Hearing For John

When sounds are in shadows, let sunshine in. 'THIS IS A VERY readable book. It is well written and full of memorable phrases and interesting ideas. It is honest: frank without being sentimental, truthful, yet positive.' These comments were published in Fanfare, the quarterly magazine of the leading UK charity, Hearing Concern. The reviewer is Val Tait, a widely respected hearing therapist. 'The book is divided into short chapters, each chapter no more than two or three pages long. They are narrated from different points of view: John's; his wife Tricia's; their daughter Samantha's; John's audiologist. This gives us an all round picture of how hearing loss affects not just the person, but family, friends and colleaues too. The sections by hearing professionals are thoroughly illuminating and answer some of the questions about the strengths and limitations of hearing aids.' Over more than thirty years of progressive partial deafness, the author has noticed surprising indifference and lack of support for this increasingly common but hidden disability. Although much is now being done to encourage more action and awareness, he believes that many of us directly involved could make a difference by being more open and positive. Sharing our problems can be very effective in helping to find solutions that can lift our feelings about hearing loss out of the shadows and on to a sunnier plateau with the help of hearing professionals, support groups, hearing charities and people who are close to us.