Interesting article from “The Phonakpro Blog” on the effects of Severe/Profound hearing loss, also a surprising conclusion for their recommendations for positive outcomes, and no it wasn’t hearing aids… It was something this forum has in abundance. Cheers Kev 
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You are very welcome Jim… And if you will pardon the pun, that article had a profound and thought provoking effect on me, and though I should have thought about about peer support before, it is perhaps something we all subconsciously seek, but blissfully unaware as to why we seek it, the author had a gifted insight and for me it is now abundantly clear why we need it… That makes me think why lots of likeminded HOH souls ascribe to this forum, we need to be among our own kind, and rightly so… Cheers Kev 
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Wow!!! I need to share this with my friends and family.
Just this week at my assessment for a cochlear implant, I was given a half hour of cognitive testing at the end of a long morning with the audiologist. I was already quite worn out by the strain, and did not feel I did as well as I should have on a couple of the tasks I had to perform. I was bothered by that, but I do recognize that if I am watching a movie with a complicated plotline, I have been struggling to keep up as I am reading subtitles and trying to hear at the same time. Yes, when my brain has too many “windows open” like a computer, it is very stressful and can actually impair my processing of everything I am taking in. So I can understand the link to cognitive decline, for sure. I will be tested in a year’s time so it will be quite interesting to see how I do then.
And absolutely, profound hearing loss impacts domestic relationships, and social interaction. It is just so much work, it is easier to avoid contact. Being homebound during Covid has actually brought a certain relief on the one hand, but on the other hand, when I have to go out, it is beyond stressful with everyone masked and I am unable to read lips.
My mother, who can still hear a pin drop at age 92, used to make jokes about people who were hard of hearing. As my hearing declined, I took her to task for this. There is nothing funny about deafness. Unfortunately, it is a hidden disability.
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The author gets it. If only our audiologists/fitters, co-workers and friends/acquaintences got it, life would be better. I have often thought if my best friends and family could hear how I hear for just 5 minutes, how much easier would they make it for me to communicate with them?
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I get that coming from someone who’s mother is pretty much mild/severe to profound but interesting article! shows me how I can get more good care for her because I love her lots
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As a person with a profound loss and 20% speech comprehension this article is right on the money. Too bad so many people that can hear see my loss as an inconvenience to them.
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This is so true! Thanks for sharing. I’d be lost without HLAA and ALDA friends here in the US.
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Very interesting piece!
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