JOHN'S HEARING AID STORY 

John is thrilled with his new hearing aids and is very thankful that he received financial support from the Guelph Lions Club to get these aids. He indicated that he can now hear conversations from everyone at the table when everyone sits down for a meal and/or conversation. In the past, he only could hear the person that sat beside him. Because of the new hearing aids, he feels part of the whole group and not isolated from others/the conversation. He experiences less misunderstanding with these conversations.

John can hear more sounds outside/nature that he could not hear before. He loves to hear the birds singing and hearing rabbits running through the snow and ice in his backyard.

When John is travelling on his scooter, he can hear sounds from behind him. He stated that when he is travelling on the sidewalk and a car wants to turn left into a laneway, he can hear the car and stop his scooter. This allows the car to turn into their driveway and prevents a potential accident (i.e. car hitting John). The hearing aids have improved John’s ability to be safe, when travelling.

When John speaks with friends on the phone, John indicated that he could hear the conversation better now. Again, less misunderstanding and frustration for this man. He always uses the Speaker Phone feature on the phone. This amplifies the sound for him as well.

Throughout this conversation, John kept saying how great it was to be connected to the world of conversation and sound again.

Bill's Hearing Aid Story: 

Bill is extremely grateful to have a new set of hearing aids to successfully hear the world again. He thanks the Guelph Lions Club for the financial support that allowed him to get these aids.

Bill indicated that he can now hear sermons at church and what is stated at meetings again. He feels more connected and less isolated. Hearing has decreased his misunderstanding of what is said or heard. Communication with others has greatly improved. He can sit in the living room with others and hear the conversations of everyone. He teases his friends that they can not gossip about him now. He will hear it. In the past, Bill would watch his television shows on a high volume but got complaints from neighbours in the apartment building that he lives in. He can now keep the volume down and still hear his shows with his hearing aids. He is no longer getting complaints.

He indicated that he can now hear the hum of the refrigerator and more nature sounds when he goes for his walk. Because he is hearing more sounds now, it can be a bit overwhelming to hear so much more again. Bill’s hearing loss was significant. But Bill wants the Lions Club members to know that he feels very youthful again because he hears so many sounds. He is connected to the world of sound again.

Roger's Hearing Aid Story: 

Roger lives in a Long Term Care Facility at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Guelph. Roger had great difficulty with hearing conversations at mealtime. He felt left out. He felt this way even when other residents tried to speak with him with their soft-spoken voices. With his hearing aids, Roger can hear others successfully. He is not frustrated and feels more connected. Roger can also hear the conversations from the nurses, doctors, PSW and other medical professionals. He is not surprised when these professionals walk up behind him. He is now more involved with his care plan. In the past, Roger had to ask them to repeat themselves several times and he found this embarrassing. That has all changed.