When my dog was a puppy he slept in a crate, then he moved to a chair, then onto the bed. My husband would pick him up like a little lamb, when he came to bed after me, and move the dog back to the chair. After my husband died, Oliver moved permanently to the … Continue reading Sleeping with Dogs
Author: Katherine Bouton
Unheard Melodies
The death earlier this summer of British baritone Ben Luxon reminded me once again how subjective our response to hearing loss is. Luxon was one of several musicians I wrote about in “Shouting Won’t Help.” A world-famous artist, he began to lose his hearing in the late 1980’s; by the mid-1990’s he was forced to … Continue reading Unheard Melodies
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Do Your Hearing Aids Sweat?
No, only mammals sweat. But over the course of this hot and humid summer, I’ve felt like my hearing devices are definitely damp. That's because the ear sweats. Sweat encourages wax, or cerumen. Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com If you’re very hard of hearing, like me, your hearing aid may have a custom-made ear … Continue reading Do Your Hearing Aids Sweat?
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Hearing Loss and Henry James
It’s not often that you encounter in a novel a secondary character who has hearing loss, and whose hearing loss is incidental to her role in the story. In Colm Toibin’s brilliant 2004 novel “The Master,” about Henry James, he writes from James’ perspective about Henry's deep friendship with the American writer Constance Fenimore Woolson, … Continue reading Hearing Loss and Henry James
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Talking About Hearing Loss — in Phoenix
I’m just back from the annual HLAA convention. This one was in Phoenix, where the average temperature at this time of year is 107 degrees. That’s average! I thought I’d skip this one, which was my 13th. Not only is Phoenix hot but it’s a long flight, 5 and a half hours nonstop from New … Continue reading Talking About Hearing Loss — in Phoenix
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Advocating for an Invisible Disability
This post is adapted from my acceptance speech for the Ruth Green Advocacy Award given by the Center for Hearing and Communication. To read more about CHC go to chchearing.org. To hear more about The New York City Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America, of which I'm the president, go to hearinglossnyc.org. My … Continue reading Advocating for an Invisible Disability
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Tools for the Workplace
Even the smallest meeting can pose challenges. There’s been a revolution in hearing technology over the past decade. A recent presentation on hearing loss in the workplace at our HLAA Chapter reminded me how far we’ve come. What a difference these tech advances would have made in my own workplace experience. Whether you work at … Continue reading Tools for the Workplace
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Treat the Patient, Not the Audiogram
In an effort to provide better hearing health-care, the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a three-day meeting recently. The academy had appointed a committee of 14 hearing professionals, and invited a panel of six patients to testify about their own experiences. Your audiologist is your most important partner in hearing healthcare. … Continue reading Treat the Patient, Not the Audiogram
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Do You Have a Hearing Partner?
The term “hearing partner” is often used in the context of aural rehabilitation. Your hearing partner is a spouse or someone close to you who will be part of the process of adjusting to a new hearing aid or cochlear implant. They might go through a course of regular listening exercises with you to help … Continue reading Do You Have a Hearing Partner?
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A Poignant Memoir of Hearing Loss and Music
John Cotter’s memoir “Losing Music” is full of unanswered questions. The cause of his loss may be Meniere’s disease, but no one really understands Meniere’s and he may not have it. His disabling vertigo may be related to migraine, or it may not be. His tinnitus drives him crazy, then goes away, and inevitably returns. … Continue reading A Poignant Memoir of Hearing Loss and Music
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 