General

From the chronicles

Common emotions with hearing loss

When your emotions are normalized, you recognize that your feelings are a valid response to your situation. Understanding that others would likely feel the same helps to reduce distress. When I was studying to become an audiologist, my feelings about coping with hearing loss were normalized. This was life-changing for me! More information about common […]

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 […]

One grey-blue penguin amongst brown penguins

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 […]

Can you wiggle your ears?

Millions of years ago, our ancestors used the auricular muscles to move their ears towards sounds. Perhaps these muscles are redundant now because modern humans predominantly depend on visual and verbal communication. A Frontiers in Neuroscience study found that these muscles still activate in some people when listening gets challenging, especially the superior auricular muscles. […]

Reducing social isolation due to hearing loss

Hearing loss can lead to social isolation due to communication difficulties and withdrawal behaviours. Support from hearing care professionals can help normalize these feelings. The process starts with PWHL (people with hearing loss) meeting others with similar experiences, reducing feelings of isolation. In the second stage, PWHL practice communication strategies with those with normal hearing, […]

Adjusting to hearing loss

This blows my mind: people adjust to hearing loss before they even acknowledge that the hearing loss exists. A common adjustment for people with hearing loss (PWHL): bluffing. A common adjustment for significant others and family members: repeating themselves. For couples, it’s often about going out less and for shorter times. What kind of adjustments […]

My amazing hearing ear dog guide

My hearing ear dog’s name is Chanty. Her ability to transition from sleeping to running in response to a sound is amazing! I need her help mostly at night when I am not wearing my hearing devices. Hearing ear dogs are typically high energy due to their need to respond swiftly to brief sounds. After […]

This is challenging for people with hearing loss

A common pattern is that a talker will speak louder or slow down for the first part of a conversation, but then revert to their normal way of speaking soon after. This happens because people focus more on what they are saying than how they are saying it. So, what is the solution? Communication is […]

Hearing health in musicians

Musicians are aware of hearing health risks but lack sufficient discussion on the topic. A survey of 771 musicians revealed that while they recognize the necessity of hearing protection, they have concerns about its impact on performance quality. This indicates a need for more guidance and training to ensure effective protective measures without compromising musical […]

finger pointing to phrase trying new things

Learn how to read lips No. 15

When you are learning how to read lips, it can be helpful to know which sounds look alike. Sometimes you don’t hear a word because of background noise, but you do see it. If you know which sounds look alike, you can do a quick substitution in your mind when the first thing you see […]