4 Important things you’ll learn from reading “The Way I Hear It”
by Gael Hannan
Hearing Loss Advocate, Writer, Speaker, Humorist
How to cope with hearing loss: the book offers many strategies and suggestions on how to cope with hearing loss. Whether you experience hearing loss personally, or have family members with hearing loss. The book recommends strategies on communicating effectively as a person with hearing loss or as the person communicating with someone who has hearing loss. Gael, the author of “The Way I Hear It”, purposes ideas on how to optimise other everyday activities including listening to music, cooking, hosting dinner parties, traveling, recreational and nature tips.
You are not alone: “The Way I Hear It” does a wonderful job empathizing with people with hearing loss. Gael affirms that you are not alone with her personal stories of communication mishaps and situations she had experienced (I’m sure you’ve encounter many of the same situations). The author successfully conveys the importance of community and the knowledge that you are not alone. As a hearing loss advocate she travels and talks about hearing loss at conferences and meetings across Canada and the United States. She encourages people to get involved in their local communities through the Canadian Hard of Hearing Society and Hearing Loss Association of America.
Perception is everything: The author introduces five main attitude problems that people with hearing loss face which include denial (I don’t have a problem), ignorance (I can’t do anything to improve my quality of life), fear (frightened of the unknown and/or trying something new), inferiority (believing that those with hearing loss cannot do what those with normal hearing can), and stigma (those with hearing loss should be ashamed). Gael Hannan inspires us to change these attitudes into positive ones and to instead focus on the “Wow’s” of life.
The importance of creating an excellent hearing health care relationship: Gael Hannan discusses the importance of client-centered care. This type of care takes into account all aspects of the person and focuses on improving daily overall communication. She states that people with hearing loss need to be able to trust and communicate effectively with their hearing care professional.
Davidson Hearing Aid Centres is dedicated to providing the client-centered care described at the end of “The Way I Hear It”. We want to know about your life-style and communication needs before we discuss assistive device technologies in order to provide the best overall hearing health care.
For more information about Gael Hannan or her book “The Way I Hear It” visit her website: www.gaelhannan.com
