Chronicles of a deaf Audiologist
Rehabilitation beyond hearing aids and cochlear implants: lipreading instruction, brain/auditory training and communication strategies.
Success for Hearing Better
HEARa is dedicated to the idea that people need the right information, at the right times, to be successful with hearing loss. HEARa’s mission is to reach out to adults with hearing loss and say—keep going. Learning about your hearing loss should be a lifelong process.
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From the chronicles
Is everyone mumbling? You might have hearing loss
It can be frustrating for a significant other to be accused of mumbling. Hearing loss can make common, everyday words difficult to recognize. Most people who have permanent, age related, or noise induced hearing loss usually have a sloping hearing loss, which means they don’t hear the high pitch sounds clearly. Consonant sounds are high […]
Learning How to Read Lips No. 5
Learning how to lipread is all about restricting the possibilities. This is a shared responsibility. Since communication is a two way street, clear communication is ALWAYS a shared responsibility. As a speaker, I can limit the possibilities when the other person is having difficulty understanding. I can say, “I am talking about my career aspirations,” […]
Tip for Communicating with People who have Hearing Loss | Get Attention First
If you have hearing loss, it’s important to ask people to get your attention before speaking. You might not necessarily know that the other person is speaking to you unless they get your attention. If you miss the first few words, that’s valuable information about the topic that you are missing. If they call your […]
When You’re Learning How to Read Lips No. 4
When you are learning how to lipread, it can be really helpful to get some instruction on lipreading theory. For example, knowing which sounds look alike can be helpful. If the first thing you see doesn’t make sense, then you can do a quick substitution of another sound. This takes practice in addition to knowledge […]
How can people with hearing loss reach their full potential?
How can PWHL (people with hearing loss) reach their full potential? Many PWHL wait years to get hearing aids. Over this period of years, a person adjusts to hearing loss. Many adjustments are made without explicitly discussing them with friends, family members, and co-workers. Examples include withdrawing, watching TV in different rooms, bluffing our way […]
I created a Lipreading Challenge on YouTube
I created a Lipreading Challenge to provide quality, free content for people who would benefit. What do I get out of it? I am hoping to find PWHL (people with hearing loss) who want to learn even more. Playlist for Lipreading Challenge here. Check out my online classes at https://heara.ca/programs/
Learning How to Read Lips No.3
Knowing the topic can be really helpful when you are learning how to read lips. If you know the topic, you can anticipate the vocabulary that is associated with that topic. So if you miss a couple of words, you can fill in the blanks more easily! Try it out! Click on the play button […]
This is what I wish more people understood about hearing loss rehabilitation
There is so much more to hearing rehabilitation than hearing aids. Hearing aids are a good step in hearing loss rehabilitation. But hearing aids are not the ONLY step. There are other options for rehabilitation, such as auditory training, lipreading instruction, and learning about communication strategies. This is true if you are not ready for […]
When will hearing loss rehabilitation be a bigger discussion?
I’m just sitting here waiting for hearing loss rehabilitation to be a bigger discussion. There is a tendency in hearing care to focus on hearing aids. Aural rehabilitation is seen as something done by other professionals or not at all. With hearing aids, immediate outcomes can vary from person to person. Many adults with acquired […]
A tip to save battery power on your hearing aid
When you get a low battery warning on your hearing aid, remember that actual time between low battery warning and shutdown will vary depending on noise level in your environment. If you are not near a charger or if you don’t have extra batteries with you, reduce the sound levels. Turn off any background music, […]