I had a chat with a guy who had some hearing loss. He said he wouldn't consider wearing hearing aids because he's afraid he might lose his job. He also emphasized that "appearance" is so important in this job; he works as a tour guide. I believe he wouldn't think the same of wearing glasses!
This chat made me think that I want to talk more about hearing loss and hearing aids. I want people to know about it so it's not weird to wear hearing aids. I hope there’s a way to reduce the stigma regarding it.
First of all, I need to ensure that I can do it, and how I can do it right. Simply, not everyone is good at explaining and delivering messages right away.
Secondly, I have no clue how, where and when I can start. I'm in Egypt so things are done differently here.
For instance, I looked up data on how many people wear hearing aids in Egypt but I found nothing.
Do you have any tips on that?
Let me ask you, as a non-hearing-impaired person, what do you know about hearing impairment? What information would you like to gain about it? How would you like to receive this kind of information: brochures, posters, articles, slides etc?
Do you know someone who wears hearing aids? If yes, have they explained to you anything about their hearing impairment and hearing aids?
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I have lived in Japan for 40 years and I think the issue comes age. It is "normal" for 75 year old people to have an hearing aid. It is rare for 25 year old people. I think hearing aides are a age marker: something that is "okay" for old people, but many young people feel reluctant to wear them.
Thanks for correcting and commenting!
I used to have a classmate who was deaf in my painting classes when I lived in Wakayama. We communicated with writing whatever we said. One of the students could handle a sign language, so she sometimes became our interpreter too. We always had fun and I didn't have any problems to hang out with her. Unfortunately, I had to move to a different place due to my husband's job, so I quit the school.
My dad has a serous hearing problem, but he is super stubborn against wearing hearing aids. It's hard for us to communicate with him. I have to yell at him all the time. It's really annoying. So, I keep saying to my husband when he gets hearing problems, it's better to wear them. I do the same when I reach certain age too.
Yes, I know that some advanced-age people refuse to wear it, too. Thanks for sharing your experience, Yumi!