SPOTLIGHT PROJECT UPDATE
By Christianne Scholfield, Project Manager
Did you know that CHHA is continuing its discussions with the federal government and sharing your recommendations on how to address challenges faced by those living with non-visible disabilities?
The Government of Canada will soon be tabling new federal accessibility legislation that aims to create a more inclusive society for all Canadians. You can contribute to the successful implementation of the legislation by helping CHHA and its 19 partner organizations identify how we can measure success through filling out our new survey.
The goal of this survey is to review current challenges and explore ways the legislation can ensure all Canadians have the resources they need to thrive, while holding the government accountable for clearly measuring successes and improving on existing shortfalls.
Visit www.chha.ca/chha/spotlight.php to take the survey. You can submit online or email your survey to us at reception@chha.ca, or print it and mail it to us at:
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
2415 Holly Lane, Suite 205
Ottawa, ON K1V 7P2
We want to hear from YOU! Please complete the survey by March 2, 2018. Filling out the survey will earn you a chance to win a lifetime membership to CHHA (a value of $300)! We hope to hear from you soon.
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You are invited to join a free webinar!
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 1-2 P.M. EST
The Government of Canada will soon be tabling new federal accessibility legislation that aims to create a more inclusive society for all Canadians. By participating in our Spotlight on Non-Visible Disabilities webinar, you can contribute to the successful implementation of the legislation by helping CHHA and its 19 partner organizations identify how we can measure success.
The goal of this webinar is to review current challenges and explore ways the legislation can ensure all Canadians have the resources they need to thrive, while holding the government accountable for clearly measuring successes and improving on existing shortfalls.
In this live webinar, we’ll discuss and engage you in the conversation:
- Spotlight on Invisible Disabilities Project Update
- Hear from organizations that support you
- Contribute concrete recommendations to the Federal Government’s proposed accessibility legislation
- Identify measures of success
- Respond and react in real time to discussions
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Important Survey on Live Captioning in Canada
Dear CHHA Members and TV Caption viewers,
We need your help to shape the future of live captioning of TV in Canada by participating in a vitally important user preferences survey. Qualified respondents who complete the survey will stand a chance to win one of five $250 prepaid Visa gift cards.
To take part in the survey, visit https://legerweb.com/2017LCS. The survey will be open until February 15, 2018.
To find out more about the survey, please visit the Live Captioning Canada website (http://www.livecaptioningcanada.ca/survey.html). Your participation is important to us and we thank you, in advance, for your role in helping to improve the quality of live captioning of television programs in Canada!
Best regards,
Cindy Gordon, CRTC Committee member
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CHHA Scholarships for post-secondary students
CHHA National
The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) is pleased to offer financial assistance to students who live with hearing loss. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you have until March 31, 2018 to apply to any of CHHA’s three scholarships:
- Frank Algar Memorial Scholarship ($1,000)
- The Dr. Charles A. Laszlo Scholarship ($1,000)
- Carrell Hearn Memorial Scholarship ($1,000)
If you are a post secondary student who lives with hearing loss, you can apply for any of the CHHA Scholarships. To confirm if you meet the criteria to apply, please click on Scholarship program eligibility.
The 2018 scholarship application form is now available online, with a deadline of March 31, 2018 at 3 pm (EST). Please click here to access the application or here for more information on the other scholarships offered by CHHA.
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European Federation of Hard of Hearing People: December 2017 Newsletter
The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) has released a newsletter for December 2017. In this newsletter, you will find articles on what has been going on at EFHOH, as well as lots of news on what is to come in 2018.
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Mountain Ear Newsletter - December 2017
CHHA North Shore Branch
Mountain Ear - check out the CHHA North Shore Branch Newsletter to see what they have been up to!
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The Loop Newsletter - December 2017
CHHA BC Chapter
The Loop Newsletter - check out the CHHA BC Chapter Newsletter to see what they have been up to!
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CHHA Newsletter Submissions
Want to be featured in I Listen?
Submit your Chapter/Branch Newsletter to chhanational@chha.ca
We want to hear from you!
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MISE À JOUR : PROJET PLEINS FEUX
Par : Christianne Scholfield
Saviez-vous que l’AMEC poursuivait les discussions avec le gouvernement fédéral et lui faisait part de vos recommandations sur la façon d’éliminer les obstacles que connaissent les personnes ayant une déficience invisible ?
