Marian McLeod, MEd (Counselling), Manager/Supervisor, Hearing Care Counselling Program, The Canadian Hearing Society, Kingston Regional Office, Kingston, ON.

Seniors with long-term hearing loss find it progressively more difficult to understand conversation and remain involved in society. When hearing impairment combines with other disabilities, the result is to multiply, rather than only add to, the negative consequences.¹ Poor vision, arthritis and other illnesses complicate the management of hearing loss. No hearing loss should be considered unimportant.

Acquired hearing loss in seniors is a hidden disability, yet is one of the most common chronic disabilities associated with aging. Acquired hearing loss in seniors may occur for a variety of reasons, including illness, head trauma, presbycusis, ototoxic medications, heredity, wax build-up in the ear canals or prolonged noise exposure. Hearing loss may be sensorineural or conductive. Presbycusis initially affects hearing of the high frequency range and eventually the low frequency range. Thus, at first it may be difficult to understand speech in a noisy room, but the disability can progress to the point where communication is difficult in all situations.

Regardless of cause, hearing loss in seniors profoundly affects every dimension of their lives as well as their significant others.

Ontario-based Services are a Boon to Older People with Hearing Loss

Nariman Malik, BSc

Introduction
The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) has been helping Ontario residents cope with hearing loss for over sixty years. Established in 1940, the CHS has grown from a single office in Toronto to 24 offices across Ontario, serving individuals who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. Its mandate is to educate the public about hearing loss and its prevention. Originally, the CHS started as a job placement service for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Today, however, the agency offers a wide range of services and programs to help people living with hearing loss stay independent, and capable of carrying out their daily activities. The CHS has five core programs and several optional programs.

CHS Core Programs
The core programs provided by the CHS include Employment Services, General Social Services Counselling, Hearing Care Counselling Program, Marketing Communications and Ontario Interpreting Services (OIS).

Employment Services: This service was established to provide career counselling and to help individuals with their job searches. The service addresses the following commonly-encountered barriers: the difficulty in accessing information over the telephone, the difficulty in securing sign language interpreting services, and the negative perceptions and beliefs of employers with respect to the employability of individuals with hearing loss.