Sorry, I can`t hear you

In India we believe in having a public address system whether it is a meeting for20 people or 200. It is different in Western countries. I remember attending many Country Representative meetings of IFRA, a non profit organization devoted to Newspaper industry, headquartered in Germany. There would be about 30 to 35 people sitting around a big conference table without any mikes. I was in my mid sixties and was beginning to have hearing problems. While I could hear the talks of representatives with sharp , booming voices, many with feeble and weak voices would be inaudible. I would be unable to follow the heated discussion going on. Suddenly the chairman of the session would turn to me and ask me ` What is your view Rajan`. I would blink with embarrassment. I would reply sheepishly, `Sorry, I couldn`t hear the full discussion and have no views` Later I got a hearing aid only for my right ear as the audiologist told me that my left ear was ok. When I attended the next big meeting with confidence, I realized I had a new problem. Though I could hear any discussion taking place on the right side clearly, the discussions on the left side were not that clear. So the embarrassment continued. Until I started wearing an expensive pair of hearing aids in both my ears. Today I go round telling people proudly that I am wearing two expensive diamond ear rings! Fortunately, now I can hear much better with the hearing aids. Loss of hearing as you age is inevitable in every one`s life. But many people resist from going for hearing aids or don`t use them regularly if they have bought inexpensive aids. The normal refrain is` The first thing I hear is the cawing of crows and there is so much outside noise that I can`t hear what is spoken`. Many people avoid using the hearing aids at home because they can shut off the constant nagging by their wives. I know of many wives going through hell trying to communicate with husbands who cannot hear. A friend with a severe hearing loss is not bothered that people dealing with him are frustrated trying to communicate with him. He would say, `It is their problem. They would have to repeat what they are saying a couple of times, louder and louder each time. Until I get it….`. I thought that was an interesting attitude to have. Recently I came across a cousin with a 95 year old stone deaf father trying to solve the problem. He uses printed sheets featuring all the 26 alphabets of English and tries to visually compose words letter by letter to communicate whatever he was trying to communicate with his father. He also uses another sheet displaying some common questions which need answers. Most of the time he has been successful in getting the right response from his father. Interesting idea indeed. Worth trying by others with similar problems!