Deafness

My paternal grandmother was stone deaf after the birth of my father she never heard his voice.
My own mother became deaf in her later years a deafness aggravated by severe tinnitus .
I often think of them so cut off and alone .
Surely this must be on of the most socially devastating of disabilities .

Re: Deafness

Yes Muddy, one of them but I think that losing your identity with dementia must be the worst.

Re: Deafness

I would disagree there Alan having had to deal with both in the recent past and the present.
There is a certain serenity that comes with dementia but the deaf person lives with jangling nerves and is constantly on edge.

Re: Deafness

I'll bow to your experience Malcolm as I've only experienced knowing someone with dementia.

Re: Deafness

I've had experience of both, and while I agree that a lot of dementia sufferers achieve a certain serenity, not all do. Similarly, not all deaf people are on edge all the time. People cope differently with the same disability.

Re: Deafness

Of course posters usually speak in 'generalities' but let's not forget that Muddy's thread is about Deafness .... Something about which I can speak with authority.

Re: Deafness

So can I Malcolm having been partially deaf and then totally deaf for the last 20 years, it's been no fun, but if I was given the choice between deafness or blindness I would choose deafness I don't think I could cope with being blind.

Re: Deafness

Crikey ... losing one's sight has to be worse than being deaf.

I now have to wear glasses and have had tinnitus on and off since my GP tried me on BP tablets.
If I ever lose my hearing then OK ... I will learn to sign or lip read but having limited or no eyesight would be unbearable.

Mum's bro was partially sighted from birth and eventually lost his sight


Apologies for going off topic

Re: Deafness

I realise deafness must be a terrible lonely condition but if I had to chose I would chose the same as wishbone. At least if you're deaf you can learn to lip read and use signs.

But to be in total blackness - It must be hell!

Re: Deafness

that's true Carol it is a lonely condition but that is something you get used to in time, I'm very lucky I have family and friends that understand my situation and speak to me very slowly so that I can lipread them, and that's the beauty of a forum I can't hear you and you can't hear me