Page 22 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Summer 2020- Online Magazine

Music THE PERFECT

TOOL OF
COMMUNICATION

By Gayle Willson, BC-HIS

NOTE – During this time of social distancing we offer CURB SERVICE to our patients for batteries/service/and repair

usic is such a part of playing for her Sunday School class might be occurring, even before
my life, a part of each at age seven. Lucy Dean plays for you notice symptoms. If parents or
Mday! Music is a part of Western Swing bands, has played siblings have a loss, it might indicate
my devotional time, and a part in Branson, Missouri and even you are a high-risk patient. Genetic
of grieving times, a part of joyful travelled with Shirley (Anderson) or familial hearing loss occurs when
times and a part of social times. A Goodness and Mercy to the World a gene is passed down through
part of our hearing health family Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. chromosomes. It can be a dominant
is a treasure of a lady who LOVES or recessive trait, and in some cases,
music, and it is reflected in her piano Lucy Dean has perfect pitch, the person is only a carrier. Thirty
students and her performances. meaning the band can play a chord percent of all hearing losses are
and she knows exactly where to considered genetic, but many are
Lucy Dean Record is from Lockney, start, without the music, all of this, not detected because they have not
class of 1941. She majored in music in spite of her having a genetic been activated by other factors
at Texas Tech, and she is now known hearing loss, as did her father and
throughout the entire South Plains brother. She recognized her loss Exposure to loud sounds, even as a
and Panhandle area. She began when her husband, C.L. Record, young person, can damage the small
taking piano lessons at age five and wore hearing aids in about 1994. She follicles of nerve bundles that are
explored the possibilities of her own our sound receptors in the cochlea.
loss and began wearing hearing Many other contributing factors
aids, which improved her quality of might trigger a loss, such as ototoxic
life, professionally and personally. medications or medical conditions
Lucy Dean tells me that when my such as diabetes. It is very important
dad (J. Wampler) put her “first set of to protect your hearing when
hearing aids on me, he gave me back listening to music (lower the
the birds!” (More of Lucy Dean’s volumes), when using firearms,
story can be found in the Spring or when around sounds that can
2018 Senior Link, pg. 45 article by be very loud and intense (such as
Jane Bromley, and Mrs. Record’s fireworks). More information about
CDs are available by contacting our genetic loss can be found by visiting
office.) the CDC webpage and searching for
“genetic hearing loss”.
Genetics are a contributing factor to
hearing loss. Many times, we see We also are very interested in
it run in families. It is important to evaluation. If you know someone
begin early having baseline testing who might have suffered a stroke,
to make note of any changes that taken ototoxic medication (e.g.,
strong antibiotics), or have diabetes

22 Amarillo Senior Link