Are you in a book club? If you’re hard of hearing, the answer may be no. Even a hearing book club member may miss a lot of the discussion. An estimated five million Americans are in book clubs,some of them are in more than one. I know people in couples’ book clubs, mother-daughter book clubs, … Continue reading Trouble Hearing in Your Book Club?
Hearing Loss
Dogs, Debates and Doorbells
My dog is trained to respond to the doorbell when it rings. During last night's Republican debate, the candidates repeatedly went over their time limit. The timer signal sounded just like our doorbell. Thus he barked through most of the debate, no doubt also agitated by the shouting and buffoonery on stage. He looks kind … Continue reading Dogs, Debates and Doorbells
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Reflections on Hearing Loss
Interview with Stu Nunnery, After hearing loss, Katherine Bouton finds new purpose in life. This paragraph about HLAA is just one part. Click on the link to read the whole interview. Stu: Hearing loss has many side effects short and long term and most troubling to many of us is the isolation, depression, and other long … Continue reading Reflections on Hearing Loss
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The Elusive Sound of Music
Hearing aids and cochlear implants are designed to maximize speech comprehension, which is as it should be. But for many of us, this means compromising on one of life’s joys, music. As Natalie Angier wrote in an article in Science Times last week, “In international surveys, people consistently rank music as one of life’s supreme sources of … Continue reading The Elusive Sound of Music
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Is Hearing Aid Insurance Worth It?
You undoubtedly have insurance for your important valuables. So should you get insurance for your precious hearing aid? The answer is yes, but not right away. New hearing aids come with a warranty from the manufacturer. The length of the warranty, usually up to three years, is based on the device’s level of technology, according … Continue reading Is Hearing Aid Insurance Worth It?
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Hearables, Earables and Earcles: Looking Ahead to 2016
I predict good things for people with hearing loss in 2016, especially in the field of technology, where new kinds of devices to improve hearing are booming. In fact, as the Washington Post recently noted, the hearing device market is in the midst of a "profound disruption" — from traditional hearing aids to lower-priced, nonprescription devices — … Continue reading Hearables, Earables and Earcles: Looking Ahead to 2016
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Hearing Loss? Think Opportunity.
“Hearing loss is such an adventure,” a new acquaintance wrote to me not long ago. This is one comment I’d never heard before. Wow, I thought, she really has reached that elusive state of acceptance. Many people talk about the hearing loss “journey,” from denial to anger to bargaining to depression to acceptance. But an adventure. … Continue reading Hearing Loss? Think Opportunity.
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New Study Suggests Hearing Aids May Help Protect Brain Health
For several years, studies have linked hearing loss and dementia, but no major study has addressed the big question: Could using hearing aids reduce the risk of cognitive decline? Now an important new French study finds that older adults who use hearing aids experience the same rate of cognitive decline as their peers with normal … Continue reading New Study Suggests Hearing Aids May Help Protect Brain Health
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“Sounds that Punch Right Into Your Hearing”
Are we out of our minds? Just when you think awareness of the dangers of noise might be beginning to catch on, you get a New York Times review of a pop concert headlined "Finding Balance in Braying, Shattering, Crackling Electronics." (Yes, The New York Times.) In case you think that's a rhetorical flourish, the critic … Continue reading “Sounds that Punch Right Into Your Hearing”
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Talking About Hearing Loss With Someone Who Doesn’t Want to Listen
The one question I am asked more than any other is: “How do I talk to my spouse about hearing loss?” Every time I try to bring the subject up, they say, the spouse brushes it off. “I can hear fine,” is the impatient reply. Or, “It’s because you mumble.” Or, “It’s too loud in … Continue reading Talking About Hearing Loss With Someone Who Doesn’t Want to Listen
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 