The other day I was sitting in my neighborhood Starbucks surrounded by the chatter of conversation and people hunched over their laptops or newspapers. At one table, however, something remarkable was going on. A woman was sitting in an armchair, her laptop perched on a table in front of her. She was having an exuberant conversation … Continue reading The Skype Solution for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Aural Rehabilitation for Consumers:   Best Practices in Hearing Healthcare  Tuesday, November 17th 5:45 announcements 6 - 7:15 Program with Q&A Muhlenberg Library 209 W. 23rd Street, 3rd Floor Community Room Presented by Peggy Ellertsen, MEd, C.C.C.-S.L.P. and Jaclyn Spitzer, PhD. Aural rehabilitation - also referred to as patient-centered care, aural rehab and "A.R." - is … Continue reading Aural Rehab — Learn More Tonight 11/17

A new federal advisory report wants to make buying a hearing aid as easy and inexpensive as buying prescription eyeglasses, calling for changes to “dramatically increase competition and increase new choices for millions of Americans” experiencing hearing loss. Nearly 30 million Americans have age-related hearing loss, the report notes, but only “a small fraction” are … Continue reading Buying Hearing Aids Should Be Cheaper and Easier

What if you could accurately test your own hearing in your own living room at no cost and in complete confidentiality. Would you do it? That opportunity exists. The National Hearing Test is a telephone test developed by researchers at Communications Disorders Technology and the University of Indiana, based on an existing Dutch model. The research was funded … Continue reading Test Your Hearing — In Your Own Home.

Thanks to fellow blogger Shari Eberts for this nice review. Source: Interesting Reads -- Living Better With Hearing Loss By Katherine Bouton

October is National Audiology Awareness Month, which seems a good time to ask: Do you know how to find an audiologist to test your hearing or help you choose a hearing aid? If you’re unsure — or shaking your head no — you’re not alone. In a short video I saw last weekend at a … Continue reading Do You Know How to Find an Audiologist?

The ads call them “invisible hearing aids,” describing them as “discreet,” “well-hidden” and “virtually undetectable.” Perhaps that sounds appealing, but it also sends an unintended and damaging message: Hearing aids are shameful and something to be hidden. You might as well wear a bag over your head. The ads also reinforce the notion that wearing … Continue reading Invisible Hearing Aids’ Misguided Message.

Here’s another reason to limit the use of common painkillers: a higher risk of hearing loss. Many of us pop up to eight pills a day of aspirin, ibuprofen (such as Advil) or acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) in accordance with the daily maximums noted on the pill bottles. These are over-the-counter drugs after all, presumed safe. … Continue reading Common Painkillers Could be Harming Your Hearing.

Hearing Loss Solutions Need More Technology, Federal Support With only a fraction of the 30 million Americans with age-related hearing loss (out of 48 million of all ages) using hearing devices, “the time is ripe for a technology solution that could be helped along by federal action,” said geriatrician Christine Cassel, M.D., last week in a … Continue reading Straight Talk on Hearing Aids from a Federal Commission