Adaptive technology for deaf person who also has severe vision problems

[lauraw4321]

My grandmother has been hard of hearing for as long as I've known her. Her hearing aids have been helping less and less. I took her to an ENT today, and she failed her hearing test to the point that she scored 0% comprehension in either ear.

 

He said that she is probably getting some sound through and her nerve is transmitting some information, it's just very limited. She can communicate with me and a few other close family and friends, mostly by reading lips (and we have to talk very loudly, and she has highly amplified hearing aids).

 

To make it more complicated, she is nearly blind. She has corneal damage from some unknown cause, which makes her vision not very good. She can read, if the text is at least 1 inch tall or so. I write down information for her, like phone numbers or doctor's appointments, and she can read them.

 

Up until a few weeks ago, she could still manage phone conversations. (Phone on speaker phone pressed to her ear, other person has to shout). But that's become impossible.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with speech to text telephones? Is there a way to get such a device that has very large screens? 

 

She has several family members and friends that she is used to keeping up with via phone, but that seems to be impossible now. I am going to have her try out an iPad for FaceTime. I'm hoping that with the help of the visual cues of a person's face that she might be able to have a conversation.

[Rosie_0801]

Over here it would be possible to use the National Relay Service on a computer with the font size set to large. Do you have something like that?

[lauraw4321]

There is something called TTY, but I'm not familiar with how it works or what equipment is required.  Is "over here" outside of the U.S.?

[Rosie_0801]

My "over here" is Australia.

 

Over here we can use a TTY service on the computer. I don't think you can get a TTY machine with big enough writing, but I am out of the loop these days.

[Crimson Wife]

How old is she? How is her health otherwise? Surgeons are now doing cochlear implants in seniors, even those in their 80's so long as they are otherwise healthy. Research has shown that CI's can reverse cognitive decline in the elderly: http://blog.aarp.org/2015/03/26/cochlear-implants-shown-to-reverse-cognitive-decline/

 

I'm not familiar with the specific criteria for Medicare coverage of CI's but I do know that they will pay for it in those deemed eligible.

 

If she is healthy and expected to live at least another 5 years, I'd say a CI would probably be worth it for quality of life purposes.

[City Mouse]

See if you can find a local Lighthouse for the Blind. That is where we got an amplified phone for my MIL many years ago even though she was not visually impaired as long as she had her glasses. You might also try your state Commission for the Blind or Department for Rehabilitatve Services. I do know that there are TTY phones that can produce Braille using a refreshable display, so I am betting that there will be a device that is large print.

 

Does she know how to text?

I went back and saw you mentioned an iPad. I don't know if FaceTime will work but texting/messaging might work.

Edited May 14, 2016 by City Mouse

[lauraw4321]

She's 93. CI isn't a good option for her. I think texting Would be hard because the letters are too small.

[Crimson Wife]

No, at 93 I would agree that a CI is not a good option.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My 91 year old mom has a phone with a screen.  http://www.firststreetonline.com/Electronics+amp+Gadgets/Phones+amp+Cell+Phones/Captioning+Telephone.axd?gclid=Cj0KEQjw9tW5BRDk29KDnqWu4fMBEiQAKj7sp2fAeBvhQEqytjZCqq1XmrquBZTxWVuAiqyLMaM58fMaAr6G8P8HAQ

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I have a visual disorder and use the "accessibility" features on my computers and iPad.  You can check youtube videos to see how to set these up.  If she is computer savvy at all, she may be more comfortable with a full computer than an iPad, where there is plenty of screen room for the magnifier programs out there.  Any mac device can send text messages to iPhones, btw.  I would be concerned that screen resolution is not quite crisp enough with FaceTime to read lips.  

 

 

[ktgrok]

My 91 year old mom has a phone with a screen.  http://www.firststreetonline.com/Electronics+amp+Gadgets/Phones+amp+Cell+Phones/Captioning+Telephone.axd?gclid=Cj0KEQjw9tW5BRDk29KDnqWu4fMBEiQAKj7sp2fAeBvhQEqytjZCqq1XmrquBZTxWVuAiqyLMaM58fMaAr6G8P8HAQ

 

If that screen isn't big enough, maybe a magnifier over it?

[Jean in Newcastle]

If that screen isn't big enough, maybe a magnifier over it?

 

Also - I'm not sure if the phone I linked is the same brand as my mom's, but I'm pretty sure that on hers you could make it so that it will display on a computer monitor where I presume you can make the font a lot bigger.  She hasn't needed that though so I'm not sure.