She felt compelled to speak up after reading about teens from the iPod generation who don't comprehend the devastating consequences of listening to music through earphones.

"These kids need to hear more from adults like me so they have a better understanding of what it feels like to be chronically left out of conversation, decision making and social interaction," said Olson, who is in her early 60s. "Learning to cope with that reality has been a major part of my adult life because my hearing loss was diagnosed in my early 20s."

Olson, founder of the SHHH-Fox Valley Chapter, a support group for people who are hard of hearing, said her problems likely began with teen pursuits such as trap shooting, working as a telephone operator — with headphones — and loving her generation's blaring rock music.

"Those activities, along with a hereditary predisposition to having poor hearing in later years, exacerbated the downfall of my auditory senses," she said, adding that she got her first hearing aids in her early 30s.

"My hearing loss has progressed over the years from mild to severe. When tested a year ago, I was understanding less than 14 percent of the spoken word when in noisy environments. In quiet settings I managed close to 50 percent."

Last May, Olson had surgery to implant the latest cochlear device because her hearing aids no longer gave her enough discrimination or volume. "It has helped me tremendously," she said, but teens today should not look to technological advances to solve their hearing problems tomorrow.

"One of the myths about hearing loss is that hearing aids are a 'quick fix.' This is not so, as hearing instruments only 'help' some. They also are high-cost items, ranging from $900 to $3,000 each, and most people need two. Rarely are they covered by insurance. Furthermore, cochlear implant surgery and technology falls in the range of $70,000-$80,000, some of which is covered by some insurers."

Kids need to know there is no "cheap" solution for damaging their ears now, she said. "Cancer can maim or kill, so it is scary. Hearing loss does neither, except bit by bit as the individual who has it, and their family members and friends, try to live with the frustration and misunderstandings it causes."

The communication breakdown can lead to depression, divorce and other issues, she said. "If each of those youngsters could be put in solitary confinement for a day or two without any audio technology or human interaction, they would gain a better feel for what it is like to be isolated and left out."

Olson taught in suburban Milwaukee and at Xavier High School before her hearing acuity became such a problem she took early retirement. "I was so frustrated by my hearing loss," she said. "I felt helpless."

She earned a master's degree in human services, but before landing her current position with CAP Services' Skills Enhancement Program, she taught physical education at Kimberly's Holy Name School.

There she depended on a sophisticated FM system that involved using a handheld wireless microphone to transmit speech to a receiver attached to her hearing aid.

She also educated her pupils about hearing loss. "Periodically I would ask them if they had grandparents or other family members or friends who wore hearing aids and many of them did," she said.

Based on recent news about noise-induced hearing loss, Olson may return to local classrooms on a new mission. "I see a need to get back into elementary schools to do programs for kids. I did a lot of that when the same kind of information came out about the 'Walkman effect.' Same thing, different generation."

By Kathy Walsh Nufer

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060123/GPG0101/601230505/1207/GPGnews