Hearing loss in the dining room

[auntjoy036]

Thank you all for your helpful advice and your compassi8n. I am encouraged that there are several ways to get what Mom needs. Thanks.

 

Vicki

[dakrewser]

Hi AJ,

 

> I was often flatly told no or strong-armed into sharing a larger table.

 

You could tell the M'd the very first afternoon about your mother's problem. A small gift wouldn't hurt.

 

Ira

 

a "small gift", or as we call it, a bribe is exactly the wrong thing to do. It's insulting to the dining room manager or assistant who will do there best to accommodate your request.

[OlsSalt]

a "small gift", or as we call it, a bribe is exactly the wrong thing to do. It's insulting to the dining room manager or assistant who will do there best to accommodate your request.

 

Thank you for saying this. This goes against everything I have felt about the hospitality ethic we have always enjoyed on our over 300 days of HAL cruising.

 

Tips at the end and mention in the satisfaction survey make it a level playing field for all passengers is the better way. HAL wants happy passengers and it is part of the contract we think we have with them that they will do what they can for ALL passengers and not play favorites, for cash bribes.

 

This is not even an unreasonable request. I like the suggestion also to enquire about their disability access options. Just like they now accommodate to gluten-free diets, hearing impairments are equally in need of reasonable accommodations.

Edited January 12, 2016 by OlsSalt

[dockman]

I am 100% deaf in my left ear due to a botched surgery 20+ years ago. My ex used to always sit on my left side at round tables in dining room and would sort of kick me under the table to alert me that somebody on my left was talking to me.

 

It really gets old to sit down at a table of strangers and start out by saying oh by the way i am deaf on this side.

 

One reason that i almost always now eat in the Lido as MDR for deaf people can really be a struggle to hear..... and it does quickly get very old to have to cup my one good ear or turn halfway around in the seat to try and hear what is being said...especially over all the other noise in the MDR.

 

I have had people tell me over and over to get a hearing aide....they have no idea that my problem is beyond ANY hearing aide or I would have gotten one long ago.

 

Anyway....one learns to play the cards they were dealt and go on about your life as best as you can.

[CruiseMissives]

We can tototally relate to the above conversation. Sadly, my husband has experienced two fairly major strokes, leaving him totally mobile and understanding but unable to talk and with limited hearing. After many years of fixed and/or open dining neither of these options was feasible anymore. Our solution was to choose open dining and to approach the dining room manager at the podium and request a table for two, usually between 7 and 7:30, where we could sit side by side and eliminate the uncomfortable necessity of being sociable to new tablemates every night. He was always so accomodating and we so appreciated his help we were to always be sure to recognize him at the end of the cruise.

[DaveOKC]

I am 100% deaf in my left ear due to a botched surgery 20+ years ago. My ex used to always sit on my left side at round tables in dining room and would sort of kick me under the table to alert me that somebody on my left was talking to me.

 

It really gets old to sit down at a table of strangers and start out by saying oh by the way i am deaf on this side.

 

One reason that i almost always now eat in the Lido as MDR for deaf people can really be a struggle to hear..... and it does quickly get very old to have to cup my one good ear or turn halfway around in the seat to try and hear what is being said...especially over all the other noise in the MDR.

 

I have had people tell me over and over to get a hearing aide....they have no idea that my problem is beyond ANY hearing aide or I would have gotten one long ago.

 

Anyway....one learns to play the cards they were dealt and go on about your life as best as you can.

 

I have the same problem and do the same things - pick a good location to sit and tell the table about my hearing. However, I do have hearing aids that work even with one deaf ear. How this works is that one on my deaf ear is a microphone that sends the sound to the aid in my good ear. Its not perfect (heavy background noise is a problem), but it helps in most situations.

[TiogaCruiser]

I also have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids. Have found that the aids seem to amplify the background noise from adjoining tables more than the sound from our own table. So sometimes I can hear better in the dining room by just removing them. However, on our last cruise I met an older veteran with a service-connected hearing loss. He wore hearing aids, but they came with a device about the size and shape of a pen which he could lay on the table. It picked up only the voices at the table and sent them to his hearing aids so he wasn't frustrated by the normal background noise. I plan to look into this this summer when I can replacement hearing aids from the VA.

 

Does anyone have more information on this type of external device (microphone/ transmitter)? I'm looking for a personal solution we can use at the table with my Dad. A small, portable, individual, affordable unit. He already has digital HAs.

[dockman]

I have the same problem and do the same things - pick a good location to sit and tell the table about my hearing. However, I do have hearing aids that work even with one deaf ear. How this works is that one on my deaf ear is a microphone that sends the sound to the aid in my good ear. Its not perfect (heavy background noise is a problem), but it helps in most situations.

 

Is your's the one that it is built into a pair of glasses that you have to wear? I tried those years ago to send the sound to the right/good ear but never really worked for me. Can you tell me brand name etc re what you use? thanks