.
With
Careers Hanging in the Balance,
Professionals
Resort to Lip-Reading Education
Hearing Impairment is the United States' No. 1
Disability affecting 28 million Americans!
One in Four People Suffer Permanent Loss After Age 65 |
As seen in the Daily Record, May 20, 2000, in an article
from the Associated Press
by
James M. Lancelotta
I was amazed to see this
story in the paper the other day. I knew from past news articles
that the “baby boom” generation was suspected of having hearing
problems in the future due to the use of amplified sound since the
60’s, but 1 in 4 seems like a huge number of people.
“People’s careers
often depend on interpreting and communicating spoken language”
according to Elizabeth Caulkins, an audiologist who helps run a
lip-reading program sponsored by the Central Institute for the Deaf.
It is not necessarily always a hearing loss, but rather the loss of
the ability to understand what others are saying. Known as
presbycusis, it occurs as a part of the inner ear slowly loses its
ability to transmit certain sounds, such as the letters S, T or F.
Some people begin isolating themselves and become depressed, feeling
they can’t compete with younger colleagues. The Institute hopes the
Word of Mouth program will help people lead happier more fulfilling
lives. “People have to be proactive when it comes to hearing
loss. Lip reading is a lot like playing a musical instrument.
Some people will be better at it than others. But with practice,
we can all do it.”
It is a good thing that
there is a community like Wyndholme Village that pays attention to and
focuses on the needs of deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing seniors.
Hearing loss is obviously a problem that more and more people will be
having as they age. Wyndholme employs all of the latest
techniques and technological devices along with widespread use of sign
language throughout the community. The community will perhaps
one day provide assistance similar to the Word of Mouth lip-reading
program by the Central Institute for the Deaf.
If you have a friend who
is having hearing problems you might tell them to investigate living
at Wyndholme Village someday.
Sincerely,
James M. Lancelotta
Managing Partner
Wyndholme Village, LLC
|
