St. Margaret's Episcopal Church

 MOMS JULY MEETING: AN AUDIOLOGIST SPEAKS

Lou Pelletier, with his wife Suzanne, are among the newer members of St. Margaret's. A retired audiologist, he presented the informational program at this month's MOMS session. The threefold topic included a primer on the problems faced by the hearing-impaired, the capabilities & limitations of hearing aids, and a critique on making St. Margaret's more user-friendly to the hard of hearing among us.

He pointed out that most hearing loss is the irreversible, sensorineural type, most commonly caused by chronic noise exposure and the ageing process, and tends to primarily involve the high frequency sounds of speech. Hearing aids augment delivery of sound waves to damaged receptors in the cochlea (inner ear)resulting in decrease clarity of speech. But "hearing" is more than perception of sound; it a critical part of "language" procesing in the central nervous system, with hardware input from the auditory system and interpretation from psychologic centers (modulation, context, and meaning). Simple amplification of sound does not enhance hearing if it is not also compensatingfor environmental factors--for instance, reduction of reverberation which muddles speech and converts it to noise -- for those whose hearing falters. Failure to appreciate simple facts such as this can lead to frustration and disappointment for wearers of hearing aids -- and to those around them. Lou's presentation certainly raised awareness of the complexities faced by persons with hearing loss.

 We learned the unsettling fact that St. Margaret's physical architecture and existing sound system are not conducive to full accessibility for the hearing-impaired. Current plans to install FM plug-ins for personal listening devices and to upgrade the base unit will help in the church proper, but the parish hall's acoustics remain a barrier -- ask Ron Whittle. Over the lifetime of the church, investment in improving access will help realize our goal of "radical hospitality".

                                                                                                                                                                                   -- Paul Mazur

It was the Game Loft weekend – Friday night was the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony at St Margaret’s, followed by the monthly MOMS meeting at the Game Loft itself. Ray Estabrook described the Game Loft’s history and growth since its inception in 1998, up through its inclusion under the umbrella of Spurwink Services, a nonprofit agency whose purpose is to serve children, adults, and families faced with emotional, behavioral and developmental challenge.  The Game Loft’s mission is to promote “Positive Youth Development” via the model of “pencil, dice, and paper-driven” games, as role plays to develop social skills in problem-solving, imagination, peer relationships, and adaptability.  Its success has attracted attention beyond the local environment, for example, this, from the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2010/0409/Role-playing-games-pull-reluctant-school-kids-into-a-supportive-crowd