Help For The Hard Of Hearing

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 38, 15 March 1940, Page 10

Help For The Hard Of Hearing

Great Men Who Were Deaf OQME famous men who were handicapped by deafness were mentioned by Mrs. G. A, HurdWood in her broadcast from 2YA last Monday (March 11). Mrs. Hurd-Wood founded the New Zealand League fer the Hard of Hearing and has been acting as convener of the Centennial Hearing Week Committee, Her broadcast was made to interest people in helping the deaf and to publicise the movement. She spoke first of Stanley Baldwin, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who is very hard of hearing, and has been so for a considerable time. He has worn a hearing aid constantly for years, and has depended a great deal upon his secretary to keep him informed of important conversations. Another is W. M. Hughes, Attorney-General of the Federal Government of Australia, who though very deaf, has been a Statesman for 46 years. England’s famous portrait painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted himself holding his ear trumpet. George Meredith was another member of the band of the hard of hearing. William Bramwell Booth was handicapped greatly, but followed in his father’s footsteps, and held the position of General until 1928. Gregg’s Shorthand System One day John Robert Gregg was caught talking to another boy in school. The headmaster banged the boys’ heads together. The violence of the blow burst Gregg’s ear drum. He suffered from the effects of this all his life, but he achieved fame. Mrs, HurdWood told how he evolved a system of shorthand which was published in Liverpool, when he was about nineteen years of age. Gregg is now living in America. Acquired deafness is, to a great extent, preventable, the League says. Mrs. Hurd-Wood said that when an adult first noticed that his hearing was failing he should see a specialist. The trouble might be caused from wax in the ears; from infection caused through diseased tonsils, diseased- teeth, or other causes which can be remedied. Trouble Can Now Be Checked Science had advanced rapidly during the last decade. Scientific apparatus now used for testing the hearing loss enabled the specialist to detect even a very small loss. If prompt and proper treatment were followed, in many cases the trouble could be checked, if not removed. All leagues for the hard of hearing emphasise the necessity for combining the senses of sight and hearing. It is a recognised fact that if one sense is impaired, others can be trained to do extra duty. Powers of observation and intuition can be sharpened, A hard of hearing person and particularly a parent should take advantage of all the modern aids in understanding conversations. Suggestions for Hearing Aids Mrs. Hurd-Wood made these suggestions for hearing aids: Combine lip-reading with the use of a hearing aid-use amplified telephones, which are more powerful than ordinary ’phones, and buzzers to take the place of bells. These and eye-ball indicators overcome the difficulty of knowing when there is someone trying to call on the phone. Many people consider that they cannot hear when actually they have forgotten how to listen, Though the re-educating of ears is a special study, yet there have been many cases where people have re-educated their own ears by regular use of the radio, Hard of hearing people forget how to listen, because they have stopped trying. Always have the light on your own face when talking to a lip-reader. Speak naturally, and at a moderate rate of speed, Do not exaggerate the movements or speak in isolated words. People lip-read as we read printed matter-in phrases.