Search Articles
Browse Categories
Do You Hear What I Hear???
By Dr. Deborah Dempesy
Safety in the Home for Those with Hearing Difficulties
It’s very important to make sure that those with hearing difficulties, whether they wear hearing aids or not, hear the important sounds in their homes in order to be safe.
Hearing loss, even when hearing aids are worn, can result in isolation from the world around you. Isolation can lead to misinterpreting warning sounds, or not hearing the warning sounds at all.
Increasingly, as people live to older ages, our senses of hearing, sight, touch, balance and smell diminish. This can make our environments unsafe to live in.
Increasingly, the elder population is living alone or living with a hearing impaired spouse in their homes – often times without assistance. This should raise concerns about safety.
The following is a list of sounds that need to be heard because they can determine your safety at home:
1. Can you hear the phone ring?
2. Can you hear the conversation on the phone?
3. Can you hear your doorbell from all parts of the house?
4. Can you hear the timer on your oven?
5. Can you hear food items cooking, boiling water for example, on the stove?
6. Can you hear your alarm clock? From a deep sleep?
7. Can you hear the smoke alarm from a deep sleep?
8. Can you hear other sounds in your home with the TV on (that is, is the TV so loud or blaring that you can’t hear anything else?)
9. Can someone reach you in an emergency when you are sound asleep – by phone, or doorbell?
10. Can you hear your pets in the house?
If you answered “NO” to any of these questions, you need to see an audiologist and/or you may need hearing aids and or Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs). Some of these devices are pictured in this article.
We, at ALL EARS HEARING CENTER , want you and your loved ones with hearing loss to be safe in your homes, in your cars and in the world you live in.
Dr. Deborah Dempesy
Dr. Dempesy obtained her Masters in Audiology at Northwestern University in Evanston IL in 1982. She received her Doctorate in Audiology at the Salus University (previously known as The Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Audiology) in Pennsylvania in 2007. Dr. Dempesy worked with developmentally delayed hearing-impaired children in the Chicago area for two years from 1980-1982, moved back to her home state of Massachusetts and was Clinical Director of Audiology at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital for 14 years. She consulted, performing research with manufacturers of hearing devices and volunteered on the Massachusetts Infant Hearing Screening Task Force until a law was passed that required all infants to have their hearing screened before discharge from the hospital or birthing clinic.
Dr. Dempesy has been a board member of the Massachusetts Academy of Audiology, volunteering her time to continue quality education of audiologists in the Massachusetts area.
Recently Dr. Dempesy worked for a major hearing device manufacturer, providing training and education on new technology to audiologists in the New England area. The combination of these experiences gives her an exceptionally well-rounded perspective that she passes on to her patients.
In addition, Dr. Dempesy is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Tinnitus Association, Educational Audiology Association and the Aural Rehabilitation Association. She is licensed to practice as an audiologist in the state of Massachusetts.
Personally, Dr. Dempesy’s immediate family consists of her partner and 23 year old daughter. In her free time, Dr. Dempesy loves to ocean kayak, run, rock climb, hike, read, watch movies and spend time with her sisters, brother and parents in western Massachusetts.
All Ears Hearing Center, Inc.
59 Industrial Park
Plymouth, MA 02360
www.allearshearing.net
(508) 747-4055 (800) 649-4054 (617) 510-5254
Unrated
Comments
- No Comments Found. Submit Comment
|
Article Options |
Share your Opinion and WIN!
Take our quick survey & enter to WIN a gift certificate.