download it for free from their website at: www.hearcanada.com/Home/Index.cfm

  • Focus on Seniors
    Various resources and downloads by the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists: Communication and Aging Facts; View CASLPA's multimedia presentation on Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Services for Seniors in Canada. The presentation explores the types and causes of speech, language and hearing disorders often experienced by adults as they grow older, as well as what can be done about the problems and how audiologists and speech-language pathologists can help; Communication Disorders and Aging Fact Sheet (pdf); Other Resources for Seniors (articles, tips/checklists, fact sheets, web links)

  • Hearing Awareness: A to Z
    The most useful site to answer all your questions. Give it a try.

Advocacy And Support Groups

There are many associations in Canada which focus on the needs of seniors and provide a variety of good information, support and services.

Hearing Aid And Devices

BEFORE YOU BUY

  1. Advice from the Canadian Academy of Audiology
  2. Advice from the Canadian Hearing Instrument Practioners Society
  3. Consumer Advice for Buying Hearing Aids - The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association: This pamphlet is available at no cost by contacting CHHA publications at 1-800-263-8068
  4. Insurance for your Hearing Aid or Device
  5. What Questions Should I Ask?
  6. Funding for My Aids and Devices
  7. Batteries and Alternative Power Sources
  8. Understanding Audiograms and Other Diagnostic Tools

DEVICES THAT HELP

There are many devices that can help seniors cope with their loss and maximize their residual hearing. Below are listed a few such devices. Click on the word to see its definition.

WHERE TO BUY

For further information on devices you may contact the following distributors and retailers*

*N.B. Provinces and Territories have programs in place that may help pay for part or all of devices covered under their health or social service programs. Always ask your retailer which devices are covered by Government subsidies.

Accessible Facilities In Your City/Region

Who Does What and Where?
There are many guides available to accessible services. These guides can help you find what is accessible in your city or town, no matter where you live in Canada. Better yet, you are able to suggest new additions to the guide to keep it up to date and growing. You may also contact the nearest provincial Chapter or Branch to find out what other services are available, accessible and used by hard of hearing seniors in your region.
Communication Accessibility Checklist
If you want to do something about making more services accessible to seniors, the first place to start is to gather information about the particular facility you are interested in and based on the results of the checklist, advocate for change. CHHA has developed a checklist available free of charge at: http://www.chha.ca/chha/projects-communication.php.
How to Hear in Your Place of Worship
Developed by the United Church of Canada, this guide is useful to everyone who wants to make their place of worship accessible. It offers useful tips and steps to follow to obtain and monitor a system.
Travel Accommodation
Access Canada is a program of the Hotel Association of Canada designed to meet the needs of seniors and people with disabilities. Participating establishments will display the Access Canada logo with their designated level. The access levels that meet the needs of person with hearing loss are A-3 and A-4.
  • LEVEL A-3: Provides persons with hearing loss: Flashing light alarms in their bedrooms, and assistive listening systems in meeting rooms.

  • LEVEL A-4: Provides persons with hearing loss: TTY telephones-external service; flashing visual alarms; sound/voice indicator inside elevators; phone jack/plug in within one meter for TTY; Closed-captioned TV decoder; visual emergency alarms. For further information see: www.hotelassociation.ca/site/programs/access_canada.htm
    www.tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/access.htm
Hotel and Motel Accessibility Kits
These kits contain the devices needed to make your room accessible regardless of the severity of your hearing loss. They normally contain Assistive Listening, Alerting and Telephone devices and let you choose devices that best meet your needs. These kits are available from the Canadian Hearing Society, or the Hotel or Motel can easily compile a kit by purchasing devices commonly used and requested. When booking a room ask the concierge for a hearing loss accessibility kit. Some of the larger hotels also have rooms that have been declared "accessible rooms" and already contain the devices you need. Such rooms are also accessible to persons with physical disabilities.

Disclaimer:You should not use this article as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any reservations or questions about the information provided please contact CHHA or a service representative from the associations, government departments, health and hearing health care facilities, or retailers, etc. mentioned.

The lists mentioned are not all-inclusive. We welcome information that we could add to our lists to keep them current and relevant to all geographic regions of Canada.

 

Copyright © 2009 the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA)
Direct commercial exploitation is not permitted. No warranty of accuracy is given concerning the contents of the information contained in this publication. To the extent permitted by law, no liability (including liability to any person by reason of negligence) will be accepted by CHHA its subsidiaries or employees for any direct, or indirect loss or damage caused by omissions from or inaccuracies in this document. CHHA reserves the right to change details in this publication without notice.

Download this document in pdf format