PEGGY JOHNSTON, CO-DIRECTOR
404 S. Oak Street
SHARON POPLER, CO-DIRECTOR
404 S. Oak Street
Durand, MI 48429
Tel: 989-288-4546
jklbmc@yahoo.com
SHARON POPLER, CO-DIRECTOR
3640 E. Bath Road
Morrice, MI 48857
Tel: 989-634-5748
gma4hugs@hotmail.com
DEAF AWARENESS
POSTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!
We now have reprints of four of the previous Deaf Awareness Posters. Contact me if you wish to have posters, etc.
American Manual Alphabet: This poster is one that we did not have to reprint. This poster could be used in schools, churches, libraries, Grange Halls or anywhere that people come in contact with deaf or hearing impaired people. For example, our Grange delivered Dictionaries to a third grade classroom, along with Deaf Awareness items (one being the Manual Alphabet poster) and in one of the thank you’s we received, one of the students had learned the alphabet. Another third grade teacher had her students do their spelling words in sign language. There are many possibilities with this.
Your Noisy World Could Get Silent: This poster is a chart that shows the potential hearing hazard of the loudness of sounds combined with the length of exposure to sound and how it can create a permanent hearing loss. Preventions are suggested on this poster. It shows the decibels of many electronic devices that we are in contact with everyday.
Pledge of Allegiance: This poster could be placed in schools, Grange Halls, libraries, etc. An idea that can be used is to do parts of it at each of your Grange meetings until everyone can sign it.
Do You See the Signs: (of hearing loss) This poster could be placed in church nurseries, day care centers, pre-schools or wherever adults can view them. It is a poster to make parents aware of what an infant to 12 months should be able to do, from 12 months to 2 years, from 2 years to 4 years and 5 years old.
Grange Deaf Awareness: Awareness – communication is key to qualify of life – hearing loss is permanent- early detection and treatment is essential, etc. Education – educate the public with printed material, video programs, classroom instruction, special equipment, information, programs. Prevention- hearing protections used, hearing testing, newborn hearing screening, personal education.
We now have reprints of four of the previous Deaf Awareness Posters. Contact me if you wish to have posters, etc.
American Manual Alphabet: This poster is one that we did not have to reprint. This poster could be used in schools, churches, libraries, Grange Halls or anywhere that people come in contact with deaf or hearing impaired people. For example, our Grange delivered Dictionaries to a third grade classroom, along with Deaf Awareness items (one being the Manual Alphabet poster) and in one of the thank you’s we received, one of the students had learned the alphabet. Another third grade teacher had her students do their spelling words in sign language. There are many possibilities with this.
Your Noisy World Could Get Silent: This poster is a chart that shows the potential hearing hazard of the loudness of sounds combined with the length of exposure to sound and how it can create a permanent hearing loss. Preventions are suggested on this poster. It shows the decibels of many electronic devices that we are in contact with everyday.
Pledge of Allegiance: This poster could be placed in schools, Grange Halls, libraries, etc. An idea that can be used is to do parts of it at each of your Grange meetings until everyone can sign it.
Do You See the Signs: (of hearing loss) This poster could be placed in church nurseries, day care centers, pre-schools or wherever adults can view them. It is a poster to make parents aware of what an infant to 12 months should be able to do, from 12 months to 2 years, from 2 years to 4 years and 5 years old.
Grange Deaf Awareness: Awareness – communication is key to qualify of life – hearing loss is permanent- early detection and treatment is essential, etc. Education – educate the public with printed material, video programs, classroom instruction, special equipment, information, programs. Prevention- hearing protections used, hearing testing, newborn hearing screening, personal education.
MAY/JUNE 2024 GRANGE NEWS
THE STORY OF BEETHOVEN’S DEAFNESS
Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Or playing a soundless piano for a staring audience.
Beethoven wrote in a letter in May of 1810, “ How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks.” Beethoven was a master of the language of music, which is about the creation of sound.
DAY OF LEARNING CONFERENCE
THE STORY OF BEETHOVEN’S DEAFNESS
Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Or playing a soundless piano for a staring audience.
Most known classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven struggled with deafness— but many don’t realize how much of a struggle it was. Beyond composing without hearing a note, Beethoven grappled with living in the 1800’s when few understood deafness, hindering his ability to communicate, work as a musician and even find a place to live. How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music.
Beethoven began losing his hearing in his mid-20’s, after already building a reputation as a musician and composer. The cause of his deafness remains a mystery, though modern analysis of his DNA revealed health issues including large amounts of lead in his system. At the time, people ate off of lead plates– they just didn’t know back then. Continuing to compose and conduct, he changed lodgings constantly in Vienna, which could be due to his landlords frustration with him pounding on his piano at all hours. He continued performing publicly as a musician, which was necessary for many composers of the age. That’s how they got their pieces out, not just composing but performing. For the longest time he didn’t want to reveal his deafness because he believed, justifiably, that it would ruin his career.
