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.

How Did I Hear Last Year? (2013 in Review)

It’s that time again. As 2013 gasps its last breaths, it’s time to review how well we met our personal goals for 2013, no matter how low we set them. My new year’s resolutions about communication and hearing technology were carried forward from the year before. This annual review of the same ol’ resolutions will probably go on for as

Reader’s Choice 2013: The Dark-and-Dirty Secret of People with Hearing Loss

This post is a Reader’s Choice selection for 2013. 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

Happy New Year!

Dear Readers: During this holiday season, the editors at Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) are taking some time off. However, we are not leaving you without anything to read on our blog this week. Instead, we are publishing a special holiday edition filled with what we call our Readers’ Choices. The Readers’ Choices are the posts published on each

♪ Do You Hear What I Hear? ♪

Very soon, I’m going to be an angel. Before you reach for the sympathy cards, I can assure you I feel fine; I’m not planning on leaving this earth any time soon. On Christmas Eve, I’m doing my annual gig at my church: as the Christmas Angel, I narrate the Nativity story at the early children’s service. It’s one of

It’s Me Again, Santa – the Lady with Hearing Loss?

Dear Santa, How are you? I am fine. Don’t you just love this time of year? What a dumb question – of course you do. You’re a rock star of the season! Ok, now that all the nicey-nice stuff is out of the way, I’ll tell you why I’m writing again. Yes, that’s right – again. I’m the HoH (hard

Dementia & Hearing Loss: Methinks Hearing Aids Are Not Enough

Note from Gael: I am pleased to welcome Dr. Sandra Vandenhoff as my guest author this week. Her post on hearing loss and dementia contains links to a number of interesting articles and studies. Sandra is an audiologist with hearing loss, founder of HEARa, Hearing Strategies coach, speaker, and Canadian author. She does not remember saying on her first day of wearing hearing aids: “Mom,

Featured image for “The Return of the Ear Noise”

The Return of the Ear Noise

Are you hearing noises? In your head? That nobody else is hearing? Welcome to the tinnitus club. Actually, I’m not the official meet ‘n’ greeter of the club because I’m somewhat new myself. While you may have had discordant symphonies playing between your ears for a long time, my head-noise switch has only recently flipped back on. What is

Featured image for “If I Were a Hearing Person….”

If I Were a Hearing Person….

When trying to remember a time of not having hearing loss, I can’t. That’s beyond the edges of remembering. But I can dream… If I were a hearing person…. I would wake in the morning, and immediately connect With the sounds of house-life around me Husband breathing, cats playing, cell phone vibrating There would be no noiseless pause as

Featured image for “Movember: A Lipreader’s Hell”

Movember: A Lipreader’s Hell

I have some serious issues with mustaches. First, I’m never quite sure how to spell it. Mustache is the American spelling; other English-speaking countries, including my own, spell it moustache. Then there’s mustachio, which sounds Italian but isn’t, and refers to an especially luxuriant growth of hair on the upper lip. Second, I don’t know why mustaches are even there. They

Featured image for “Am I a Hearing Loss Nut?”

Am I a Hearing Loss Nut?

Sometimes – just sometimes – when I mention hearing loss to my family or friends, I hear something, very soft, that I’m pretty sure is the sound of an inner groan. “Oh no, here it comes again. The hearing loss thing.” It’s not that my nearest and dearest don’t care about my hearing challenges, or don’t want to communicate with