Bientôt, le Gouvernement du Canada déposera un projet de loi fédérale qui vise à améliorer l’inclusion de tous et de toutes au sein de la société canadienne. Vous pouvez contribuer à la mise en œuvre réussie de la réglementation en aidant l’AMEC et ses 19 organisations partenaires à déterminer les mesures qui permettront d’évaluer l’efficacité, en répondant au questionnaire de notre nouvelle enquête.
L’objectif de cette enquête est de revoir les difficultés existantes et de trouver des façons dont la réglementation peut veiller à ce que tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes disposent des ressources nécessaires pour s’épanouir, tout en laissant au gouvernement la responsabilité de mesurer avec précision les réussites et de combler les lacunes.
Rendez-vous à http://www.chha.ca/amec/spotlight.php pour répondre au questionnaire de l’enquête. Vous pouvez remplir le questionnaire en ligne ou l’envoyer par courriel, à reception@chha.ca. Vous pouvez aussi nous faire parvenir un exemplaire imprimé par la poste, à :
Association des malentendants canadiens
2415, Holly Lane, bureau 205
Ottawa ON K1V 7P2
Nous voulons connaître votre opinion ! Veuillez faire parvenir vos réponses au plus tard le 2 mars, 2018. En participant à l’enquête, vous courez la chance de gagner une adhésion à vie à l’AMEC, d’une valeur de 300 $ !
Nous nous réjouissions à la perspective d’avoir de vos nouvelles sous peu.
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Une invitation à un webinaire gratuit!
Mercredi, 7 mars 2018 13 H - 14 H HNE
Bientôt, le Gouvernement du Canada déposera un projet de loi qui vise à donner au pays une société plus inclusive pour tous et toutes. En participant à notre webinaire Pleins feux sur les déficiences invisibles, vous pouvez contribuer à la mise en œuvre réussie de la réglementation en aidant l’AMEC et ses 19 organisations partenaires à déterminer les indicateurs de succès.
L’objectif du webinaire est de revoir les difficultés existantes et de trouver des façons dont la réglementation peut veiller à ce que tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes disposent des ressources pour s’épanouir, tout en maintenant la responsabilité du gouvernement de mesurer avec précision les réussites et à combler les lacunes.
Le programme du webinaire en direct vous permettra de prendre part aux discussions :
- Mise à jour sur le projet Pleins feux sur les déficiences invisibles
- Nouvelles d’organisations qui vous appuient
- Recommandations concrètes au sujet de la réglementation sur l’accessibilité proposée par le gouvernement fédéral
- Définition des indicateurs de succès
- Réponses et réactions en temps réel aux propos
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La programme de bourses d’études de l’AMEC
Bureau Nationale de l'AMEC
L’Association des malentendants canadiens (AMEC) est heureuse d’offrir une aide financière aux étudiants malentendants. Si vous répondez aux critères d’admissibilité, vous avez jusqu’au 31 mars 2018 pour poser votre candidature pour l’une ou l’autre des trois bourses d’études offertes par l’AMEC :
- La bourse d’études commémorative Frank Algar (1 000 $)
- La bourse d’études Dr. Charles A. Laszlo (1 000 $)
- La bourse d’études commémorative Carrell Hearn (1 000 $)
Si vous êtes un étudiant postsecondaire ayant des troubles d’audition, vous pouvez poser votre candidature à l’une ou l’autre des bourses d’études de l’AMEC. Pour vérifier si vous répondez aux critères d’admissibilité, veuillez consulter la section « Éligibilité aux bourses ».
Le formulaire de demande de bourse d’études 2018 est maintenant disponible en ligne; vous avez jusqu’au 31 mars 2018, à 15 h (HNE), pour poser votre candidature. Veuillez cliquer ici pour accéder au formulaire de demande ou ici pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements sur les autres bourses d’études offertes par l’AMEC.
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BC Hard of Hearing Youth Peer Support Program
Is one of your resolutions to overcome your fears? At our next BC Buddies event, come test your senses! In our Fear Factor activities, be prepared to smell, taste, touch, see and hear! Lunch is included.
Who: deaf & hard of hearing youth
(ages 10-15)
When: Saturday, February 17, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Children's Hearing and Speech Centre of BC, 3575 Kaslo Street, Vancouver
Register by Feb 10th online
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CHHA – Hamilton Branch offers speechreading course
A 10-week course in speech reading is being offered by the Hamilton branch of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association.
The course is designed to improve speech and lip reading skills and provide information about assistive listening devices, and will feature talks by audiologists and hearing aid specialists.
