Gael Hannan

Gael Hannan is an author, speaker and advocate on hearing loss issues. In addition to her weekly blog at the Better Hearing Consumer, which has a passionate international following, Gael has written two acclaimed books, “The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss”and “Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss”, written with Shari Eberts. She is regularly invited to present her uniquely humorous and insightful work to appreciative audiences around the world. Gael has received many awards for her work that advocates for individuals to become more knowledgeable and successful at dealing with their hearing loss and a more inclusive society for them to live in.

Featured image for “How to Deal With Behind-the-Mask Blabbling”

How to Deal With Behind-the-Mask Blabbling

After a year, I’m changing how I deal with masked communication difficulties. I still don’t like wearing masks. It unnerves me that they are going to be a standard facial accessory for a long time to come. But I will continue wearing them, because I don’t believe being asked to wear one is an infringement on heaven-sent rights. Anyone who’s

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I Hear What Ruben Hears in ‘Sound of Metal’

I finally watched ‘Sound of Metal’, prepared to dislike it intensely. Truth? I was hoping I would dislike it intensely, because of everything I’d heard: how it got so much wrong about cochlear implants (CI), its single-note depiction of Deaf Culture bias against cochlear implants, its misrepresentation of how hearing health professionals work and, most importantly, how it left out

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Let’s Not DO This, People with Hearing Loss!

A friend of mine posted the above meme this morning, which was adapted from an article by Adam Grant for the New York Times. It stopped me cold. Languishing: the void between depression and flourishing – the absence of well-being. Exactly! This is exactly how so many of us are feeling these days. It’s been more than a year since

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“Excuse Me, I LOVE Your Hearing Device!”

As a user of hearing technology, do you ever catch yourself looking at other people’s ears? With the popularity of earbuds, headphones, and AirPods and other “hearables”, we don’t have to look too long find someone with something in or on their ears. But then, there it is! A glint of silver behind the ear, an almost imperceptible bit of

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Pity the Partner of a Person with Hearing Loss

Do you live in a mixed marriage or relationship – where one person has typical hearing and the other has hearing loss? How’s that working out for you? For years, I have been writing about my Hearing Husband. (His given name is Doug, but he responds reasonably well to “Hearing Husband”.) The man has supported and cheered me through years

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Could You Use a Better Hearing Loss Attitude?

Do you ever go online looking for advice from other people? And have you ever shifted your way of thinking about your hearing loss or tinnitus because of something you read there? There is some seriously life-changing information out there, folks! I’m not talking about the stuff that hearing science is still trying to work out – such as how to scientifically get

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Coming Through Covid (with Hearing loss and Tinnitus)

For readers of my weekly column, some of you may have noticed my absence for the past few weeks. If you haven’t – well, I’ve missed you! I’ve been busy – being sick with Covid. There, I’ve said it. If you’re like me, you’ve spent the entire last year trying to do everything right. You’ve followed the guidelines, sorting through

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Barter Beads: A Story of Childhood Hearing Loss

by Abha Sharma There is no first memory of the barter beads. But they were the constant buddies in my school bag. A fistful or so was all that was needed. The protocol was simple: a casual remark, and my list of questions on the classes, preceded or followed by an offer of beads. Colorful beads! “Can I ask you

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Diary of a New Hearing Aid User

A few years ago, one of my colleagues at HearingHealthMatters.org wrote a column encouraging new hearing aid clients to make notes on their experiences. I wrote a semi-fictional article and this is an updated version. Hearing aids improve all the time, but the breaking-in experience doesn’t. However, the day does come when you realize you can’t even feel the devices

Featured image for “People with Hearing loss – Who Speaks for Us?”

People with Hearing loss – Who Speaks for Us?

As we work to find ways to make the hearing loss life more do-able, we often turn to social media to express opinions and ask for advice. When we share stories or anecdotes on FaceBook or other social media, it’s understood that we are writing our own opinions, our own experiences, unless we indicate otherwise. I’m a writer who has hearing