For family and friends of someone with hearing loss – especially someone who lives alone – safety is a big concern. There are things people who are not hard of hearing take for granted, such as waking up to the sound of the smoke detector’s alarm or hearing the doorbell ring. If your friend or family member has hearing loss, you might consider gifting them one of these items during the holidays to show that you care about their safety:
Smoke detectors
People with hearing loss are less likely to wake up or be alerted by the shrill sound of a traditional smoke detector going off. Thankfully, there are many options on the market today for smoke detectors – many of which have a built-in carbon monoxide detector – that cater to people with hearing loss. You can purchase a smoke detector that not only alarms but also has very strong, flashing strobe lights that are difficult to ignore. Other detectors come with a bed-shaker, which is a powerful vibrating device that is wirelessly connected to the smoke detector and is placed between the mattress and the boxspring. When the smoke or carbon monoxide detector goes off, the person is “shaken” awake. For ultimate safety, purchase a detector that has all of these features combined.
Doorbells
Purchase a silent doorbell that flashes or a device that alerts you to a door knock or doorbell ringing by flashing. There are many dual devices that flash in one spot to signal a smoke alarm, another to signal the telephone ringing and still another to show that someone has knocked at the door.
Weather alert systems
There are also systems that can alert someone to bad weather. These devices usually consist of a radio and a bed-shaker, and are helpful in areas where tornados are common because someone with hearing loss is less likely than others to hear tornado sirens that signal people to take cover.
Clocks and watches
Missing one’s alarm and arriving late to work isn’t the biggest emergency ever, but it’s still a problem, especially if that person missed an important meeting or call because he or she did not wake up to his or her alarm. You can purchase your friend or family member an alarm clock that is attached to a bed vibrator, has strobe lights or both. There are also watches that vibrate or clocks that have a vibrating wristband to wake someone up gently but effectively.
Security systems
There are magnetic systems that attach to windows and doors and send an alert in the form of a strobe light to let someone with hearing loss know when a window or door has been opened in his or her home. Many security companies can work with you and an existing system to attach strobes and vibrators as well.
Alerting devices
Rather than installing a brand new smoke and carbon monoxide detector, doorbell or security system, you can use the systems currently in place and purchase an alerting device. These products “hear” the sound from a doorbell, smoke detector or security alarm and transmit the sound to a bed vibrator or strobe light to alert someone with hearing loss.
