Better Hearing Consumer

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

“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

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

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

    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

        I’m on holidays for a few weeks, but am pleased to offer this popular post in case you missed it the first time around – Some Shocking  Truths About Hearing Loss   Hearing loss is one of those gifts that keeps on giving. Once you have it, your hearing loss presents itself to you, every day, in

Almost every day I read about a new hearing loss study, research or statistics. Most of them sound exciting and others are single-eyebrow-raising, such as surveys announcing how many of us actually have hearing loss. The stats for the overall population seem to fluctuate a great deal, from the often-quoted but urban myth of 10% to between 16-25%. Why the

I’m packing for a month at the lake – but one thing I’m not taking with me is my hearing loss. Yup, I’ve made up my mind. I’m taking a break from the stress, the demands and the accommodations that are the fabric of my personal hearing loss life. No, I won’t be trying to pass myself off as ‘hearing.’

From Gael Hannan:  This week’s blog is an interesting and emotional reflection written for a class assignment by Jacqueline Arsenault, a Speech-Language Pathology Masters student at the University of Toronto. It was partly inspired by my workshop on bluffing, The Masks of Hearing Loss (Bluffing 101), which I had presented to  her Aural Rehabilitation class, a course taught by my

Summer’s here, whoo-hoo! Hot weather, summer rain, swimming, fresh air parties, and simply being outside. What’s not to love about summer? Well, there’s bugs. Heat rash. Sunburn. Bad pedicures. And to be even more of a wet blanket, all that fabulous summer living poses a threat to both our hearing and our hearing devices, with Loud Noise and Moisture sharing