![]() ![]() Flashlights can also be helpful if you lipread. If you sign, bring flashlights and batteries so that hands can be visible, per the National Campaign for Better Hearing in Canada. If you have an emergency bag, include a power source for your hearing aids inside it, along with pen and paper to aid communication. Keep communication support in your go bag You can include details on the medications you take, the specifics of your hearing loss (for instance, if you wear cochlear implants or use hearing aids), and other important health information. For anyone with an invisible disability-like hearing loss or an allergy to medication-a medical ID bracelet (or necklace) offers valuable information. This functional jewelry can alert people, including first responders or emergency room staff, to your name and hearing loss. Consider a medical bracelet A medical ID bracelet can quickly convey your “When possible, sign up for text alerts rather than phone alerts, so emergency messages are abundantly clear,” Kupfer says. For rechargeable hearing aids, consider getting a portable power bank, which can be stored in your go-bag (or car) for easy access. “If needed, keep spare batteries in various places for emergencies, like in your car or a purse,” Lundstrom says. If you’re in an area prone to earthquakes, secure their container to your bedside table so they won’t fall off if furniture shakes and wobbles. Plus, consider charging them near your bed for easy access in a middle-of-the-night emergency. “Make sure your hearing devices are charged or have fresh batteries and are well maintained,” Lundstrom says. But of course, those hearing aids can’t help without power. Just the act of wearing hearing aids if you need them is helpful-doing so helps you hear signs of danger and ups your ability to communicate. Visual or tactile systems, such as a doorbell that blinks a light or an alarm that makes the bed shake, are “helpful since most people don't wear their hearing aids to sleep,” Kupfer says. “People with hearing loss should make sure they can perceive their home alarms-whether that means getting something with extra amplification, or changing the pitch of the alarm to make it easier to pick up,” Kupfer says.Īlerting devices-including smoke alarms for people with hearing loss-are available that use lower frequency sounds, emit a visual cue, or incorporate vibrotactile elements. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide meters that emit beeps when they detect danger aren’t necessarily helpful for people with hearing loss. Here are other safety-related tactics to implement: Update alarms and other safety devices “It may be helpful to discuss emergency plans with a friendly neighbor and request that they check in on you in case they hear your alarm,” Kupfer says. Consider having a go-bag in place (more on that shortly), a meeting spot pre-arranged, and all the other recommended steps for emergency prep. “ a plan on where to go and what steps to follow during an emergency,” Lundstrom says. ![]() But you can prepare for how you’ll handle unexpected situations. Preparation is keyīy nature, emergencies are often unexpected-people don’t intend to have car accidents or medical crises or to encounter natural disasters. Here, Lundstrom and Kupfer share tips for how to plan ahead for emergencies, along with communication tips for during a crisis moment. Hearing and talking to first respondersĪnother challenge can be hearing instructions from first responders, or taking in the questions they’re asking. With limited hearing, a person may walk toward a dangerous situation unknowingly. And, hearing also provides directional information, she points out. “Our hearing also provides a sense of environmental awareness, to pick up any subtle cues of approaching danger such as a home intruder, water leak, or elevator malfunction,” says Hadassah Kupfer, AuD, CCC-A. It’s not just sirens that announce danger. More likely to miss subtle cues that signal danger “Depending on someone’s severity of hearing loss they may not hear emergency alerts well such as fire alarms, smoke detectors, and emergency vehicle sirens,” says Sarah Lundstrom, audiologist at HearCare Audiology and a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. That’s not necessarily the case for anyone with impaired hearing. ![]() Communicating during emergencies is deeply challenging: blaring sirens, stressful situations, and downed phone lines are all contributing factors that can make it hard to speak, hear, or think clearly.įor people who are deaf or hard of hearing, there’s an extra layer of complexity and additional obstacles, including: Communication challenges during emergencies or disasters Difficulty hearing emergency alertsįor hearing people, the scream of a siren is loud-often uncomfortably so, prompting people to cover their ears. ![]()
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