Better Hearing Consumer

For hearing aid and cochlear implant users, one of the most important people in our lives is our hearing care professional (HCP). This person has more influence on my peace of mind, bank account and quality of life than I would normally give to anyone not a husband, child, parent or BFF.  I see my HCP more frequently than I

Answer me this:  in one house, why do three TVs have to be on at the same time?  On the same station. With the sound on.  Loudly. Right now, in our house, the answer would be that the race is on to the Stanley Cup hockey playoffs. My stepson plays for one of the teams, and, at this point, every

“The healing power of even the most microscopic exchange with someone who knows in a flash precisely what you’re talking about because they experienced that thing too, cannot be overestimated.”   ― Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things “Come and sit here by me,” online pharmacy lariam with best prices today in the USA barked my great-grandmother Bonnie. “I can’t hear you

  I have a recurring nightmare. Technically I suppose it’s not a nightmare because I fret about this while I’m awake, not when I’m sleeping. online pharmacy zantac for sale no prescription I worry about being caught in a bank robbery – not doing the robbery, but being in the bank just when  Jesse James’ great-great-grandson decides to carry on

“I would not know how I am supposed to feel about many stories if not for the fact that the TV news personalities make sad faces for sad stories and happy faces for happy stories.”   Dave Barry I am a reader of faces. Not a professional one, although there is such a profession, according to several websites. Chinese doctors

This week, I’m doing something a little different. Hearing loss packs a powerful emotional punch, and many people use poetry to express its impact – rhyming verses, blank verse (which has rhythm but no rhyme), or a free-flowing collection of thoughts that don’t adhere to (or care about) any of the usual poetic rules. A few months ago, I received

Heard any good s’s lately? A person with hearing loss goes into a bar and asks, “What’s on tap?” The bartender replies, “I’ll tell ya.” They look at each other for a long moment, and finally the patron prompts, ‘So?” The bartender raises his eyebrows and replies, “So…what?” “So, don’t just say I’ll tell ya – and then don’t. So,

I don’t pretend to be a hearing care professional. But for anyone looking for non-biased, trial-and-error insider advice about hearing aids, I reckon that experience is worth at least a year or two of audiology courses. Maybe even a degree. Because after almost 40 years of hearing aid use, I’ve learned an important thing or two about hearing aids.  

Editor’s Note:  This week, I am delighted to welcome as guest blogger Katherine Bouton is the author of “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You,” which has just been reissued in paperback with a new introduction. She speaks and writes as an advocate for those with hearing loss, and she is a member of the Board of

“Hi, I’m Chelsea. Welcome to the Cacophony Café. I’d like to tell you about our specials tonight.” Our group of six is seated at a round table. This is a good thing, because it’s easy to see everyone. The restaurant is dark-ish and the noise is rising by the moment. This is not a good thing, because noise interferes with