10 - Sunday, ) May, 1, (1994... Mert th § v Sho ore News Val NEWS photo Terry Peters ERICA BARRETT tolks to Evergreen House residonts Hazil Wilson (teft) and Evolyn Betts (right). Barrett Is one of several volunteers at the Lions Gate Hospital facility who make life better for those who are hard of hearing. Audio angels help to hear LGH volunteers return patients to a we ERICA BARRETT’S world was once full of the sound of silence. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter as Barrett has been extremely hard of hearing all her life. “I've nly among people over 65 the statistic is one in two. The elderly who cannot hear well “are very sad and lonely,” said Barrett. “We're not in either world — we’re not in the - hearing world and we’re not in the deaf world.” They have difficulty under- standing others and therefore often Tetreat into themselves, she said. oxld of sound often don’t appreciate that a hear- ing-impaired person needs to watch their lips and facial expres- sions to understand what they are saying. When a person who is hard of hearing doesn’t get the message, Barrett said, the speaker should change the wording around because certain words are harder | #508, Kapilano 100 Building _. “In just 2 few hours 4 week you . can Jook and feel better than you evaluation. This is the first step of DEREK A. CAVE Trial Lawyer Get the settlement you deserve. _ 925-7880 100 Park Royal, West Van. i te ssi oO WOMEN’S FITNESS Ladies get a break. . New Fitness Club offers "Body tone-ups* for women. individual, computerized . fitness the personal body tone-up, and the " had a hearing aid the past LO years, Developments which might be to hear than others. “ever imagined. . . because they thought nothing expected to help them — such as ‘ could be done for me,” she said. closed captions un the TV — often Barrett’s experience: with the miss the mark because older peo- ~- isolation and frustration faved by ple who have tronble hearing often ” the hearing-impaired propelled her are afflicted with poor eyesight as a Sod At Studio I, in the privacy of a beginning of your fitness success I talk a lot slower than ! used |. a women's only environment you _ story. to because I’m working with the can enjoy all the benefits of getting To top it off, you'll: get a price residents all the time,” said the shape you want and keeping it. _ break by’ signing up. during. the’ Barrett, who pays a weekly visit to ‘«Feiendly, experienced instructors Grand Opening period at any of the Evergreci: [ouse. ‘will help you .creste a custom seven 1 Studio qu locations. : a designed Program, based on an “into her current activity, which is volunteering for people in the same predicament at Lions Gate. _ Hospital's Evergreen House... “When we let on that we’re hard of | hearing, people think we're incompetent, ." said Barrett.. She’s one of the “audio angels” who flit around Evergreen House dispensing companionship and, while they’re at it, checking the ears and nearing aaa hard-of- ’ hearing resis” kes She: and Six other w angels Te! puld-be hn, “ wots ew UU LUT to take the course that qualifies them for this particular duty. Barrett describes herself as “a friend first” to the patients at Evergreen House. She said some of the problems the hard of hearing suffer are caused by the fact that their disad- vantage is invisible. Theirs also happens to be the most common disability. One in 10 people up to age 55 are hard of hearing, according to Barrett, and IV went tn Abbaent.—4. well: The captions also flick too quickly across the screen, Barrett said. - ’ Hearing, aids pick up all noise — including the sounds of furni- ture moving, telephones ringing ‘and cutlery scraping across plates — not just the conversations peo- - ple want to hear. Listening devices vary in quali- fy and tha -t tr? “oem AUS AUDIELY 10 depends on th ount oF ate the size Of the rane . oe see PUTED (smaller tends to be better), and the, level of the person's disability. “A hearing aid is only a helper,” Barrett said, pointing out that it’s not the same as glasses, which can allow a person with poor vision to see perfectly. That’s not to discount the value of the device, “It changed my life, getting a hearing aid,” she said. “I can at Jeast hear my grand- children most of the time, which is great.” People with normal hearing € amount of activity Lions Gate Hospital speech lan- guage pathologist Mae Seto said Barrett is not only a boon to Evergreen House residents but also educates hospital workers on what it’s like to be hard of hearing. “She picks up on a lot of things that we as hearing people don’t,” Seto said. Residents of Evergreen House don’t inst have thaie baaste- - hance teh aeyamtl Vp sec ican GIR ata fy Beata ESTHER MEUM Te NaI tA EN Cad rete meRMiate NNLAHC o Nem Abeals . AES. o” a ° cron rs Oe eet OME T OPT NCAR “‘PFOO- Jn Working against them, _ They May also be reravorinan ewww b=) trom a stroke or enduring the pain of arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis. Barrett said research sugge that people with hearing diszbili- ties tend ta have other health com- plications because of the daily stress they experience. She and her fellow “audio angels” try to relieve the stress as much as they can. “My (long-term) goal is to teach another person to take this residence and ['ll take another res- idence and eventually be a coordi- nator,” she said. TOTHE SALVATION ARMY ON MONDAY Help us help those in desperate need. The hungry, the homeless, the battered women, sacanseatt : wae ae ferment eneepa aici dat nm lan hatnd Nt eaten Thee aeneTs ty Lt s face it, none of us are getting younger * and regular exercise is an important step to to stay healthy. If you're looking fora friendly atmosphere to get in shape and lose some weight, or just light exercise to keep those muscles firm and your heart healthy, STUDIO {1 is the right place for you. Gain energy and self esteem, while losing weight and making new friends. Don’t put it off any ~ NOW Enrolling Phase | Introductory Offer Gets you started. Per month. y Pay as you go. Our special introductory offer includes: ® Personalized programs to suit your needs ® Computerized Body-Fat Analysis & goal setting ® Personalized Fitness Level Evaluation the abused child. Please give when our volunteer knocks at’ your door. Or mail your donation to the 1994 Red Shield Appeal. OU-19S West Hastings Street, Varicouver, B.C. Vow 1412 God Knows You Can Make A Difference Le Child minding available. “ Mancouver, 876-5888 * Downtown 681-3312 + Burnaby 454-9585 _ Richmond 276-0506 © Surrey 582-0777 * North Vancouver, 986-4333 Victoria 475-2822 ° A Division of Fitnoss World