Mercy Lakefront Housing – Constitution House | Aurora
The nuances of verbal and nonverbal communication can be compromised due to hearing loss; the result is an inability to relate to the world as one once did. Conversations become difficult, as does watching television shows or other performances. Those with impacted hearing may even have to turn to the side to better hear someone’s voice, breaking important eye contact.
For some Constitution House residents, these everyday activities felt more like obstacles due to partial hearing loss.
Enter Pocketalkers. These devices are personal amplifiers that “amplify sounds closest to the listener while reducing background noise”. Pocketalkers and similar technologies aren’t covered by Medicare or Medicaid, so for seniors on a fixed income (such as those at Constitution House), the gift of hearing is just that: a gift. Another bonus: these portable amplifiers are outfitted with headphones, which takes away the stigma sometimes associated with hearing aids; users simply appear to be listening to music.
“I’m partially deaf, and [my Pocketalker] worked well for the holidays,” said Rachel, one of the residents. “Now I can hear my family and they can talk to me and notice me and know something’s not wrong with me, that I want to talk to them.”
