Almost a year after the passage of the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, I was curious to know if the bill and the attendant publicity had affected the hearing aid marketplace. So I asked an expert: Abram Bailey of Hearing Tracker. OTC hearing aids won't be on the market for months, if not years. But the … Continue reading Hearing Aid Facts and Figures
Do Your Hearing Aids Sweat?
It’s hot. And humid. Perfect weather for ruining your hearing aids. Moisture. Whether it’s humidity or sweat, getting caught in a downpour, or diving into the pool, moisture is terrible for your hearing aids. It’s damaging to the delicate inner workings (the microphone, flexible circuit board, disposable battery, receiver and antenna). And it can clog … Continue reading Do Your Hearing Aids Sweat?
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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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One Potential Way to Cure Hearing Loss
At the end of May (May 30), a few days after Americans honored Veterans on Memorial Day, a New England biotech company announced that it had received a grant from the Department of Defense to research a therapeutic opportunity that may help reverse hearing loss. A 2015 study of almost 50,000 soldiers showed that peak … Continue reading One Potential Way to Cure Hearing Loss
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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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Debunking the Stigma of Age
Whenever I give talks, there’s one Power-Point slide I use that surprises people. That’s because it directly contradicts the notion that hearing loss is something for the elderly. As this graph shows, hearing loss is for all of us, male or female, at any age. The majority of people first realize they have hearing loss … Continue reading Debunking the Stigma of Age
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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?
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 