Better Hearing Consumer

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

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

In last week’s article, I relived the agonies of waiting for my name to be called in a busy clinic. Here’s the next part of the all-too-common medical appointment story. Having escaped from the waiting room zoo, I was waiting to see my new ENT specialist in, hallelujah, a real room, with a door. My previous ENT believed in the

On a recent road trip in the US, I needed to talk to my doctor in Canada. A simple, accessible telehealth appointment cleared up my issue. On the screen and using my assistive devices, I could see him, hear him and speechread him. I didn’t have to ask him to speak louder, because I controlled the volume on my devices.

  My son is getting married on Saturday. This is one of those monumental life events, not only for the bride and groom, but for me – my only shot at being the mother of, in this case, the groom. And at this wedding, I want to hear my boy Joel and his girl Jacqui say their vows. It will

In my single days, when any random guy entered my field of vision, my eyes would slide to his ring finger on a quick intelligence-gathering mission: why waste precious flirting time with someone who is spoken for? While I still do this on occasion, out of habit, I’m more likely wherever I go—the grocery store, a restaurant—to aim my sight

You’ll be told that your hearing’s so murky and muddy, your case calls for special intensified study. They’ll test you with noises from far and from near and you’ll get a black mark for the ones you can’t hear. Then they’ll say, “My dear fellow, you’re deafer than most. But there’s hope, since you’re not quite as deaf as a

How much does it matter – losing one’s hearing? That’s a silly question, unless we ask: who does it matter to? It obviously matters to those of us who have it, because it colors and shapes almost everything we do. How we accept and deal with it is personal, a lifelong journey. But does hearing loss matter to people who

I can’t hear through walls and around corners. A more accurate statement would be that I can’t understand through walls and around corners. If I don’t see the sound source or, if I can’t see the lips of the human making the sound, I usually do not understand. Those walls and corners cause sound shadows. Also known as an acoustic

Recently, on a walk in the woods, I sensed a half-forgotten fragrance. It was the smell of tall cedars, firs and undergrowth warming up after the winter – earthy, sweet, green. I hadn’t smelled it for a long time, and it came with a jolt of pleasure. Over the next couple of days, I experienced similar smells that I felt