It is being offered in two locations:
- Bethel Christian Reformed Church starting Feb. 27, 1-3 pm
- South Gate Church starting March 8, 1:30-3:30 pm
The course costs $50. For information, email chhahamilton2@gmail.com or call 905-575-4964. To register, see www.chha-hamilton.ca.
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CHHA Event Submissions
Want to be featured in I Listen?
Submit your Chapter/Branch Event to chhanational@chha.ca
We want to hear from you!
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Happy New Year!
For our first YAN article of the year we would like to do a technology spotlight on the Nucleus Aqua+ kit. This month we are lucky to share the experience of Monique Les, who has allowed us to share her story from her blog, The Hard of Hearing Mommy (see below for a link).
The Nucleus Aqua+ is only a few years old, and allows cochlear implant users to enjoy the ability to hear while in and around water. Quite incredible! Hearing aid users don’t currently have this ability, though they once did for a time and there are numerous water resistant, not waterproof, aids available currently. The following is an excerpt from Monique’s experience.
“What's so special about this photo?…I can hear for the very FIRST time in water. In water…
For 32 years I've been vigilant about any kind of moisture making its way into my hearing assistive devices - from hearing aids, to cochlear implants, and even FM systems. Sweat was my enemy. Even in my former swim club days, I couldn't hear a thing. Imagine - 3 hour training sessions every other day where I couldn't hear and yet still had to respond to swim coaches?!
First impressions when I'm in the water: WOW. Is this what splashing in the water sounds like? I could hear my daughter's squeals and actually hear her gagging on water (little one loves to drink anything!). Plus, I could actually follow her swim instructors' sing-a-longs with no difficulty. My immediate thought after the swim lesson was: I'm not as nearly stressed out going into the water now that I can hear! The crinkling sounds [from the silicone cover] are muted by the soothing sounds of the waves.”
Click on 'Read more" below to find out more.
Thanks for reading!
- The Young Adults Network Board
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When I Lost My Hearing, We Had to Learn to Communicate Better
I ask myself, "If I had this problem when we dated, would we have ended up together?"
By Shari Eberts, Good Housekeeping
When I got married, I didn't realize that one day I would no longer be able to hear what my husband was saying — literally.
If my hearing loss happened while we were dating, would we have chosen one another? I hope so, because we have had our fair share of wonderful moments — including the birth of two beloved children — but I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind once or twice, particularly when we are tired and stressed and his weary mumblings are even harder for me to hear than usual.
My husband and I met right after college. We both worked in the same department at a large company in New York City. He was a year ahead of me in seniority, so we needed to keep it a secret at first, but one night we were discovered at the movies, and so, we went public. It was a lovely romance that blossomed despite job changes, religious differences, and a two-year stint living in different cities. We dated, fell in love, got married, and everything was perfect.
But then I started to lose my hearing. This was not a complete surprise, because hearing loss runs in my family. My father didn't hear well; neither did his mother. I was hoping that I had escaped this fate, but in my mid-20s in business school, I noticed problems emerging. I was having a hard time following the discussion in class — particularly comments that were made as asides or as jokes.
Given my history, I went to get my hearing tested and was diagnosed with mild hearing loss. The good news was that it was slight, so it had very little impact on our lives at that point. The bad news was that it was going to get worse.
A colleague of mine with hearing loss is deep in the throes of dating. He struggles with selecting good first date locations (quiet and well-lit so he can hear) and he never asks anyone for a second date if he cannot hear them. That may sound harsh, but it's simply realistic. "People don't often change the way they speak," he told me, "so why invest the time in a losing battle?"
I remember one time when my daughter was 8 months old, we were enjoying a quiet family day at the lake, when suddenly she was stung by a bee. She began screaming in pain and shock, while my husband and I — in our panicky brand-new-parent way — tried to figure out what to do.
I would say something. My husband would respond with something unintelligible. "What did you say?" I would shout. He would repeat himself in a maddeningly quiet voice.
"I can't hear you!" I bellowed in return.
This was not effective. Part of the problem was my hearing loss, and part of it is the actual pitch of his voice. Neither of these elements can be altered. In a crisis, communication had completely broken down. We needed to do better.
My parents did not provide a positive example to follow. My father's hearing loss was treated as something shameful — never discussed, hidden, and, at times, mocked behind his back. It took a terrible toll on my parents' relationship as my father isolated himself and developed other health problems. Was this what was in store for my husband and me?
No, I decided.
