My Journey Back to Hearing Health

My name is Anne. I have experienced what is known as a severe to profound hearing loss, which has caused me years of struggling with hearing impairment.

As my age creeps upwards, I find it harder and harder to stay connected to family and friends because it is difficult to hear every word they say correctly, especially when there are environmental noises around. Needless to say, this has caused many concerns for my family members, including my grandchildren. My adult children understand my hearing difficulty, have adjusted to repeating speech sounds and know that I don’t hear them unless they are talking directly to me; however, my grandchildren are still learning this about me and often forget to talk directly to me. All too often I walk past them without acknowledgement – I just do not hear them well enough to respond intelligently!

My daughters and I are going on a much-anticipated trip to Israel next month. When planning it, they were concerned that my hearing disabilities would cause me to miss information presented by the tour guides and that I would be let down. My daughter contacted Living Sounds to ask about an assistive listening device called an FM system. After some discussion with the practitioner, she decided to give it a try and order one.

An appointment to pick up the FM system brought about feelings of excitement and nervousness. I thought to myself, how well will I hear? What if it is too complicated and I can’t learn how to use it?
My daughter assured me our family’s support and my practitioner was very patient in teaching us how to use it. She even wrote down the three easy steps so everyone would have a quick reference of how to use the devices. In addition, she explained how the microphone systems worked and demonstrated how I could hear even when I couldn’t see the speaker.

Here is how I make use of my new devices:

First, I switch the program button on my behind-the-ear hearing aid to the MT program. Then, I put the communication loop (the receiver) around my neck.

After that, I turn the transmitter on, place it on a table and give it to someone else to wear so I can hear at a distance. I can also wear it when I am in close proximity to speakers, which allows me to hear so much better in every situation. What joy!

I have been given a whole new life of hearing. While I used to avoid going to social events, dinners and family gatherings, I’ve accepted my hearing impairment and have felt a sense of relief from social isolation with the use of my hearing aids. If you have a similar hearing problem, why not look into an FM system in addition to your hearing aids. I’m glad I did. I’m looking forward to my trip to Israel and I am taking my newest friend – the FM System.

Jan Parker BC-HIS
Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner
Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences