A woman whose hearing was restored when she was fitted with a cochlear implant wants to help others who have suffered the devastation of deafness.
After losing her hearing in her late 20s Molly Berry regained her confidence by learning to lip read and, after retraining to teach the art, she’s sharing the skill with others.
Today, thanks to an implant in one of her ears, Molly, who lives in Marsworth, can hear quite well but she still wants to make life easier for those still battling the problem of hearing loss.
“It is very scary,” she said. “You worry that you are going to end up alone in a quiet environment.
“Lip reading makes a huge difference to your confidence because you can get so isolated when you start to become deaf.”
She said people often remove themselves from social situations all together to avoid the difficulty of being unable to hear what is being said.
“You are not sure when you can speak because you are not sure where the gaps are in the conversation or if you even know what the conversation is about,” said Molly, 61.
She is running a free lip reading taster session in Hemel Hempstead next Wednesday, September 11, ahead of launching a full 36-week course.
Molly said: “It is for those who are suffering from hearing loss and their partners if they want to come along. I know people who know they are probably going to lose their hearing because it runs in the family so they come along to get ahead of the game. It is sensible to learn as soon as possible.”
The one hour taster session is being held at The Quaker Meeting House, The Alleys, St Mary’s Road, Hemel Hempstead from 10.30am.
People can just turn up on the day but for more information email mb.lipreading@gmail.com or visit www.lipreading.org.uk