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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We, The Battery-Operated People

I am totally driven by battery power. A battery houses one or more electric cells that produce electricity from a chemical reaction. Cells make things work, including people. The human body is composed of 100 trillion cells that turn food nutrients into energy that allows people to move and function. So as a human being, I am a battery; I

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When Strangers Speak: A Hearing Loss Challenge

If I want to understand speech, I have to hear it, or see it, or use an exquisitely-performed marriage of the two. How I decide on the ratio of hearing-to-seeing depends on the speaker and the medium. For example, the telephone uses 100% hearing because I do well with the voice coming directly into my ear, and with the volume control

The Easy Lessons of Hearing Loss

It’s EASY to convince ourselves that we’re doing ‘fine’ with our hearing loss: That we’re catching most of what’s said, Well, at least the important stuff – the rest’s not really worth listening to And no, we don’t intend to do anything about it Like getting a hearing aid or cochlear implant – Those are for other people, who have

The Dark-and-Dirty Secret of People with Hearing Loss

Hearing loss changes lives. I know this because without hearing loss, I’d be married to a completely different guy and my son would look very different – like a girl, maybe? And I know this because of the secret vice that interfered with my marital selection process. My dark-and-dirty secret is that I’m a bluffer. Yup, I pretend to understand

Whoop-Whoop! Is That Music Too Loud?

It finally happened. The most significant, life-changing, tear-duct emptying, hallelujah-raising event in the life of parents finally arrived for the Hearing Husband and me. Yesterday, we delivered our baby boy, Joel, all 6 feet 5 inches of him, to university for the first time. On top of being both exciting (for the child) and emotional (for his parents), it was

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Wow Moments – A Heart Grateful for Hearing

Wow! WOW! As of this week, wow has taken on a new meaning, thanks to a book called Help, Thanks, Wow. I picked up this short and unusual book on prayer simply because it’s written by one of my favorite, funniest authors, Anne Lamott (to whom I’m eternally grateful for this new life-dimension). She describes wow as: “… often offered

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What the Hearing Husband Really Thinks

“You want me to WHAT?” he asked. I tried again. “For this week’s blog, I would like you to answer some questions about what it’s really like being married to a woman with hearing loss.” “ANY woman with hearing loss – or just YOU with hearing loss?” “Well, since you’re married only to me, and I’m hard of hearing, feel

What’s in the Stars for People with Hearing Loss

I’m not very psychic. I have to be knocked flat on my butt before I see things coming, although often it’s because I didn’t hear them. I don’t believe in astrology, either, but like many zodiac pooh-pooh’ers, I do peek at my horoscope now and then. Sometimes it hits the bulls-eye and other times it’s so far off I wonder

The Rules of the (Hard of Hearing) Game

No cottage vacation is complete without games – playing on the dock, on the porch late at night when it’s too hot to sleep, or inside around the kitchen table during a thunderstorm. An old Ontario favorite cottage game (almost as much fun as holding your breath underwater for so long that your mom jumps in, fully dressed and holding her drink, to

Best of Better Hearing Consumer: Speak Up, Doc, I’m Hard of Hearing

I’m on vacation this week, but wanted to share an early Better Hearing Consumer post that you may have missed – Speak Up, Doc, I’m Hard of Hearing OK, people with hearing loss, think quickly now. What’s the most challenging aspect of going to the hospital, doctor, or dentist? The eye exam where you can’t