For the past year or so since the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was passed, I and other hearing-loss advocates have patiently explained time and again that right now there are no OTC hearing aids. That’s because the FDA approval process includes a three-year comment period before it publishes its final regulations. And until … Continue reading FDA Approves an OTC Hearing Aid
Healthy Hearing
Want to Help People with Hearing Loss?
Dear Readers, This is an unabashed pitch for contributions to the Hearing Loss Association of America, which has helped me and millions of others to live better with hearing loss. Please help sustain HLAA’s advocacy and education by supporting me in this year’s Walk4Hearing, our annual fund-raising and awareness event, which takes place September 23. Click … Continue reading Want to Help People with Hearing Loss?
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Where Hearing Loss is the Norm
There’s one event a year where my hearing loss is not a factor in my ability to communicate. That’s the Hearing Loss Association of America’s annual Convention. This year’s convention was held in Minneapolis June 21st to June 24th. I don’t know how many attended but virtually everyone was deaf or hard of hearing – or … Continue reading Where Hearing Loss is the Norm
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The Noise of War
This Memorial Day, as we honor veterans with parades and flags and, yes, barbecues, we should remind ourselves of the toll that war takes on hearing. Two and a half million veterans have service-connected hearing disabilities. Tinnitus is the number-one claim for all service related disability, with more than 1.5 million veterans receiving disability benefits … Continue reading The Noise of War
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Not Much of a Joiner?
“I’ve never been much of a joiner.” I was encouraging an acquaintance with hearing loss to come to one of our HLAA Chapter meetings. I told her about our informative programs and guest speakers. I also said the meetings were a chance to meet other people with hearing loss. She agreed to give it a … Continue reading Not Much of a Joiner?
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Learn How to Listen
One of the ways I've learned to hear better with my severe hearing loss is by working with Geoff Plant, of the Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation, just outside of Boston. Over the course of a couple of summers, I would drive to Boston from my house in Western Mass. for a two hour session with Geoff. A … Continue reading Learn How to Listen
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Thank You Dan Rather
Sharing Mary Grace Whalen's recent blog post. via An Open Letter of Thanks to Dan Rather for Bringing Hearing Loss to the Forefront of a Discussion
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What Does a Hearing Aid Cost?
What does a hearing aid cost? At the moment, nobody really knows. We've heard anecdotally about cheaper hearing aids, more places to buy them, non-traditional hearing aids, and unprecedented insurance coverage. Hearing Tracker, HLAA and I put together this survey to see if we could spot some trends. Please fill out this survey so we … Continue reading What Does a Hearing Aid Cost?
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For Better Care for Older Adults, Think Hearing Loss.
Two scholarly papers published this month discussed the impact of hearing loss on patient communication in older adults. Both found that unrecognized hearing loss may have a serious negative impact on health care in the elderly. In the first, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on January 18, researchers Jan Blustein, a professor of … Continue reading For Better Care for Older Adults, Think Hearing Loss.
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Hats, Hoods and Other Hazards to Hearing
Winter is most definitely here and that means taking special care on icy sidewalks and slippery driveways, and keeping those fingers, toes and noses warm. For people with hearing loss, there may be other safety issues. Wearing a hat that covers the ears affects how well you hear. It’s like putting your hands over your … Continue reading Hats, Hoods and Other Hazards to Hearing
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 