Friday December 29, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A11 Hospitals listening hard to deaf concerns Through a series o f new initiatives, Hatton Healthcare Services is leading the way in help ing the deaf and hard o f hearing cope better when they visit area hospitals By Irene Gentle SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER W hen concerns about accessibil ity for the deaf and hard o f hearing aren't fully heard, it can be neces sary to turn up the volume. A nd the effect o f the 1997 Supreme Court o f C anada ruling was to turn it up loud. The ruling set out guidelines for hospitals and other organizations to follow to increase accessibility for the deaf and hard o f hearing. The ruling has fallen on some d eaf ears so far, but H alton H ealthcare Services (H H S) has been leading the way, said HHS O m bud Q uality M anagem ent Coordinator Lisa Droppo. "W e're putting in place a plan that has a num ber o f different com ponents," she said. "At the mom ent there aren't that many health care facilities that have this in place, but it's the right thing to do." For the past 18 m onths, she's been working on a num ber o f ini tiatives side by side w ith the Canadian Hearing Association and M ilton D eaf Action Group (DAG). "It has been a very positive, col laborative process," said Droppo. "I've learned a lot and that has been wonderful." Special devices such as am pli fied telephones, portable TTY phones, baby sound monitors and closed-captioned televisions are now accessible at H H S, w hich operates the am algamated Milton D istrict and O akville- Trafalgar M em orial hospitals. HHS will also do its best to secure an in terpreter for d eaf patients who inform their hospital in advance o f an upcom ing appointment. But the success o f that effort depends on the availability o f inter preters, cautioned Droppo. "T here's an extreme shortage," she said. "We can't guarantee, but w e'll make efforts to get an inter preter." Staff are also being trained to make note o f deaf and hard o f hear ing patients in busy places such as waiting areas. Small blue cards will be avail able at the desk, which will serve as a visual signal o f a patient's special needs. Use o f the cards is voluntary. To ensure nothing is overlooked, Droppo conducted a walk-through with deaf residents asking them to point out potential service barriers. With the efforts now launched, all that's necessary is time to get the word out. That's been aided by contacting the E.C. Drury School for the Deaf, as well as sending notices out to those on D A G 's m ailing list. "I've used the vehicles avail able," she said. A budget is in place to ensure accessibility continues for the hear ing impaired, said Droppo. "O ur project is not ju st focused Know the signs of hearing loss & how to be heard Signs of hearing loss loud and clear Hearing loss can creep up gradually, but signs are often present. Frequently asking for words to be repeated or misunder standing what has been said are classic clues that hearing may be deteriorating. Believing people often mumble, experiencing trouble fol lowing group discussions and turning radios and televisions up too loudly are also signs. Difficulties in understanding speech at a distance or when the speaker's face isn't seen, such as on the telephone, are tell-tale hints. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should have their hearing professionally checked. For those around them, there are ways to help keep com munication clear. Ensure the attention of the hard of hearing individual is caught before proceeding. Those speaking should face the listener with his or her mouth clearly visible. Keep clutter, such as gum, food or other blocks, away from the mouth. Add gestures and expressions to help express the meaning of the words. And don't shout. Instead, speak slowly and clearly, using short sentences and simple words. If asked to repeat them, rephrase the sentence rather than repeat it verbatim. Whenever possible, avoid noisy backgrounds. Wait for passing cars or other disturbance to end before proceeding. Writing notes and asking the individual how to communi cate more effectively are also helpful. Finally, don't assume the message has been clearly received. Those with hearing problems may appear to have heard it when they haven't. Double check if in doubt. on the deaf. It's also focused on the hard o f hearing," she added. "W e'll probably be serving m uch more of the hard o f hearing." Equipm ent such as the volumecontrolled am plified telephone, which is hearing aid com patible with a feedback filter to reduce noise and has easy-to-read buttons for the visually impaired, are avail able from registration staff or at nursing stations. Other devices include a pocket talker sound unit, a one to one com munication aid which amplifies the voice o f the speaker through listen er-worn headphones. And the M aternal Child Unit carries a baby sound m onitor, which translates the sound o f a baby's cries to a flashing light sig nal. HHS also offers hearing assess ments, hearing device checks and prescriptions at its audiology department. And a Halton Hearing Aid Clinic can fill hearing aid prescriptions among other related services. For m ore inform ation on the clinic, call 876-7022. To contact HHS, call 878-2383 or 878-7202 (TTY/TDD) for the M ilton site. For Oakville, call 845-2571 or 815-5111 (TTY/TDD). WIN MOVIE PASSES TO THE NEW AMC THEATRE FINDTHE CAPTION "OAKVILLE GOESTOTHE MOVIES" HIDDEN INTHEADVERTISEMENTS letter of the caption appears BELOWTOW IN 4 MOVIE PASSES TO THE NEW AMC THEATRE One in each ad - identify the advertiserj | containing the correspqgjiing o letter... G A K V l_ M 0_ 0 ...for your chance to E H E V_ 1 _ Mail to: Oakville Goes to the Movies 467 Speers Rd. 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