Kathleen Purrington was born with a genetic condition that caused severe hearing impairment in both ears.
From an early age, the Irving woman learned how to communicate by reading lips. At 17, she got her first pair of hearing aids, but her brain had never learned how to interpret sound. So although she can hear some sounds, she cannot understand what they are.
When COVID-19 hit and people began wearing masks for safety and social distancing, Purrington, 63, suddenly lost her ability to communicate, attend classes at her local senior center and socialize with friends.
In an interview, Purrington discussed how her life changed during the pandemic.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did the pandemic affect you?
I can hear on the phone, but I cannot understand on the phone.Picking up the phone to talk with someone has been impossible for me. Those who cannot talk on the phone and do not have someone living with them are thus very isolated, which is not good for their mental health.
Isolation due to hearing loss can cause strokes, heart attacks or other major health issues for the elderly. This has been a serious issue during this pandemic.
Talking while social distancing is also difficult. Not only are people further away, but now most of us wear masks. Sound does not carry as well when social distancing, and with the masks off, many cannot see well enough to lip read. We can’t understand people with masks on, yet we do not want them to take them off for fear of giving or getting the virus.
Q: How do you communicate now?
Mainly through email, social media and texts.
Q: What has been the most difficult part of the past year?
Not being able to see my friends and communicate verbally with them. That has been so hard. I depend on body language and facial expressions to communicate effectively. Even talking on Skype and other auto captioned software can cause problems if the auto captions are not working well.
I cannot take classes at the Heritage Senior Center in Irving, as they are not captioned through Zoom, which is the medium they use. Due to COVID-19, I could not watch a recent City Council meeting I was interested in, as it was not captioned, either automatically or by using a professional captioner.
Q: What were some activities you enjoyed before the pandemic that are difficult or impossible now? What do you do for fun now?
I used to line and ballroom dance, but due to pandemic, that ended. We also used to travel all over the world, but that was nixed also due to the pandemic. I went out with other couples and with girlfriends and socialized, which has been impossible for the last year.
Now I do lots of crafting, gardening, photography and genealogy.
Q: What can others do to help?
Being hearing impaired/deaf is hard enough in the best of circumstances. But during the pandemic, it has caused many people to experience isolation and mental health issues.
Being able to communicate with others is so important, especially for the elderly. Many older people with hearing loss already had problems and stopped going out due to their embarrassment and frustration that they could not hear. The pandemic made it even worse.
I would encourage everyone to visit and call them if they can hear on the phone, send them cards and letters, and do whatever is possible to keep them involved in the world.
Q: How did it feel to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
I felt totally relieved. Now when someone tries to talk to me through a mask and I cannot understand them and tell them I lipread, when they take their mask off, I don’t panic.
I look forward to socializing with others in person and being able to read their lips, without fear of any of us becoming deathly ill.
