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
LACE AI Pro Coaching Notes #7
Are you breezing through the Working Memory exercises in LACE AI? If so, add some background noise. The type of noise is important—choose verbal noise, such as the radio or people talking in the background. If you can systematically adjust the verbal noise to be louder or softer, that would be optimal. Find that sweet […]
Anxiety in people with hearing loss
Multiple studies have linked hearing loss with a greater chance of developing anxiety and experiencing psychological stress. Hearing loss can make it difficult to communicate and follow conversations, which may result in missing important information or social cues. This can cause feelings of exclusion and social anxiety. Some people with hearing loss also worry about their condition […]
Learn how to read lips No. 25
It’s so much easier to read lips when you know the topic! Can you guess the last word of the sentence when you know the topic in the video below? Related post: Learn how to read lips No. 24
LACE AI Pro is a missing piece in hearing loss rehabilitation
There is a missing piece in hearing loss rehabilitation. Researchers at the University of Louvain found that three factors impact comprehension as we age: processing speed, working memory, and distractibility (the ability to resist interference). They found that working memory in particular plays a crucial role in explaining age-related differences in language comprehension. The contribution […]
Can hearing aids affect your well-being?
A study found that people reported significantly lower fatigue and required less overall concentration at the end of the day when they wore hearing aids that day, compared to not wearing them. The study participants had significantly faster processing speed at the end of the day when they wore hearing aids that day, compared to […]
Lipreading the Desiderata
Desiderata has been a fixture in my home since forever. In remember as a child fixing my gaze on the last line: “Strive to be happy.” Can you lipread another two lines from Desiderata in the video below? Related post: Learn how to read lips #24
Hearing aid use linked to a reduction in falling
Older adults with hearing loss in both ears are half as likely to fall if they use hearing aids compared to their peers who do not wear hearing aids, according to a new survey analysis. Wearing the hearing aids consistently reduces this risk even further, the survey found. Related post: Multi-tasking affects balance in […]
LACE AI Pro Coaching Notes #6
Some people with hearing loss (PWHL) have vastly different word discrimination scores (WDS) between ears. If one ear is significantly poorer for WDS, I recommend initially training with the poorer ear only when using LACE AI. After 12-15 hours of training (roughly a month) with the poorer ear only, is there any improvement in Speech […]
Three things to do when you get hearing aids
In hearing loss rehabilitation, there’s a focus on technology and the expertise of hearing care professionals. However, there is an additional piece to consider: the role that people with hearing loss (PWHL) themselves play in shaping the outcome. Having hearing loss myself, I have identified key areas where PWHL should focus their time and effort. […]
Learn how to read lips No. 22
Context plays a vital role in lip reading. Knowing the topic, setting, what just happened, and what is about to happen will help you to anticipate what others are saying. Try it out in this video below! Related post: Learn how to read lips No. 21