Noise is bad for your hearing. This will not be a surprise to anyone. But this week the American Public Health Association made it official. "Noise is not just a nuisance," an APHA statement said, "It's a growing public health hazard and action is long overdue." Noise was a focus at this year's annual APHA … Continue reading Noise is a Public Health Issue
Author: Katherine Bouton
Emergency 911 is still inaccessible for many New Yorkers. How long do we have to wait?
In New York City, where I live, the deaf and hard of hearing are out of luck when it comes to calling 911 for help. Text 911 (or Text-to-911) is available in thousands of municipalities and counties across the United States. It can be life-saving not only for those who cannot hear but also for … Continue reading Emergency 911 is still inaccessible for many New Yorkers. How long do we have to wait?
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By the Way, She Has a Cochlear Implant
What if hearing aids were as unremarkable as glasses? This is an idea – a goal – that I and others have been tossing around for years. How to remove the stigma and lower the cost of hearing aids so that they are used as casually as glasses. Amazon Prime Video is showing an online … Continue reading By the Way, She Has a Cochlear Implant
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Moviegoer’s Lament
Last week, the Washington Post ran an article about a movement to make open-captioned movie screenings more widely available to the deaf and hard of hearing. Open captions in movies generally run across the bottom of the screen, the same as subtitles you see in a foreign movie. The Post's article, by Michael O'Sullivan, discussed a … Continue reading Moviegoer’s Lament
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Captions: Better and Better!
I don’t like to write about apps and products that I don’t use myself, because the first-person experience is very important when dealing with hearing devices. But when I find one I like, I want to share it. In the past few months, I’ve been using a transcription app called Otter.ai. Otter has been around since … Continue reading Captions: Better and Better!
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New Hearing Aid, New Life
I haven’t written much recently, but that’s because thanks to technology -- apps and equipment -- I’ve been busy doing things. It started with a new hearing aid. My top-of-the-line Phonak, which had bumped my word recognition up considerably when I got it, gradually stopped working well for me. I replaced it with the then … Continue reading New Hearing Aid, New Life
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Would You Cure Your Hearing Loss?
Would you cure your hearing loss? At the moment, that’s a hypothetical question. A cure for hearing loss does not exist. But as Dr. Tom Friedman of the National Institutes of Health told an audience at the Hearing Loss Association of America’s annual convention in June, a cure for at least one type of hearing … Continue reading Would You Cure Your Hearing Loss?
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Resilience
Whenever I am with a group of people with hearing loss, as I was last week at the annual convention of the Hearing Loss Association of America, I am impressed by the hurdles so many have overcome. Sudden or severe hearing loss is an ever-present challenge all on its own. So many at Convention, however, … Continue reading Resilience
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Captions Wherever You Go
It’s rare that a new app or product comes on the hearing device market that seems revolutionary. But Google has come out with a voice to text app that is potentially game-changing for those of us with severe hearing loss. Although I have an excellent hearing aid and a state of the art cochlear implant, … Continue reading Captions Wherever You Go
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Hearing Mom
Sunday is Mother's Day. I miss my mom. But I especially miss all the things I didn't hear her say. In her 80s, my mother's mind and body succumbed to aging. She developed dementia, she had frequent falls and she often needed a wheelchair. But her hearing remained acute. Mine did not. After my father … Continue reading Hearing Mom
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 