Learning Speech Reading (Lipreading) at Age 65

Helpful Hubbie Al

Helpful Hubbie Al

New Member
Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
13
Reaction score
2
Couldn't find the perfect subforum for this ...

My wife has moderately severe hearing loss that is imperfectly corrected with hearing aids. It's getting worse.

She's going to start learning to lipread. Can anyone give me a feeling for how that's likely to go? That is:

  1. Do you think this is a good idea?
  2. How good can she get (I understand that even good speech readers only get about 50% of the words)?
  3. How long might this take (what's the learning curve)?
  4. Any good resources out there (I'm liking LipReading.org)?

Thanks!

Al
 
Thats quite a heavy lifting.

I had ABC etc numbers and a few words in a hour. A week with deaf classmates in both school and dorm 5 days gave me a language.

The State issued me a Speech Pathologist and I learned the first few hndreds of English Every year for four years. Words words words.

Some will laugh but I started off with profanity. So easy when combined with the appropriate sign language expression of the situation in a pretend story.,

ALOT of Sign language is facial expression in everything. We are not statues. I must emphasize that learning to lip read is something else. A journey. Something that is always to be learned.

A long time ago there was a patient being consumed by sores from being in bed too long at the ICU. She lost her voice and other body systems bordering on paralysis. But she could hear and obey commands etc. Doctor learned I read lips a little bit and so he had me stand there and take her answers off the lip for the doc.

He finally asked the last question. "Is there anything else wants?"

She mouthed to me "I need to die please." I want to die" etc. I towed the doc outside and told him that particular anser I have nothing to do with it. She wants off the planet and stop living. I would not be a part of it. Doc undestood. Eventually the language and lipreading went away. She died bitter, angry and consumed by sores and infections a few weeks hence. She was only 20.

The speech therapist was the most difficult part of learning to speak. If I had to repeat "The Boy played Baseball today." one more time...
 
Helpful Hubbie Al said:
Thanks X1.

Another question: I've read that speech reading is difficult with people with different dialects. http://lipreadingpractice.co.uk/ looks great (and it's free) but the speakers have British accents.

Is that a problem at all?
Click to expand...
Oh god yes.

Here we use the word Water.

When I hear "You vat wadder!?" thats Jersey talking. Am I right? I can sometimes pin people down to about 50 miles give or take if they lived somewhere long enough. You can take someone out of NAWYARK but you aint gonna take NYC out of that person. Not ever.

Sometimes communications is impossible I fall onto the floor into hysterical laugher bordering on need for haldol or some other powerful sedative.

Why?

They have this lispth seeth...
 
Back
Top