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.

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The Two Most Painful Words (Still)

The following article, written by Lauren Sherwood in 2014, almost 10 years ago, is the most widely viewed article ever on HHTM. Her words still resonate with people who have hearing loss and their communication partners. Thank you, Lauren. I am one of an estimated 3.5 million hard-of-hearing Canadians. This doesn’t mean I don’t hear people. Every day, I hear conversations

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The Craziness of the New Hearing Aid User

Last week, I had rare hearing aid catastrophe which, for once, didn’t happen on a weekend. As I wait for the new one to arrive, I got to thinking about previous first days with new hearing aids. Day 1 11 am: Just got home. I hate to admit this, but about two miles after leaving the clinic, I pulled over. It

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“Have a Sense of Humor!”, They Say!

In article after book after website about living well with hearing loss, maintaining a sense of humor ranks high on the list of recommended strategies. When I read the advice suggesting we keep our hearing loss funny bone active, I want to yell, “But what if you don’t have one?” I’m not talking about getting jokes or being witty; I’m

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Hearing Aid Envy!

It’s a funny thing about hearing aid users. Our relationship with our devices, like any relationship, has its peaks and valleys. Some people tear them off at the end of the day for ‘peace and quiet’, while others wait until just before sleep, absorbing the last bit of sound from their day. In the early days, most of us drag

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What’s In Our Hearing Loss Stars?

Do you read your horoscope? I like to peek at mine now and again, because not only am I not psychic, sometimes I have trouble knowing what’s going on now, thanks to my hearing loss, which wipes out some of the clues. Sometimes my daily horoscope is a bullseye and other times it’s so far off I wonder if my

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Absorbing the Shocks of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is one of those gifts that keeps on giving. Once you have it, your hearing loss presents itself to you every day, in different ways. A poorly captioned TV show, a sales clerk whose lips point to her computer, a conversation with friends that spins out of control into incomprehension. Regardless of when hearing loss first occurs, experiencing one

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“Turn Down for What?” by Tiffany Storrs

Hearing health advocate, author and actress, Tiffany Storrs, who wears a Cochlear implant, unpacks why you really should. I’ll admit, DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s popular hit “Turn Down for What” has catchy lyrics and a funky beat, but in a literal context, “Fire up that loud” screams a hazardous message to directly ignore the fact that more than 1

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Shocking Sounds of Better Hearing

Most sounds fade away at some point or cease to surprise us, but others retain their shock appeal until – well, forever! When I received a cochlear implant on the right side in 2017, life changed – especially my auditory landscape. Not only did sounds become louder, but I seemed to be hearing many as if for the first time.

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I’m Tired of Saying “Pardon?”

One of the top activities in the life of a person with hearing loss is asking for something to be repeated. And repeated. And repeated. Even when a listening situation is optimal – there’s lots of light, no noise, the other person(s) are facing you and speaking clearly – there are bound to be moments where you must ask, “What

Featured image for “Losing Your Hearing and Wanting It Back”

Losing Your Hearing and Wanting It Back

Today I’m speaking at a conference of people with hearing loss – one of my favorite things to do. The shared emotions and experiences of people who ‘get’ each other is eternally inspiring to me. Usually, I have a grateful soul. I’m thankful for technology, the support of others and the passion for advocacy that my hearing loss has given