Perhaps one of the more neglected groups in human society over the course of human history has been the deaf and those with hearing impairment. It is only in recent times that efforts have been made to accommodate the needs of those who are unable to hear and therefore to communicate through sound. American Sign Language (ASL) was introduced only in the early 1800s, only recently that it has become widely used by the hearing impaired and those who need to interact with them daily.

However, even with the ability to communicate through signing, life can be difficult for those who are hard of hearing, and the difficulty only increases with age. Especially, the elderly who often find themselves increasingly isolated, since there are few care homes that cater specifically to such seniors. Most caregivers and healthcare professionals in care homes do not have ASL skills. Hearing impaired seniors are routinely housed with hearing seniors, who of course cannot be expected to know and communicate in ASL. The result is that such seniors, especially those in care homes, are much worse off socially and psychologically than they were in their younger years. This issue also affects hearing seniors who have suffered hearing loss through the aging process. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 33 percent of Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have some degree of hearing loss, and nearly 50 percent of those 75 and older have this problem. However, there is no systematic effort to address the issue in the care of the elderly.

There is a simple solution to the problem: promote the learning and use of ASL among those who care for the elderly and those who interact with them in any way, as well as among the elderly themselves. The application of ASL to the needs of the elderly is the focus of an innovative program introduced recently at Silverado Aspen Park in Salt Lake City, Utah, a facility that specializes in memory care for those suffering from various forms of dementia. Even more ambitious programs in the UK are conducting ASL classes for seniors in general (with or without age-related hearing loss), for their caregivers and healthcare professionals, and for members of their immediate social circles. One such program teaches ASL to seniors with no hearing loss, and, as part of the instruction, gets them to interact with hearing impaired who are younger, especially with children. The results have been remarkable, and the idea of learning and using ASL as a means of communication has been welcomed by most of the seniors who participated in the program.

The unique feature of any sign language is that it bypasses words as words and focuses on the emotional content of what a person is trying to communicate. This is particularly helpful to seniors who may have difficulty remembering words but never lose the emotional connections to those things. This makes it easier for them to remember the signs for the things that they want to talk about. The seniors who participated in the program said that they found learning this new skill is mentally stimulating, and because it involves visual signals, it sharpened their observational skills and motivated them to be more alert when communicating in sign language. For those having difficulty with motor skills, the making of gestures, often vigorous and packed with emotion, also provided an opportunity to get moving and regain some of the manual dexterity and ease of movement that they once had.

The use of ASL in the care of the elderly, as a social activity, as a form of therapy, as a means of personal fulfillment, is an idea whose time has come. The benefits are enormous, and the cost of implementing such programs is minimal

Dr. Veena Alfred  Ph.D
CEO /Administrator