Hearing Loss

For those of you who know me, you will know I have a significant hearing loss and wear hearing aids. Hearing aids are just that an aid. They don't fix the problem.

I find accents, and people who speak very softly incredibly difficult to hear orunderstand and in large groups I often don't hear anything - it is just a whole lot of noise that doesnt make any sense.

The purpose in me writing this on the blog is I don't think people who have good hearing understand how debilitating and disabling hearing loss is. Many people just retreat into their shell and don't speak out about it.

I am not one of those people. I do speak out and I do ask questions. I havr never felt happy how I was handled by audiologists either. The reason for this is I know they understand hearing loss but I don't think they understand the people who have hearing loss.

When you go to see them or have hearing aids adjusted it is in a totally false situations - a sound proof room with audiologists who have very clear speaking voices with good clear tone and timbre.

What happens when you leave this false environment, the general noise hits you - you have suddenly faced with so much noise it can be very unsettling and make you cringe.

Do we take any of these things into considerations for people in our care who have hearing loss? I don't think so. If you don't know what it is like to be hearing impaired it is impossible to identify with a person who is.

So give a little thought when people look at you blankley, retreat to their room or misinterpret what you say. If they have hearing aids, take good care of them, make sure they are free of wax are clean and the battery is working.

Believe me, it is no fun not being able to hear. And for you, if you have good hearing, protect it and look after it. It cannot be repaired or replaced and it worthwhile treasuring.

Christmas is upon us

I don't know about you but the years just seem to be getting shorter and shorter.

Now I know that is not true for some people. It is only those who are very busy that have this problem.

I am not complaining about having this problem. It is far better than being bored.

However being busy does have it's down falls. So to overcome this, I have joined a gym. Yes this time I have CHOSEN to join a gym.

So what has this done for me?

It has relieved my back pain, helped me sleep better at night, increased my energy and overall wellbeing and encouraged me to eat less and better.

My diet is usually pretty good but what I have found is I dont have the desire to eat sweet things to the same extent. There is also and added bonus. In the first 6 weeks I have shed 2" off my hips, 1" off my waist and 1/2" off my thighs.

My weight has not been an issue for me. I have been stable for years and for me it is a healthy weight but my energy levels have increased and that is important to me.

With my overall wellbeing improved I have the energy to enjoy another new grand-daughter due next week. I already have one 3 year old grand-daughter who keeps me busy so with 2 I am going to need all the energy I can muster.

So if you too have been considering joining a gym I would recommend it. I have set my target at 3 days a week. So my recommendation is you set the number of times you want to go and get into a routine. It is then just like going to work each day - part of the day.