Provide casual responses to each. no references needed.

Discussion Responses.

Provide casual responses to each. no references needed.

1.Hearing loss is unquestionably most difficult for the person experiencing it, but the effects of hearing loss can also extend to close friends and loved ones. When one person’s hearing loss affects these frequent communication partners, they may experience a third-party disability (Tye-Murray, 2020). For example, someone in Gill’s position might find it too taxing to go to the pub to visit with their friends, and therefore might decide not to go. This would put undue pressure on John, who might feel badly if he went without Gill but might resent her if he stayed home. Another frustration mentioned in the clip is how one person’s hearing loss significantly impacts casual banter. John talked about refraining from making offhand comments or jokes because he was worried about them not being understood. This in turn can lead to feelings of isolation, frustration and resentment for both parties (Victory, 2020).

One thing that is essential for couples dealing with hearing loss is patience. Instead of repeating the same thing louder if it is not heard, try rephrasing. Try not to shout even if you get frustrated as the person with hearing loss may be more susceptible to loud noises – and if not, might feel as if they are being yelled at rather than spoken to. Another important thing for couples to ensure is that the person with hearing loss can see the speaker’s face before they start talking. This means not beginning or ending a conversation from another room, facing the listener, and tapping or waving to the listener before beginning to speak to get their attention (Victory, 2020). Finally, the biggest thing for couples to remember is empathy. It is important for people without hearing loss to remember that our friends and family with hearing loss are working very hard to try to communicate, and that they are likely very frustrated and embarrassed. Even simply acknowledging someone’s struggle can alleviate a lot of tension.

2.The effect is important because it demonstrates the extent with which we rely on our eyes to understand speech. This would explain why radio station announcers/actors have to speak very clearly; the voices of the broadcasters on NPR are a terrific example of easy-to-understand diction. This is also why television and film actors don’t go through the same level of training when it comes to speech as radio performers; the audience will be able to follow their lip movements, so otherwise confusing vocal features such as mumbling, pronounced accents, and whispering are acceptable.

When it comes to someone with a hearing loss, research has shown that patients with this condition experience a “significantly stronger McGurk illusion… which indicates stronger audio-visual integration” (Rosemann & Thiel, 2018). This demonstrates the importance of visual input in language comprehension; the hearing impaired in a study carried out by Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg attempted to compensate for their reduced hearing abilities by engaging their vision more.

This is important information for people with hearing losses because it can be used to help create correct procedures when interacting with these patients, such as speaking directly to their face, enunciating (but not to the point that it sounds pedantic), refraining from mumbling, and using transparent face masks when possible so that the hearing impaired can lip-read (UCSF Health, 2019).

Unfortunately, I experienced the McGurk effect as I watchced the video! I had never heard of this effect before, so I fell prey when the man in the video started to form an “f” sound with his lips. However, when I closed my eyes, I started hearing “ba” again.

3.My sister in law has tinnitus. And having researched all information available for her for years now I thought I had understood how it felt. But watching these videos was heartbreaking. I liked Danny’s video, but the most touching for me was the third one, Nick. His symptoms were so difficult that he became sick, could not stand or walk or even feel that life was worth it. As a former Music journalist, he had to give up his career and emotionally shut down. He said that he was even very suicidal at one point. The tinnitus was disabling, but the fact that he felt unheard was the hardest. It is not until he started talking during hearing therapy that he started to get a “grip as to what happened”.

In Difficulties Experienced by Tinnitus Sufferers, Tyler notes that 70% of Tinnitus sufferers are faced with emotional difficulties (Tyler, R. 1983). And these numbers are probably much more today. With these videos I realized that not only tinnitus is a chronic medical condition that prevents the person from hearing certain sounds or conversations, but that the emotional impact it has is the key to getting better. I already am watching for metal utensils not to fall on the ground for my sister in law, or loud screams from my children, but I now realize that if she is more stressed her symptoms might get worse, and that she probably needs hearing therapy just as Nick did. To help her better I would do what Nick’s wife and children are doing, assessing the environment to make sure it is comfortable for her, and making sure she gets the emotional support that she needs.

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