Why purple? I like it, for starters. But it's also part of the color scheme of the logo of the Hearing Loss of Association of America. I'm a fan of HLAA, and a member, and a member of the board. I'm grateful to it for advocacy and support on the national and local levels. And … Continue reading What’s With the Purple?
Author: Katherine Bouton
Good News! For a change.
Good news for people with hearing loss. Last week CMS, which runs Medicare and Medicaid, reversed itself on an earlier proposal to eliminate coverage for bone-anchored cochlear implants, like Cochlear’s Baha and Oticon’s Ponto. This is good news for two reasons. First, it preserves coverage for an important and expensive technology. People with certain kinds of hearing … Continue reading Good News! For a change.
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An Invisible War Wound
An Invisible War Wound: Out of sight, and mostly out of mind. When we think about the injuries our servicemen and -women endure, on this Veterans’ Day, we naturally focus on major life-changing injuries like Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We worry about suicide in veterans. We see veterans struggling to learn to walk again with prosthetic limbs or … Continue reading An Invisible War Wound
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Why do we ignore a major risk factor for falls in the elderly?
A single easily correctable condition can increase the risk of falls in the elderly three-fold and often more. Why do we choose to ignore it? In today's New York Times (Nov 2), reporter Katie Hafner writes a fascinating article on the ways nursing homes and facilities for the elderly are rethinking the risk of falls … Continue reading Why do we ignore a major risk factor for falls in the elderly?
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Hearing Loss and Much, Much More
Rebecca Alexander not only has severe hearing loss but she's going blind as well. The double whammy is the result of Usher syndrome type 3, a variation on Usher 1 and 2 that appears later in life than the other two. In Alexander's case the diagnosis was confirmed when she was 19, as she writes … Continue reading Hearing Loss and Much, Much More
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A Joyful Racket
For people with hearing loss, parties are often hard work. Such hard work that many simply stop going to them. But the other night I was at the noisiest party I've been to in years. And I had a great time. The party was a wine and cheese gathering at my apartment to meet the … Continue reading A Joyful Racket
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Oh, never mind!
Wonderful quote from Gael Hannan's blog this week, titled "Is Our Hearing Loss Skin too Thin?" : "In our struggles with the stigma of hearing loss, some of us for just a short time and some for a lifetime, every minor rejection related to our hearing loss, whether intended or not, can be a blow … Continue reading Oh, never mind!
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Scientists Meet the Consumers
SCIENTISTS MEET THE CONSUMERS. Yesterday I was the guest speaker at the 14th annual Forum on Hearing and Hearing Loss, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Department of Audiology and the Boston Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America. Sharon Kujawa, who originated the event and has organized it for 14 years, … Continue reading Scientists Meet the Consumers
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What’s in a Name?
Ever since I first lost my hearing, 35 years ago, I’ve been frustrated by the fact that no one could figure out what caused it. As the hearing loss progressed to the point where I finally got a cochlear implant in the originally affected ear (the left) and a strong hearing aid for the right, … Continue reading What’s in a Name?
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Lachlan’s First Hearing Aid
Lachlan's First Hearing Aid. (If you can't click through by email, try the post itself.) It's very sweet -- and short. And no cats.If a 7-week old can wear a hearing aid, why can't you?
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 