Would You Cure Your Hearing Loss?

Katherine Bouton Healthy Hearing

Would you cure your hearing loss? At the moment, that’s a hypothetical question. A cure for hearing loss does not exist. But as Dr. Tom Friedman of the National Institutes of Health told an audience at the Hearing Loss Association of America’s annual convention in June, a cure for at least one type of hearing … Continue reading Would You Cure Your Hearing Loss?

Resilience

Katherine Bouton #HLAA., Cochlear Implants, Hearing Loss Association of America, Usher Syndrome

Whenever I am with a group of people with hearing loss, as I was last week at the annual convention of the Hearing Loss Association of America, I am impressed by the hurdles so many have overcome. Sudden or severe hearing loss is an ever-present challenge all on its own. So many at Convention, however, … Continue reading Resilience

Captions Wherever You Go

Katherine Bouton Captions for hearing loss, Healthy Hearing , ,

It’s rare that a new app or product comes on the hearing device market that seems revolutionary. But Google has come out with a voice to text app that is potentially game-changing for those of us with severe hearing loss. Although I have an excellent hearing aid and a state of the art cochlear implant, … Continue reading Captions Wherever You Go

Hearing Mom

Katherine Bouton Healthy Hearing

Sunday is Mother's Day. I miss my mom. But I especially miss all the things I didn't hear her say. In her 80s, my mother's mind and body succumbed to aging. She developed dementia, she had frequent falls and she often needed a wheelchair. But her hearing remained acute. Mine did not. After my father … Continue reading Hearing Mom

Theatre for All

Katherine Bouton lipreading , , ,

Theatre is one of the world’s oldest forms of entertainment, but in recent years I’d stopped going. My hearing loss was too big a barrier to enjoyment. Now, thanks to technology, I once again have access to theatre, and I’m loving it, On Easter Sunday afternoon my husband and I went to see The Ferryman, … Continue reading Theatre for All

It’s About Attitude

Katherine Bouton Smart Hearing

Ten years ago when my hearing dropped suddenly and severely, I despaired of ever living a hearing life again. Despite a cochlear implant and a sophisticated hearing aid, that despair seemed justified. I could hear, but I could not function in a hearing world Some terrible times are burned into my memory. Taking my daughter … Continue reading It’s About Attitude

Crowdsourcing Hearing Info

Katherine Bouton Healthy Hearing

The Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with the Hearing Loss Association of America (#HLAA) and the Ida Institute, an independent non-profit organization that promotes hearing health, has established an online forum where you can find support, answers to specific questions, share experiences and even gripe if you feel like it. The forum is monitored by Mayo Clinic staff as … Continue reading Crowdsourcing Hearing Info

Treating Hearing Loss Globally

Katherine Bouton Hearing Loss as a Disability

Earlier this month, marking World Hearing Day, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet announced the formation of a commission to study the impact of hearing loss across the globe.  Worldwide, more than 1.3 billion people have hearing loss and more than half a billion have disabling hearing loss. We usually think of hearing loss in … Continue reading Treating Hearing Loss Globally

Answers to Questions About Hearing Health

Katherine Bouton #HLAA., cognitive decline, Hearing Aids, Mayo Clinic, tinnitus, TV captioning

We all have questions about our hearing, our hearing aids, and our life with hearing loss. How can we enhance our hearing experience? How do we deal with hearing related issues like tinnitus and vertigo? How does hearing loss affect cognitive health? Sometimes these issues may be addressed at HLAA chapter meetings, or through informal … Continue reading Answers to Questions About Hearing Health

The Language of Disability: It Can Be Hard to Get It Right

Katherine Bouton Healthy Hearing

Last week I went to a panel discussion organized by the New York Museum Access Consortium. There were four panelists representing different disabilities and a moderator from MAC. The audience was made up mostly of people from disability rights organizations and museum personnel. The evening’s topic was “Mindful Communication.” Avoiding hurtful or offensive language when … Continue reading The Language of Disability: It Can Be Hard to Get It Right