Communication is hard enough in any marriage, and my hearing loss only adds to that. So we work harder. My husband makes a special effort to always look at me when he speaks, and to enunciate his words so they are easier to see on his lips. I work on keeping my frustration in check and ask for a repeat when I need it.
My children (we now have two) have gotten into the act. They know never to speak to me from another room or turn their back to me when they talk. And we don't treat hearing loss as shameful, but as a fact of life that needs to be incorporated into the family dynamic.
We are taking a different path from the one my parents took, and I have confidence we will have a much happier ending.
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Des chercheurs neutralisent la surdité génétique chez des souris
par Yohan Demeure
Grâce aux ciseaux génétiques CRISPR, des scientifiques sont parvenus à stopper la progression d’une surdité d’origine génétique chez une souris. Il s’agit d’une méthode qui pourrait être appliquée sur l’être humain dans un futur plus ou moins proche.
Devenu populaire en à peine moins de deux ans, le système CRISPR-Cas9, d’abord utilisé pour typer des souches de bactéries, est finalement devenu un outil de génie génétique à fort potentiel. Cette technique d’édition génétique est souvent comparée à une sorte de ciseau moléculaire. Il y a quelques mois, des chercheurs américains sont parvenus à diminuer la réplication du virus du SIDA dans l’organisme de souris, une avancée permettant l’espoir qu’un jour la technique CRISPR-Cas9 puisse guérir des patients humains.
Désormais, ces ciseaux s’attaquent à la surdité d’origine génétique, qui touche entre 0,1 % et 0,05 % des naissances et représente près de la moitié des cas de perte auditive. Une récente étude impliquant le travail de chercheurs provenant notamment du MIT et de l’Université d’Harvard a permis de développer une thérapie pour prévenir la perte d’audition d’origine génétique, ces recherches ayant fait l’objet d’une publication dans la revue Nature le 20 décembre 2017.
Chez des souris, les chercheurs ont pu couper avec précision la partie génétique responsable de la surdité, et ce sans dommages collatéraux. En appliquant cette technique sur quelques cellules seulement, la progression de la perte auditive a pu être stoppée.
Le traitement a montré ses effets de manière progressive. En effet après quatre semaines, les souris sous traitement entendaient des sons dès 60 à 65 décibels, contre des sons à partir de 80 décibels pour les souris non traitées. Après huit semaines de test, les souris traitées entendaient toujours mieux lorsqu’en parallèle les autres avaient totalement perdu leur audition. Après ces résultats encourageants, les ciseaux CRISPR-Cas9 pourraient selon les chercheurs être un jour utilisés sur l’homme pour contrer la progression de la perte auditive.
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Eric Clapton: 'I'm Going Deaf'
Despite hearing loss, a new album and more live shows are on the way
by Austin O'Connor, AARP
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton revealed this week that’s he’s losing his hearing, becoming the latest musician to battle hearing loss as an elder statesman of rock.
"The only thing I'm concerned with now is being in my 70s and being able to be proficient. I mean, I'm going deaf,” Clapton, 72, told BBC2 in a recent interview to promote an upcoming documentary about his life. “I've got tinnitus; my hands just about work.”
Tinnitus, according to the Mayo Clinic, is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears, and the Mayo website notes that it’s commonly associated with age-related hearing loss. It’s also, anecdotally, also linked with long careers playing decibel meter-pushing rock music in arenas in front of thousands of screaming fans: Pete Townshend, the 72-year-old windmilling Who guitarist, has spoken of his struggle with tinnitus and hearing loss for decades, and Sting, Neil Young, Jeff Beck and Ozzy Osbourne are among other rock icons to have been affected by auditory issues.
It’s certainly not the first health issue to affect Clapton. The British rocker — the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo work as well as his stints with the Yardbirds and Cream — has famously battled addiction throughout his six-decade career. In a December 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke of how an extreme case of excema almost derailed the recording of his most recent album, 2016’s I Still Do.
“The palms of my hand were coming off. It was a catastrophe, " he said. "I had to wear mittens with Band-Aids around the hands and played a lot of slide [guitar] as a result."
That’s not the only personal information he’s revealing. In a recent interview with AARP The Magazine he talked about what we’ll see in his new documentary, Life in 12 Bars — which airs next month on Showtime . "There was a lot that went down in my life before I made some of the famous albums like Unplugged, and people should know the facts, especially people who think you can’t make music unless you’re high."
