Issues with hearing can affect people of any age. However, between the ages of 65 and 74, one in four people have hearing loss. Nearly half of the elderly population experiences hearing loss by the age of 75, according to the Institute of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders. You may already know the struggles of daily life for an elderly who is deaf or hard of hearing from having a parent or elderly loved one who is.
The risks associated with everyday activities including driving, walking, and errand running have increased in recent years. Many elderly people also have problems communicating because of hearing loss, which may make you even more worried about their safety if you do not step in to help. You are not alone if that is the case. Read on to learn what to expect in deaf-friendly retirement communities if you are researching possibilities for a deaf loved one.
Senior Living in Michigan City, IN for Hearing-Impaired
Different types of deaf-friendly retirement communities provide varying levels of assistance for the hearing impaired. The total price of care for your loved one will be determined by factors such as the community’s location, the quality of care they give, and any specialized needs they have. Care options for the hard of hearing include:
- Deaf Assisted Living Communities
- Deaf Independent Living Communities
- Deaf Memory Care Communities
- Deaf Respite Care Services
How you or a loved one can pay for senior care is an important topic that we will get to in person. Let us start with a discussion of what to expect from residential care communities that cater to the deaf and why they are the best senior accommodation option for your hard on hearing loved one.
Awareness and Team Member Training
Team members are properly trained to easily communicate with the deaf residents, if not all of them, at least a certain percentage will be. For those who are not sign-certified, there is a communication board that maintains easy communication between the residents and team members.
Deaf-Friendly Apartments and Buildings
For residents with a hearing impairment, their individual senior apartments and other common spaces are equipped with illuminated emergency alarms, doorbells, and phones. Other types of alarm can also include one that can vibrate beds or turn on powerful strobe lights to wake up sleeping residents. This is something imperative to install in both public and private spaces of the community where there are deaf residents.
Technology for the Hearing-Impaired
In today’s modern era, there is vast technology available to our advantage. Communication equipment like TTY/TDD enables the hearing challenged to maintain connection with friends and family through phone and video calls with smart TVs and closed captioning function. Other equipment such as assisted listening devices are also essential in helping hard on hearing residents reach out to community team members immediately in the case of an emergency.
Engaging Activities
Deaf-friendly retirement communities hold on-site senior living activities for both the hearing and the hearing-impaired so everyone is set to have fun and keep fit together in one place. There are sign language interpreters employed by the community to ensure that the hard on hearing residents can be as involved as their hearing neighbors in the daily lineup of activities in spite of their impairment.
