
different kind of smoke alarm.
By Liane Arno
WHEN it became clear that it wasn’t just “marital” deafness that caused Matt to not hear what I was saying he went to be tested for hearing aids. The audiologist quipped, “Now if you don’t want to listen to your wife, whose voice I am assuming will be a high pitch, don’t wear these hearing aids.”
“Unfortunately she has quite a low voice,” replied Matt.
I knew it! It was marital deafness all along!
Be that as it may, Matt and I were outside the front of our place chatting to a neighbour in his late seventies. I asked the fellows if they could hear where the smoke alarm was coming from. “What smoke alarm?” they both asked. Neither had heard it.
WHEN it became clear that it wasn’t just “marital” deafness that caused Matt to not hear what I was saying he went to be tested for hearing aids. The audiologist quipped, “Now if you don’t want to listen to your wife, whose voice I am assuming will be a high pitch, don’t wear these hearing aids.”
“Unfortunately she has quite a low voice,” replied Matt.
I knew it! It was marital deafness all along!
Be that as it may, Matt and I were outside the front of our place chatting to a neighbour in his late seventies. I asked the fellows if they could hear where the smoke alarm was coming from. “What smoke alarm?” they both asked. Neither had heard it.
After finding the source which was over the road, and responded to very quickly by the fire brigade, I got to thinking.
Our hearing diminishes gradually as we get older. How many of us ever think that we mightn’t hear the smoke alarm? Piercing though it is when we can hear clearly, it is pitched at such a high register that many hearing impaired people cannot hear it.
And then – while we might hear it during the day, do we hear it at night when we have taken out our hearing aids?
I got onto the Fire Rescue Victoria website and thought you might be interested in the section on smoke alarms for the deaf or hard of hearing.
There are smoke alarms for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These smoke alarms alert people in different ways.
Some have vibrating pads, strobe lights, or emit different sounds. Each alarm should have at least two sensory alert types.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing should have these smoke alarms in their home.
The Victorian smoke alarm subsidy scheme is Government funded and provides these specialised smoke alarms to deaf and hard of hearing people living in Victoria.
For more information and to apply for the subsidy go to: Smoke Alarm Subsidy | Expression Australia.
Our hearing diminishes gradually as we get older. How many of us ever think that we mightn’t hear the smoke alarm? Piercing though it is when we can hear clearly, it is pitched at such a high register that many hearing impaired people cannot hear it.
And then – while we might hear it during the day, do we hear it at night when we have taken out our hearing aids?
I got onto the Fire Rescue Victoria website and thought you might be interested in the section on smoke alarms for the deaf or hard of hearing.
There are smoke alarms for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These smoke alarms alert people in different ways.
Some have vibrating pads, strobe lights, or emit different sounds. Each alarm should have at least two sensory alert types.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing should have these smoke alarms in their home.
The Victorian smoke alarm subsidy scheme is Government funded and provides these specialised smoke alarms to deaf and hard of hearing people living in Victoria.
For more information and to apply for the subsidy go to: Smoke Alarm Subsidy | Expression Australia.