Hearing loss is an invisible disability. There's no white cane or wheelchair to tip off others to your condition. Most people would not yell at someone in a wheelchair for blocking the aisle in a supermarket, or at a blind person for accidentally stepping in front of them. But every once in a while, I … Continue reading Gobsmacked by Rudeness. Frustrated by Technology.

  I travel a lot, and I know all the problems — big and small — that can occur when you need to bring myriad devices to help you hear. From annoyances like forgetting to pack backup batteries to major challenges like losing a crucial component of a cochlear implant when it falls off in … Continue reading Traveling with Chargers (and Hearing Aids)

Should hearing screenings be a part of your routine physical exam? by Katherine Bouton First posted on: AARP Health, December 14, 2015. — Getty Images THINK BACK to the last time you had a physical. Did the doctor ask you anything about your hearing? The answer is probably no. A 2011 analysis of studies on the effectiveness … Continue reading One Test Your Doctor Probably Isn’t Doing

Choosing the right holiday gifts can be a challenge. A sweater? (Again!) Chocolates or homemade cookies? (Oops, she’s on a diet.) Tickets to a Broadway show? (What if he hates musicals)? A beautiful scarf? (Maybe beautiful in your eyes but not necessarily in hers). If your loved one is hard of hearing, this is one time … Continue reading Holiday Gifts for the Hard of Hearing

The holidays are upon us – and that means gifts. For your friends and family with hearing loss, I’d like to suggest a gift that requires no hearing at all – the kind of respite that’s always welcome after a round of gala and NOISY holiday events. Books! Three friends and I have formed a … Continue reading Hearing Loss. Read All About It!

Santa Claus may be the hardest person on earth to lipread — or, more properly, speech read. He is, in fact, a speech reader’s nightmare, thanks to the big, fuzzy beard and mustache that obscure his lips, the tight, padded suit that restricts his movement, and his crinkly, barely visible eyes — not to mention those … Continue reading Say Again, Santa? Some Holiday Lipreading Advice

I love the five weeks that begin with Thanksgiving and end with New Year’s, but a part of me also thinks, “Bah, humbug.” That’s the part that knows I’ll struggle to follow conversations at family dinners, holiday parties, concerts and pageants. It’s also the part of me that will want to leave early, or maybe even … Continue reading How to Make the Holidays More Hearing-Friendly

Hi readers, I just discovered the comments section of my blog. Thank you all for your comments and compliments! And to those who suggested corrections, I will make them now. So sorry not to have seen this sooner. Katherine