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CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

HERE IS WHAT IS NEW AT THE MAIN LIBRARY FOR THE HARD OF HEARING

Did you know that 17% of the population is hard of hearing and 60% of that number is under the age of 54? This is not an "Old Person's" Disability.

The Library Foundation and The Danford Foundation have joined together with SHHH-Peninsula (Self Help for the Hard of Hearing), which meets in Redwood City, and are proud to announce our "Library Project." Thanks to both of the foundations that graciously gave us two separate grants, we have opened the upstairs room in the main Redwood City library for hard of hearing people to come and try out devices to be able to hear better.

The Library Foundation gave us money to purchase books, tapes and "The Loop." (Induction loop). This technology is based on electromagnetic transmission and has the unique advantage that the signal is received directly by the user's hearing aid when it is equipped with a Tele-coil (telemagnetic pickup coil, most often referred to as a T-coil). A teleloop system consists of an amplifier and a discrete wire (the loop) that runs along the perimeter of the room. When the loop amplifier is hooked up to an audio source such as a TV or PA system, the sound is received wireless by the user's hearing aid without the need for an additional receiver as is required by all other technologies. Induction receivers are available for hearing impaired people without hearing aids or without the telecoil feature. Peter Bengtson from Centrum Sound was kind enough to work with us and install it for us.

Using the grant from the Danford Foundation, we are in the process of purchasing all the devices. These devices help with the TV, telephone, at the restaurants, in other social settings and any other place that the hard of hearing person has trouble hearing.

The people who come to the library fill out a questionnaire as to where they have trouble hearing and then have an opportunity to try out these devices with the help of all our volunteers. We hear over and over " I can't believe how much better I can here with these inexpensive devices when my hearing aids cost so much." Hearing aids are the first step but if you are having trouble hearing while using them, there are so many other devices out there.

One man we helped couldn't hear anywhere. He was in a deep depression. He had two $3000 hearing aids. We supplied him with devices for the telephone, TV and going out to dinner for less than $300 and he said " Oh my gosh, you have saved my life, what can I do for you?" We said, "Just spread the word." Now that man is living a very happy, fulfilling life.

We look forward to seeing any of you that need to hear better. We are open the first Wednesday of each month, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Raegene Castle, President
SHHH-Peninsula
Redwood City, CA