[quote SunshineCake1]@ilovelamp2 please feel free to let me know if I have offended you. Seems other posters have taken it upon themselves to be offended for you. Clearly it is a problem if someone is driving but can't hear a siren until it is right behind the driver. Other people have said what I have but just decide to try and pick on me.
I am confident I haven't been offensive.[/quote]
Hello - I'm not actually offended by what you said or what anyone else has said about hearing impairment.
It's not something that people really need to 'get' unless they either have it themselves or are close to someone who does. I also think it's a shame that many people I know still feel there's a stigma around hearing impairment and that it's associated with old age. Indeed, I know several people my age and younger who really should have their hearing checked but won't because they don't want to wear hearing aids. They're then amazed when I tell them I wear 2 - they'd never noticed! But still they haven't made an appt ...... I think this is why people don't talk about it and consequently why there is a lack of understanding. I understand some may be offended but I'm always conscious of the need not to be defensive as this can perpetuate the problem.
Hearing aids are amazing but they cannot replicate natural hearing. They amplify ALL sounds. So for example, the radio, my husband eating cereal (that's why I don't sit next to him at breakfast!) the door bell, all come through at near enough the same volume. The clever bit is, and it took me a while to adjust to this, is that over time, your brain 'prioritises' for want of a better word, noises which are more frequent and expected and therefore usually more important such as child speaking, phone ringing BUT this doesn't work so well if the sound is less frequent or not expected, for example, sirens, even though clearly they are very important. If I keep experiencing that sound (really hoping not!) then that will change over time. But just having my aids set louder wouldn't help. Someone else might be able to explain it better but hope that makes sense?
As for not being aware of what's around us, I really am, not this afternoon though cleary! The emergency vehicles have siren AND lights so I really should have responded better. I mentioned my hearing impairment as a reason why it might have seemed as if the car came out of nowhere but of course it didn't, and I was in the wrong. There are also lots of worse reasons why drivers are not aware of sounds outside the car - on phone, even hands free , wearing headphones, texting .....
Sorry for huge post!