Better Hearing Consumer

I know that Santa’s main focus is stuff for children, and not expensive toys for adults, life-changing events, medical breakthroughs, or governmental policy changes. But a person can dream, right?  This year’s letter to Santa Claus (or St. Nick or any of the many other names the dear fellow goes by) is also for his partner, Mrs. Claus. I don’t

I love reading the stories of people who have changed their stories. People who face adversity – health challenges, economic restrictions, social prejudices. Or who are simply bored or dissatisfied with their life direction and want to change their stars. Last week, I profiled Francisca Morneault Rouleau, a woman with hearing loss who become an audiologist. This week, Matthew Wren of

Francisca Morneault Rouleau is an audiologist and clinic owner in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. She was recently honoured by the local business development organization, CBDC Madawaska, as Youth Entrepreneur of the Year. On their application for the award, candidates are asked to name any role models or inspiration for their work, and I was equally honoured to hear that Francisca

What goes through your mind when you notice that shiny arc of silver behind the ear of someone you don’t know? If you’re a hearing person, you might think, “OK, that person is hard of hearing” and that’s the end of it. Especially if you’re standing behind him or her in the grocery checkout, or you’re both pushing shopping carts

Giana is six years old and was born profoundly deaf. She is an enchanting child – I can tell this only from her picture, however, because I’ve never met her. But her mother, Gina, says that this is pure Giana, a beautiful laughing girl, who is also deaf and who has been struggling in her early school years.  Gina contacted

We people with hearing loss are very fussy. Communication has to be just so, and if we don’t get it the way we want or need it, we can get grumpy. Especially if we’ve explained it a million times to someone before. We do go easier on strangers, but if they are challenged by our requests, our good humor is

by Renee Iseli   About 30 years ago, a couple of years after my hearing loss began, I started to notice a high-pitched noise in my head. I heard it when my environment was absolutely quiet, but it was masked when I was surrounded by the daily noises of life. Since I didn’t know what it was or where it

People with hearing loss who embrace assistive technology often do so with a passion. And why not? These deceptively simple-looking marvels mean the difference between connecting and isolation.  We love to tell people, whether they’re interested or not, about our amazing hearing aids, sound processors, streamers, and wireless units that connect us to our music, TVs and other people.  My

Don’t you just love when people throw out those sayings and clichés to help you through a situation?  Like, when one door closes, another opens. What’s that supposed to mean for a person with hearing loss – that when you lose your hearing, you appreciate your eyes a lot more?  That might be true, but I wouldn’t think, oh OK,

I’m pleased to welcome Ed McGee as my guest writer this week, who shares his story of coming through Ménière’s, hearing loss and a curtailed lifestyle, to a new world of hearing and activity.    I remember my first episode with vertigo in 1977. I had developed Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes vertigo, and with