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
To Hear the Stars Sing
In the movie Revolutionary Road, the last scene is powerful and apt—a man turns down his hearing aid while pretending to listen to his wife. He is doing more than just ignoring. He is escaping from her. In A Screaming Kind of Day, a beautifully illustrated children’s book by Rachna Gilmore, a young hearing impaired […]
Selective Hearing Versus Hearing Loss
Have you ever accused someone with hearing loss of having selective hearing? I’ve heard this accusation at times from significant others. This may be an unfair accusation when applied to someone with hearing loss. By its very nature, hearing loss results in selective hearing. First of all, people with hearing loss have to pay attention […]
Introverts More Impacted by Hearing Loss
At the Saskatchewan Hearing Health Conference this year, a group of women were enjoying a fine dinner at Golf’s Steakhouse. All of us live with hearing loss: three of us have hearing loss, and the fourth is a mother of two young children with hearing loss. Among other things, we talked about our differences as […]
Upside-Down Thinking
I recently spent two weeks at Yasodara ashram, a Yoga Retreat and Study Centre. While I was there, I used an FM system in classes and satsangs. Unexpectedly, I ran into some technology glitches. I had programmed my FM transmitter to hold six different FM channels. Normally, in a city, with all the accompanying sources […]
Second Chances
On my way to the Saskatchewan Hearing Health Conference, I picked up Louise Penny’s latest book to read on the plane. The dedication took my breath away: “This book is dedicated to second chances— Those who give them And those who take them.” I put the book down and thought of second chances. How precious […]
Ear Candles and Cotton Swabs to Manage Ear Wax: No, No, No!
As we all know, our ear canals produce wax. For some people, ear wax builds up much faster than others. If there is a large amount of wax build up, a temporary hearing loss can result. What should you do? In the vast majority of cases, the ear canal does not need to be cleaned. […]
Trouble Understanding?
How to Ask For Help So Others Will “Hear” You Susan Binzer, an audiologist, identified five keys to success for people with hearing loss when they ask others for help. Use “I” statements. Do not blame others. Example: Instead of “Your hand is in the way!” try “Excuse me—I will understand you better if […]
Words That Hurt
Why You Should Not Say “Never Mind” to a Person With Hearing Loss The following is from the book A Quiet World, by David G. Myers, a psychologist with hearing loss. “Never mind.” How familiar those words are to the hard of hearing. “Ted said that the doctor wanted her…” “I’m sorry?” “Ted said […]
How to Remind People about your Hearing Loss
Eighteen years ago, I read an article entitled, “Reminding Them When They Forget,” an article co-authored by Dr. Sam Trychin, a psychologist and educator. This article has stayed with me for all of these years, because it’s practical. I’ll give you a short recap here. It’s a fact of life—for people with hearing loss that […]
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 […]