Part 1 of this series can be found here.
Your hearing loss doesn’t have to put you at a disadvantage during an emergency. With community support, planning and preparation, you can have peace of mind knowing you’ll stay safe and informed during any emergency.
Create an emergency network: friends, family, caregivers, neighbors or a coworker pick at least two people that everyone can communicate with during an emergency and have access to your emergency supplies. Make sure they know you have a hearing loss and are familiar with your hearing aids, batteries and how to operate them. So many time people end up in the hospital and their spouse or loved ones don’t know how to care for the hearing aids or even put in the batteries.
If your hearing loss makes loud noise, confusion difficult to hear in. Prepare index cards with important phrases like, “I wear hearing aids,” or “Please face me and speak as clearly as possible.” Have a note pad and pen available as well.
Sign up for reverse 911, which places calls to your phone in case of a weather-related or other emergency. Knowing a disaster is on its way before it happens gives you an advantage. Get to know those in your community, so you can ask a close neighbor or friend to alert you in the event of an impending disaster.
Municipality of Anchorage for Emergency Management https://www.muni.org/Departments/oem/Pages/default.aspx Found on their page: To receive alerts, advisories, and community messaging on your phone from the Office of Emergency Management, text your MOA Zip Code to 888-777 (Nixle). (MOA stands for Municipality of Anchorage)
For more information and a FREE hearing test call 907-644-6004 or go to www.accuratehearingsystems.com or find us on Facebook