Who ever would have thought a year ago, that we would be in the middle of a global pandemic, ongoing lockdowns, disgusting smelling hand gel, and a very different kind of "normal". A normal where its weird to be too close to a stranger, where we now queue for everyday shops, and the dreaded face mask is a must.
Its been a while but after reading various posts on social media as well as across the news, I thought why not share my opinion and give a big high five...oh wait...I mean, elbow pump to all the people who are out there suffering and facing this every day challenge of not being able to hear a damn thing!
There are around 12 million people in the UK with recorded hearing loss and a whopping new 9000 new cases per year of single sided deafness (SSD), all ages, various reasons, and affecting everyone very differently. As you know from my previous blog posts, hearing aids are not for me (check out https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blog/post/edit/7480189500862428721/8366407351423645529) but a lot of people use them and they are the saving grace for so many. For the sake of research alone, I wore mine tonight for the first time in a while with my mask. I was off to a flying start until I had to tilt my head before bending down to pick something up, one ended up in the kitchen sink and the other under the fridge! For tips and tricks on how to make this easier please see video below shared by Starkey.co.uk earlier in June this year.
https://www.starkey.co.uk/blog/articles/2020/06/hearing-aids-and-face-masks
Now, on to face masks. Firstly I want to start by saying that I understand the importance of them for mine and everyone else's safety around me, and that I am more than happy to comply fully with current government guidelines, but please be mindful of anyone that is hard of hearing that you may come in to contact with. Whatever level of deafness a person may be struggling with, I think its safe to say that face coverings are making this even more difficult. On a serious note, those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing may already feel isolated in a world that is very loud, and often hard to understand at the best of times, let alone with not being able to see peoples facial expressions and having any chance at lip reading taken away. Please be mindful when talking to a friend, family member or even a complete stranger that may have hearing problems, as society is not always kind.
Im sure I am not just speaking for myself when I say that its not always easy, and I especially am guilty on a daily basis of saying "what" a thousand times as well as mis hearing colleagues and friends. Even my phone auto corrects the word "deaf" to "dead" making for some interesting text messages and Facebook posts! All joking aside, I would highly recommend the app "Live transcript" for anyone who needs to have a conversation with someone wearing a mask.
My advice? If in doubt, just smile and hope for the best!
