WPA

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the largest stimulus program in our nation’s history in terms of success.  Coming out of the depression, FDR’s “New Deal” program employed millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operating large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects.




 Almost every community in the United States had a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency. At its peak in 1938 it provided paid jobs for three million unemployed and women.



Many of my friends and guys at the golf course know of my Esteem journey.  Rather than say, “Hi, how are you?” (which even if you the flu, a hangover or surgery recovery, you say “fine”),  they say, “How’s the hearing coming?”   I at first went into a dissertation of the Envoy Esteem, its settings, my audiogram, word recognition and the oscillar chain. Now I say “great but a work in progress” or WPA for short.



It is nearly four months since the surgery and the jury is still out but perhaps taking the last ballot. I had my first follow-up appointment since the January activation this past week on March 21. I felt I was doing well and advised Allison that I was ready for more volume.  We did some audiogram testing and a word recognition test.  I was sure I flunked as I could hear but not understand the words.  The result was 80% so I guess that is progress. I got a boost in volume which is good but it still sounds a bit “tinny”.  There are three banks of sound, one (A) for normal situations with 5 levels; a second one (B) for meetings, lectures, theater with 5 levels; the third (C) is for noisy settings such as parties, restaurants and sports events with the 5 levels.



In the past 4 days I have been actively testing all of these settings at a school fundraiser with a sound system, candidate cocktail party, a homeowner meeting, Rays baseball game (with irritating loud speaker system with music for every between inning), a farcical play, Tony Bennett (I saw him with wife 45 years ago and a few times in between), Hearing Loss Association state meeting with loop system, HLA cocktail party, three rounds of golf (winning money each time) with loud 19^th hole and three noisy restaurants. Yes, I try to stay involved and not retreat due to hearing loss. 



It was a great opportunity to test the programs except I forgot the Programmer at the school event and had two hours of static!  I had success at the noisy restaurants and cocktail party by bringing the level down (to 2) and still hearing the person(s) talking with minimal background noise.  I am working on watching TV (news and sports is about it) without captions to learn to hear well.  This should improve my word recognition but this is weak right now.



“Work in progress” will be my answer for a while and I will check back in with another report in a month or two.