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?
Healthy Hearing
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
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In Rural Areas Where Audiologists are Rare, Telemedicine Can Help
In November, the FDA issued a ruling that will make life easier for cochlear implant recipients living in rural areas. Implant surgery and immediate follow-up for mapping and programming must be done at a medical center or specialized clinic, but the new FDA ruling would allow remote programming for later adjustments. The audiologist and patient … Continue reading In Rural Areas Where Audiologists are Rare, Telemedicine Can Help
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One Step Closer to Prevention of Hereditary Hearing Loss
Almost half of all hearing loss has an underlying genetic cause. Late-onset hearing loss, which occurs after the acquisition of speech, may appear in generation after generation, often progressing to a severe or even profound loss. Or it may skip generations, passing the faulty gene along to unsuspecting offspring. Those affected, even if they were … Continue reading One Step Closer to Prevention of Hereditary Hearing Loss
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Let’s Make Hearing Loss a Visible Disability
Hearing loss is often referred to as an invisible disability, because there are no telltale markers -- no wheelchair, no white cane. It’s invisible even compared to Deafness, with its vibrant silent language. For a long time, people with hearing loss wanted to keep it invisible. They wanted hearing aids no one could see, they … Continue reading Let’s Make Hearing Loss a Visible Disability
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Emergency Preparedness for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
This past summer, people all over the world experienced floods, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes and terrorist attacks, not to mention a host of other catastrophes. This is an old column but I thought it was worth reposting. . It goes without saying that everyone should be prepared with an emergency plan. But for people with hearing … Continue reading Emergency Preparedness for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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About Those OTC Hearing Aids
Thanks to Gael Hannan for inviting me to write about Over the Counter hearing aids for her column this week, on Hearing Health and Technology Matters. http://hearinghealthmatters.org/betterhearingconsumer/2017/4790/ This puts together much of what I have written previously on the subject, in one tidy package.
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Great News for People With Hearing Loss
Today the Senate passed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, which HLAA has actively supported, in the belief that this will bring relief to millions of Americans who do not now have hearing aids and improve hearing services for people with all levels of hearing loss. You can read HLAA's press release here: Senate Passes the … Continue reading Great News for People With Hearing Loss
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The Toll of Hearing Loss is Global
A new study published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet offers an unblinking look at the tremendous burden of hearing loss worldwide. “Global hearing health care: new findings and perspectives” was published on July 10th. The authors are Blake S. Wilson, Debara L. Tucci, Michael H. Merson and Gerard M. O’Donoghue. The first and … Continue reading The Toll of Hearing Loss is Global
