David DeFrancis, a Social Worker for AURORA of Central New York, an agency based out of Syracuse that covers Cayuga County, spoke on the issue of seniors and hearing loss at Options' annual conference, May 25.

He brought in an array of devices that will help a senior to hear better on the phone or basically anywhere there is a need for amplification, without purchasing a hearing aid. He explained to those in attendance that as a person ages and begins to notice their hearing loss, it takes an average of eight years before a senior will get a hearing aid. In the mean time, the senior becomes more and more isolated.

If you happen to know an elderly person with hearing loss, you might notice the first coping skill is the head nod. The head nod, he described, is how a hard of hearing person lets you know they heard everything you just said, when in reality they really didn't understand or hear what you had said but didn't want to ask you to repeat yourself. Not only is it difficult to understand what is being said face to face, but often a hard of hearing person also has difficulty making out conversations on the telephone.

Verizon offers several products for people with disabilities. One item is the Clarity Phone, this phone not only amplifies sound, there is also a control knob that will allow you to help clarify the sound, it would make a female voice deeper for better understanding. According to Mr. DeFrancis, Verizon will sell you the phone for cost ($66) and divide the payment over 25 months, at about $2 per month. All you need is the application, and in four to six weeks the phone should be available to you.

Some other products available are the portable phone amplifier that can be found at Radio Shack for less than $20. The amplifier easily attaches to the phone's headset. There is also a Pocket-Size Stereo Amplifier Listener that you can get at Radio Shack for about $25. This will amplify things around you where the person has difficulty hearing the speaker. It can be used at church and even while watching television.

Also remember for those who are hard of hearing the door bell, a smoke alarm and timers may also be difficult to hear. There are assistive products such as flashing doorbells and smoke detectors with lights and bed shakers. There are a lot of products on the market that can help a person who is hard of hearing. To find out more about products that are available for the hearing impaired, check out the Hear More catalog. You can receive a free catalog by calling Hear More at (800) 881-4327 or www.hearmore.com.

You can contact AURORA of Central New York by calling 422-7263 voice, 422-9746 TDD or by e-mailing them at auroracny@auroraofcny.org.

The mention of these product is not meant to be an endorsement. Options provides this information because we think consumers might find them of interest. Options does not verify quality of these products.

Thought of the day:

“Knowledge is power.”

- Sir Francis Bacon

Amanda Derby is the housing advocate for Options for

Independence, located at 75 Genesee St. in Auburn. She can be reached at 255-3447