Despite all that, he’s now back in the studio, working on an album he says he hopes to release this year. And though he won’t commit to a full tour, he recently announced a summer show at London’s Hyde Park, where he made his debut with Cream spin-off Blind Faith nearly 50 years ago. The July 8 gig will feature guests Steve Winwood, Santana and Gary Clark Jr.
Clapton himself is somewhat at a loss to explain his enduring popularity and longevity, given the myriad health and self-inflicted obstacles he has overcome.
“I'm hoping that people will come along and see me just because, or maybe more than because I'm a curiosity,” he told BBC2. “I know that is part of it, because it's amazing to myself I'm still here."
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A HoH’s Trip List: Hearing Essentials
By Gael Hannan
The Hearing Husband and I seem to get antsy if we’re in one place for too long. Maybe we just get bored with too much togetherness and decide we need to ‘see the family’, hit the open road and climb a few hills.
This means we’re frequently packing and unpacking and packing again. You’d think we’d have nailed the list of things to go in the suitcase. You also might correctly guess that on each and every trip something ‘important’ gets left behind. Often it’s just “oh shoot, I forgot to bring my gray running shoes.” No real panic.
But if you’re a HoH like me – someone with hearing loss – and the left-behind item is essential to communication, that’s cause to break out in a sweat, yell OMG, and start tearing through every bag in the hope that you’ve simply put it in the wrong place.
At Christmas time, while visiting family in California, I discovered I didn’t have the right wax guards for one of my hearing aids. This might not set your heart thumping, but if I try to use a wax guard not designed for my hearing aid, it might fall out in my ear, adhere to my ear drum and require professional help getting it out. Been there, done that, never again thank you. Or, I could just go without the wax guard for a while and hope that not too much ka-ka works its way into my hearing aid and cause inner damage. Also been there, done that, no way thanks.
I phoned several clinics in the San Jose vicinity and finally found one a few miles away that carried my brand. I was almost crying with gratitude and relief as I picked them up – always a bit embarrassing in front of strangers.
So now, as we prepare to head off in our trusty fifth wheel, Flag, I’ve got a hearing travel checklist that, before we leave, will be triple-checked. You know, like your passport – you never stop fingering it until you’ve made it through customs without being arrested.
This is what I’m taking:
- Hearing Aids (2): I always take a backup hearing aid when I travel. Actually, I wear each of these hearing aids for different reasons, so both are essential.
- Cochlear Implant:
- Sound processor
- Extra hair clip
- Remote Assistant
- Phone clip
- MiniMic2 (an all-purpose must have – for example, the Hearing Husband can talk into this while we’re hiking and I don’t have crane my neck to read his lips, thus perhaps falling off the trail cliff.)
- Connector cable (for iPhone and iPad and computer)
- Charger for c/, d/ and e/. Very important – things simply don’t work if they’re not charged. No amount of yelling will change this.
- Other bits of cord that I can never figure out what they do, but don’t want to leave them behind just in case.
- Batteries (many, many packages – I’ll be away for 3 months)
- Size 312 for one hearing aid
- Size 13 for the other
- Size 675 for the Sound Processor
- Smartphone: Connects me to everything! Along with the CI’s remote assistant, an app allows me to use the MiniMic to listen to my phone and iPad.
- Neckloop that also lets me to listen via telecoil on both my hearing aid and cochlear implant.
- Information booklets for my cochlear implant. The internet has all the info I need, but you just feel better having the paper copy, you know? Power outages.
- Secret storage place for websites, passwords, technology serial numbers, and other important stuff if I need to contact any of the manufacturers.
- Cleaning supplies for all hearing aids and sound processors.
- Drying aids: one electric one for the cochlear implant and a more portable, non-electric one perfect for hearing aids.
And so, the HoH hits the road again. This time, well-armed with all the necessary technology and doo-dads, which I can keep charged in Flag, I plan on having a dazzling and connected few weeks traveling the American western wilderness. Unless there’s that one thing that I forgot….
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Grey Matters: Hearing tests are necessary, even when loved ones resist
By Wanda Morris, National Post
A friend recently confided that her husband was becoming increasingly deaf, but refused to have a hearing test. His refusal is not logical, but I sympathize with it. As a student, there were times I avoided checking exam marks. Even today, I hesitate to step on the scale after I’ve overindulged.
It isn’t the scale or the exam results themselves that cause my procrastination. If I thought I’d aced an exam, I couldn’t wait for the results. If I’m eating healthily and exercising, I look forward to jumping on the scale.
