living with hearing loss
hearing health foundati o n
Four-Legged Hearing A vocational nurse for over two decades credits the help she got at home from her hearing dogs. By Barbara Chase My sensorineural hearing loss was diagnosed when I was about 4, in 1954, well before newborn hearing screenings were commonplace. “Barbie needs to see your face when you talk, Mommy,” my sister announced one day, cluing my parents into a possible hearing problem. I wore behind-the-ear hearing aids and relied on speech-reading, but academics were a constant challenge. Math was the most difficult because teachers often faced the chalkboard while writing and explaining equations. My family spent many hours tutoring math to me to ensure I passed. After high school, I was employed as a nurse’s aide in a long-term care facility. Because I enjoyed working with and helping the elderly patients, I applied to vocational nursing school. I entered with strong professional references and the two instructors were aware of my hearing loss, so I felt secure. During the last week of the six-week academic training, one instructor requested a private meeting. She had concerns about my hearing loss. “What if you’re in a situation where you could not hear a patient calling or crying out?” Devastated, I reasoned with her, hoping she would allow me to begin clinical duty on a trial basis to prove my ability to meet their expectations. She pushed back, explaining I could be jeopardizing a patient’s life; she could lose her job. I was crushed. I ultimately chose to withdraw from this nursing school, knowing I’d be accepted to another one. I was—and graduated and passed the California State Board for licensure. Some time later, I visited the first nursing school. The instructor remembered me and congratulated me on my achievement. We chatted amicably before she revealed that the other instructor, the one who had questioned my ability, had since resigned—due to a hearing loss she herself experienced after I withdrew. I was in disbelief! With empathy I hoped she, too, had not faced discrimination. About halfway into my nursing career, in the 1980s, I found myself needing to rely more on speech-reading. I often felt tired and mentally overloaded in noisy environments. One of my biggest challenges was caring for my son, born in 1987. My husband, a firefighter who often worked 48- to 72-hour shifts away from home, cleverly devised a sound-activated light system to alert me when our son made noise or cried in his crib. This 30
hearing health
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Barbara Chase with her hearing dog Fallon II.
was perfect—except during power outages. Then I saw an ad for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a nonprofit organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. I applied and was matched up with Ronnie, my first CCI hearing dog, who was followed by Fallon II a few years later. Highly trained, my canine-ear partners helped immensely at home, alerting me to many important sounds such as someone knocking on my door, the tea kettle whistling, or my phone ringing. Gradually and for unknown reasons, my hearing loss continued to decline and I found myself avoiding noisy places. I was also no longer able to auscultate (hear) important lung sounds using a stethoscope. In 1999 I made the decision to resign to ensure quality patient care. With my skills as a nurse, I transitioned to be the primary-care provider for my aging parents-in-law and, later, my mother. I am proud that I was able to remain productive and independent, largely because of the assistance of my hearing dogs.
Barbara Chase lives in Oregon with her husband Dan. For more about Canine Companions for Independence, see cci.org.
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