Piece of Heaven

Me and hubby participated to an art exhibition opening at Art Gallery Saskia with Anssi and Kaarina. Tuomo Saali's works were very beautiful!  In the picture the artist is having an opening speech and explaining his works. The name of his exhibition is Piece of Heaven. Tuomo Saali's homepage: https://sites.google.com/site/tuomosaali/Home

Then we had a dinner at Inez. Lovely evening!

Today I participated also to an one day course "What Every Hearing Aid User Should Know" in the Tampere University Hospital. This was one of the things I learnt:

How to Communicate with Someone Who Has Hearing Loss

1. Face the hearing impaired person directly, on the same level and in good light whenever possible. 

2. Do not talk from another room. Not being able to see each other when talking is a common reason people have difficulty hearing what is said.

 3. Speak clearly, slowly, distinctly, but naturally, without shouting or exaggerating mouth movements. Shouting distorts the sound of speech and may make speech reading more difficult.

4. Gain the listener's attention before you begin talking, for example, by saying his or her name. If the person with hearing loss hears better from one ear, move to that side of the person. If necessary, touch the listener's hand, arm, or shoulder lightly. This simple gesture will prepare the listener to listen and allow him or her to hear the first part of the conversation.

5. Most hearing impaired people have greater difficulty understanding speech when there is background noise. Try to minimize extraneous noise when talking.

6. Some people with hearing loss are very sensitive to loud sounds. This reduced tolerance for loud sounds is not uncommon. Avoid situations where there will be loud sounds when possible.

7. If you are giving specific information -- such as time, place or phone numbers -- to someone who is hearing impaired, have them repeat the specifics back to you. Whenever possible, provide pertinent information in writing, such as directions, schedules, work assignments, etc.

8. If you feel frustrated trying to speak to someone with a hearing loss, think for a minute how it must be for them. Try to make it easier by changing words or re-phrasing statements. As much as you want the person with hearing loss to hear what you have to say, they want to be able to listen, understand and participate. Coping with hearing loss requires cooperative efforts. 


+6, mostly cloudy