I suspect most of us who avoid facing results do so out of fear of hearing bad news.
Avoiding information that might be negative can make the problem worse. A few pounds can turn into 10 or 20; a failed exam becomes a flunked course. When it comes to our hearing, the consequences can be grievous. If we don’t deal with hearing loss, we can end up in long-term care, mentally ill or even prematurely demented.
Besides the inability to hear properly, hearing loss has been linked to other conditions:
- Severe falls are the main reason individuals move to long-term care. Loss of hearing can affect our balance, leading to falls and broken bones.
- Individuals with hearing loss are more likely to be socially isolated and clinically depressed.
- A link between hearing loss and dementia was recently discovered by scientists at Johns Hopkins University. While there is no indication yet of which comes first, or whether they both stem from some other factor, wouldn’t you want to minimize your risk?
If you’re at least 60 and married, it’s extremely likely that either you or your spouse has hearing loss. Almost half (47 per cent) of those 60 and over have some hearing impairment. That’s why audiologists recommend all Canadians test their ears at 60 years of age.
The good news is that hearing loss is largely treatable. And, like so many products that cater to aging boomers and beyond, hearing devices have evolved. Compared to our parents’ hearing aids, they are smaller, less visible and better able to provide a hearing assist that meets the unique needs of the user.
So how do you coax a loved one to take a test? The best way to lead is by example: take your own hearing test. It’s also a great way to help others. For every hearing test taken, the National Campaign for Better Hearing donates $4 towards the purchase of hearing aids for those who can’t otherwise afford them. In 2017, 200 participating clinics tested almost 80,000 Canadians; this raised more than $300,000 and funded more than 100 hearing aids.
What’s more, CARP members always get free hearing tests at participating clinics and, if a hearing aid is in your loved one’s future, their CARP membership will save them 10 per cent.
If your good example and the prospect of a good deed and a good deal isn’t enough, you might need to take things to the next level. One way I settle arguments with family members is to bet on the outcome. For example, I recently won a bet for knowing that sagacious — having the wisdom of a sage — has a hard g like sag, rather than a soft one like wage.
Next time you disagree with a loved one, place a bet on the outcome: if they lose, they take a hearing test. If that doesn’t work, it may be time for an intervention. When my husband fails to look after himself, I help him out. I’ve booked him into massage appointments, haircuts and even triathlon training. And if he hadn’t just had a hearing test, I’d sagaciously sign him up for one of those, too.
For more details about the National Campaign for Better Hearing, or to find a clinic near you, go to campaignforbetterhearing.org/takethetest or call 1-877-563-2091.
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Après 50 ans de carrière, la surdité d'Eric Clapton s'aggrave
Par LEXPRESS.fr
Le "Guitar Hero", auteur de nombreux tubes mythiques, reconnaît souffrir de problèmes de santé. A 72 ans, son ouïe décline dangereusement.
"Je deviens sourd, j'ai des acouphènes et mes mains fonctionnent à peine". A 72 ans, Eric Clapton reste une légende de la guitare. Mais celui que l'on surnomme "slowhand" pour son doigté lent, précis et mélodieux, n'a plus l'entrain de ses débuts. Dans une interview accordée à la BBC, le musicien confirme souffrir de problèmes de santé, plutôt embarrassants quand on pratique son art.
Après plus de cinquante ans de carrière, Clapton connaît des problèmes d'audition et subit de plus en plus les conséquences de sa maladie, une neuropathie périphérique, qui l'empêche de jouer de façon optimale de son instrument.
"J'espère que les gens vont venir me voir"
L'auteur de Tears In Heaven, ou Layla, n'a pourtant pas l'intention de lever le pied. "La seule chose qui me préoccupe c'est d'avoir plus de soixante-dix ans et de continuer à assurer", confie-t-il à la BBC. L'été prochain, il a même prévu de se produire à Hyde Park, au coeur de Londres. "J'espère que les gens vont venir me voir, même si c'est comme une bête curieuse. Je sais que certains viennent pour ça, parce que c'est un miracle que je sois encore debout", assure-t-il.
Le "guitar hero" avait déjà évoqué ses soucis de santé par le passé. Dès 2006, il se plaignait d'acouphènes mineurs dans une interview au quotidien anglais Daily Express: "Mon ouïe n'est pas ruinée, mais si je m'arrête et tends l'oreille, j'entends un bruit de sifflement constant." En cause, "l'amplification sur scène" du son qui lui a "écorché les oreilles" durant de longues années.
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