My Christmas gift 2024

So what did you get for Christmas? I'm so excited to share my Christmas news with you.

I got the gift of hearing.

?I finally managed to get a hearing test done and left the building with hearing aids.

These are absolutely amazing! Suddenly it seems like I have a superpower!

I can hear the tiniest of noise echoing in my head, each little sound is amplified.

And I can hear the cat's bell ringing a lot more now.

I feel like characters from marvel films and science fiction films, when they suddenly acquire their superpower and can hear the tiniest of noises from a distance.

Like anything new it takes time to get used to them; change takes time.

Whenever I have a change in prescription I know I need to allow two weeks of perseverance to get used to the new glasses.

I now understand how why the elderly would complain about the hearing aids and refuse to use them.

They are tiny and fiddly to fold around the ear and pop them in.

And you need to know which is the left or right one. I usually find that whistling noise of aids annoying.

Hearing aids amplify every tiny noise into an annoying sharp horrible sound.

I now understand how some autistic people find the scratching noises irritating.

It is amazing how your brain is able to filter out background sounds concentrate on the important ones.

The elderly person needs to have the dexterity to pop the hearing aids on and good vision to look in the mirror.

My mother needs hearing aids she believes that her hearing is fine, but I don't think she would manage them due to her other physical disabilities.

This seems to be shame and stigma attached to having hearing aids which I had to get my head around.

Wearing glasses and getting your eyes tested is accepted as normal, but yet hearing aids is classed as a disability and something to be ashamed of.

However, I got over that and had accepted my hearing was gradually deteriorating.

And now with hearing aids I'm so excited to tell everyone about my new superpower. Why feel shame when there's no shame attached to glasses?

I want to share my insight that suddenly struck me me after the hearing test.

I said to the assistant that she was speaking much clearer now but then I stopped and recognised that I was the problem.

?It was not her but to me but now: I could hear her clearer thanks to the hearing aids.

I recognised that I had the problem not other people.

It was easier to blame the children for speaking too quietly when the fault was me.

It was easier to blame the radio of being poor quality but it was me.

I thought it was the TV that was old and needs upgrading but it was my poor hearing.

Looking inward and recognising that the fault was not with other people but with me was a shock.

It was not my son who was speaking too quietly but my poor hearing.

It is so hard to come to terms with this simple fact.

It's so much easier to blame all the factors rather than recognising it is within us.

So, when I tell you that the cause of your worries is you this is what I mean: you need to look within yourself and understand what is going on.

Do you ever stop and listen to what other people are saying and really understand the message? My children said ‘mum you're going deaf’ which I just brushed aside.

It's hard to accept the problem lies within yourself.

This Christmas I was excited to get the gift of hearing; I am proud of the fact that I have hearing aids and I can hear with great clarity. When the audiologist said this I did not take any notice until I tried them.

I'm not ashamed of this fact of being a bit older with deteriorating hearing, but proud of being alive and healthy.

It was hard to recognise the others were not to blame but the fault lay within me.

It was easier to blame a faulty old radio or poor-quality TV or my son speaking too quietly. Thankfully I got help from an expert and I am better now.

Change is tough, these aids are uncomfortable, but I must persevere, and the outcome is fantastic.

I am an expert waiting to help you understand the psychological pain you are enduring daily.

It is easy to blame the circumstances and others and feel helpless.

Change is tough, the process can be uncomfortable, but the results are worth it.

There is a way to make your life better and working with me we can discover your superpower.

Let's talk, here is the link to my diary: https://zcal.co/elizabeth-rozario/Lets-talk

#dying #ageingparents #bereavement