Once his hearing was fully gone by age 45, Beethoven lost his public life with it. Giving up performing and public appearances, he allowed only select friends to visit him, communicating through written conversations in notebooks. His deafness forced him to become a very private, insular person over the course of time. A common question is how he continued composing without his hearing, but this
likely wasn’t too difficult.
Music is a language, with rules. Knowing the rules of how music is made, he could sit at his desk and compose a piece of music without hearing it. Beethoven’s style changed, however, as he retreated from public life. His famous Sixth Symphony also reflects his different life in deafness. Also known as the Pastoral Symphony, the musical work conveys the peace of the countryside, where he escaped city
life after losing his hearing. In terms of his deafness, this was a very important symphony, reflecting the importance as an individual to keep his sanity by being in the country.
Beethoven wrote in a letter in May of 1810, “ How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks.” Beethoven was a master of the language of music, which is about the creation of sound.
DAY OF LEARNING CONFERENCE
On April 20th the conference was held, and a lot of information was delivered by our State Master and many Directors. It was a super day of fellowship, a wonderful array of food for the potluck, which the Grange is noted for, and then continued workshops from the directors. Those of you that were able to attend, it was soooo good to see you and many idea’s were talked about. The Grange Jeopardy Game had us all working our brains for some of the answers !!!
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED !!!
MARCH/APRIL 2024 GRANGE NEWS
The long and cold winter months are here, and we need to take preventative measures to make sure we don’t have problems with our ears and our hearing aids. Moisture buildup and middle ear infections are usually more prevalent in cold weather, and hardware and performance of hearing aids can often be impaired when exposed to water and wind. Taking these measures can save you from problems down the road.
The long and cold winter months are here, and we need to take preventative measures to make sure we don’t have problems with our ears and our hearing aids. Moisture buildup and middle ear infections are usually more prevalent in cold weather, and hardware and performance of hearing aids can often be impaired when exposed to water and wind. Taking these measures can save you from problems down the road.
- Clean or suction debris from any exposed areas on you aid, and double check the receiver, battery contacts, and microphone ports.
- Properly remove any earwax from your ear canal.
- Keep your hearing aids dry. Consider getting a dehumidifier, which is a specialized drying canister for hearing aids. Store your hearing device in this canister overnight with the batteries taken out and the battery doors left open. If you don’t have a dehumidifier, remember to regularly remove your hearing aid batteries and clean everything with a dry cloth.
If your hearing aids get wet, note these emergency tips,
- Immediately wipe them dry, remove the ear mold if your aid has one, and take out the batteries.
- Dry the battery compartment using a Q-tip or a safe cleaning tool.
- Place your hearing aids in a dehumidifier or Ziploc bag with silica gel packets
- Let your devices sit for 24 hours.
Keep your ears dry.
- Water is the number one culprit for ear infections, which, if left untreated, can cause inflammation and temporary hearing loss. Cases of extreme cold can also aggravate certain preexisting conditions like exostosis ( a bone spur located in the ear canal ).
- Wear outdoor gear to protect your ears and prevent water damage of your device. When outdoors, wear wrist and forehead sweatbands to help intercept moisture. Earmuffs help safeguard your ears and hearing devices against snow and freezing temperatures. When in a noisy area, particularly with loud snow blowers or snowmobiles, wear over-the-ear protection instead of in-the-ear varieties that have a tendency to trap liquid in the ear.
- Give extra attention to children with hearing loss. In winter months, children are more prone to ear infections, which can aggravate any existing hearing impairments. Be mindful of any middle ear infection symptoms such as irritability, pain, loss of balance, trouble paying attention, or increased hearing difficulty. To help prevent infections and buildup of moisture-related bacteria, clean your child’s ear mold with an audiologistapproved cleaning agent.
Did you know?
Hearing impaired is the general term used to describe any level of hearing loss.
Hard of Hearing, describes a person who has problems hearing and who communicates by listening speaking and lip reading.
Deaf/Deafness describes profound hearing loss many deaf people communicate with some form of sign language while some are able to speak most of the time a combination of the two is used.
Hearing impaired is the general term used to describe any level of hearing loss.
Hard of Hearing, describes a person who has problems hearing and who communicates by listening speaking and lip reading.
Deaf/Deafness describes profound hearing loss many deaf people communicate with some form of sign language while some are able to speak most of the time a combination of the two is used.
We will be looking forward to seeing you and discussing Deaf Awareness with you on April 20th.
Peggy and I hope you're enjoying these Winter months and are preparing for Spring
Peggy and I hope you're enjoying these Winter months and are preparing for Spring
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