I have had a hearing loss for as long as I can remember. It was uncorrected until I was in my early 30s. My mother recognised it when I was a child, but failed to convince the medical world. So I just adapted to living with it. Eventually, I realised that was not going to be able to continue with my work unless I wore a hearing aid. I was an IT lecturer at the time, and could no longer hear my students! I was given a body worn aid, and it was a godsend.
In 1990 I was fitted with a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) because I was no longer able to wear a mould in my only functioning ear.
Throughout my married life, I have been heavily dependent on my wife Jan. Jan would always get me out of communication difficulties. I was resigned to a continued decline in my hearing, continuing to withdraw from all social activities. I retired a few years ago, so it would be easy to shut myself off.
A number of things have happened lately to change all that. First of all, I was fitted with a second BAHA, then they were both upgraded to digital aids, and that made a phenomenal difference to my ability to cope. At the same time, Jan’s hearing has been getting worse, and sometimes her voice is extremely quiet as a result of asthma.
Finally, we both went on a Hearing Link Intensive Rehabilitation course. All these things taken together mean that I am at the start of a new phase of my life, and one which I hope to face with a great deal more optimism than I would have previously. The problems have increased, but I feel I have been given the tools, and the desire, to tackle them.