With the holiday season upon us, here are some gift ideas for that friend or relative who's somewhat new to decreased hearing, failing vision or compromised mobility. These gifts could offer surprises and maximize independence.

        • For the person with hearing loss, sound can be a pleasure once again with a device as simple as a telephone with volume control. For a variety of amplified telephones, personal listening devices for hearing conversation or the TV, baby-cry alarms, and much more, call the Hearing, Speech and Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati. Shopping must be done by appointment. Call 221-0527 and ask for audiologist Lois Gushin to schedule a demonstration of products at the center's 2825 Bernat location.

        • For those with no usable hearing, a portable TTY (text telephone for the deaf) that connects easily to any phone can make a wonderful gift. Try the EZ-com Pro, $222.45, from the Hearing Shop, www.HearingShop.com, or (800) HEARUSA.

        • For a fun gift introducing American Sign Language to adults or children, SoundBytes offers a variety of books, videos and gifts. Try ASL Pencils, a pack of pencils with smiley erasers and finger spelling symbols for A to Z (pack of 10 pencils, $4.89), or an ASL Rubber Stamp Set ($34.95) with every letter of the alphabet and its equivalent finger spelling sign. Go to www.soundbytes.com or call (800) 667-1777.

        • If the newspaper and television are getting harder to see, there are hundreds of products, large and small, now available through specialty merchants. For magnifiers of all shapes and sizes, lights and talking products from watches to pedometers, try Independent living Aids, (800) 537-2118, www.independentliving.com. Holiday specials include a Jumbo Display clock Radio, $15.95, with large, clear digits for time and radio stations, and the Touch Time Talking Desk Clock ($9.95.) Other popular items include board games with large print and tactile markings, a talking microwave and portable screen enlargement systems.

        • For Braille readers, the National Braille Press offers a variety of books for children and adults in Braille, usually at prices matching the print equivalents. Holiday specials include the 2002 Winnie-the-Pooh wall calendar, with Braille embossed directly over the print calendar pages. Includes poems and stories from Milne classics, and 50 Pooh Stickers. Harry Potter fans will welcome any of the popular wizard titles in Braille, or all four for $50. Call (800) 548-7327 or order at www.nbp.org.

        • While most of us wouldn't ordinarily think of a household chairlift as a Christmas present, Ed Bobowski, vice president of Hamilton Health Aids, points out that “It costs less to put a chairlift in your house than to pay for one month's care in a nursing home.” A standard lift costs between $2,000 and $4,000. Many products can put a new spin on what seems to be diminishing mobility and independence.

        • At the more pricey end of the spectrum, a lightweight scooter ($1,500 to $2,200) can travel in the car with you, and make mobility at the shopping mall or amusement park more manageable. Smaller items that might serve as gifts are a reacher to pick up dropped items, rubber-gripped kitchen utensils or a drinking cup that attaches to the arm of a wheelchair. For more ideas, visit Hamilton Health Aids, 6225 Colerain Ave. or call (513) 923-3300.

        E-mail dkkendrick@earthlink.net. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/kendrick

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