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.
Areas of interest for hearing improvement
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From the chronicles
Four Ways to Have Meaningful Conversations
According to a study published in Psychological Science by researchers at the University of Arizona, people who have meaningful conversations are happier than those who primarily engage in small talk. The study looked at the different kinds of conversations among people who are happy and those who are unhappy. Participants were requested to wear an […]
Seven Tips For Hearing Better in Restaurants
Pick the best seat: Don’t hesitate to tell the restaurant hostess—before she leads you to your table—that where you sit makes a big difference. The job of the hostess is to get people seated quickly, so if you think a location is going to be problematic, don’t agree to sit there. Explain to others in […]
LACE Training Strategy: Let It Happen
Today’s blog is written by a guest, Lorraine Watson. Lorraine recently completed her LACE auditory training program. She had an insight during training that will be helpful to others. I will let Lorraine explain it her way. I finally gave in. But at least I can say I didn’t give up. In my world the […]
How Can You Convince Someone to Get Hearing Aids?
Do you know someone who has hearing loss, but refuses to get hearing aids? How do you convince someone to get hearing aids? There are links between untreated hearing loss and depression, reduced earning power, and overall poorer quality of life. That’s alarming. But facts such as these will not convince someone to get hearing […]
Overcome Ridiculous Listening Conditions
I am coaching an audiologist on the LACE (Listening and Communication Enhancement) program. This week she said, “It’s ridiculous how fast the voices are in the Rapid Speech task. In real life, if someone was talking that fast, I’d say, ‘I have normal hearing and I can’t understand you, so you better slow down.” A-ha! […]
Mindset and Hearing Loss
Here’s a powerful statement that caught my eye from Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success: “How can we know where effort and time will take someone?” People tend to think of their communication and listening skills as fixed and unchanging. They don’t realize that with time and effort, both their listening and […]
Take the “Try” Out of Your Hearing Aid Trial Period
Hearing aid trial periods are sometimes mis-used. People can initiate a trial period without making a full commitment to themselves to make it work. Denise Linn wrote, “In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker hesitantly says he will ‘try’ to complete a task. Yoda, the warrior mystic, replies: ‘No! Not try. Do, or not do.’ Anytime you […]
Let’s Talk About Rules
This page is a continuation of a discussion in my e-book, Hearing Aids: We All Win When They’re In! A Guide for Significant Others. Let’s talk about rules. Here are the rules I listed in the e-book: Fess up. Don’t talk from another room. Look down at the menu. Tell people how to help. No […]
Seven Questions to Ask When Shopping For a Hearing Care Professional
Who do your friends recommend: If you have neighbours, friends, or colleagues with hearing aids, ask them where they got their hearing aids. Are they satisfied with their hearing care professional? Word-of-mouth referrals are gold for any clinic. Office Location: Is the location convenient for you? You will be forming a relationship with this clinic. […]
Are You Bluffing?
I had to laugh when I saw the “Puffy Shirt” episode of Seinfeld when Kramer’s girlfriend, who talked very quietly, asked Jerry to wear a feminine, puffy shirt that she had designed. He didn’t hear her, so he asked her to repeat. She repeated herself, but he still didn’t hear. He asked her to repeat […]