Better Hearing Consumer

Featured image for “I’m Hard of Hearing and I Need a Communication Specialist”
Apr. 15, 2014

I’m Hard of Hearing and I Need a Communication Specialist

Gael Hannan
By Dr. Charles Laszlo   I am a hard of hearing person who wears hearing aids.   People think this solves all my communication problems – after all, that’s what the hearing aid advertisements say, don’t they?  But I have many communication needs that require more than hearing aids can provide. There are many faces to the hard of hearing person.
Featured image for “No(ah), No(ah) – It’s Too Loud!”
Apr. 08, 2014

No(ah), No(ah) – It’s Too Loud!

Gael Hannan
In hindsight, we should have picked the movie about the spelling bee over the cute animals marching two by two into Russell Crowe’s ark. I mean, how loud can a spelling bee be, whereas Noah turned out to be a surprise candidate for the Loudest Movie I’ve Ever Seen award.  But who knew?  The other choices for a movie night
Featured image for “Wanted: The Perfect Hearing Care Professional”
Mar. 31, 2014

Wanted: The Perfect Hearing Care Professional

Gael Hannan
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
Featured image for “What’s That Noise in My House?”
Mar. 25, 2014

What’s That Noise in My House?

Gael Hannan
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
Featured image for “The Golden Thread: Connecting People with Hearing Loss”
Mar. 18, 2014

The Golden Thread: Connecting People with Hearing Loss

Gael Hannan
“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
Featured image for “Hearing What the Bad Guys Say”
Mar. 10, 2014

Hearing What the Bad Guys Say

Gael Hannan
  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
Mar. 04, 2014

Hearing Loss – It’s All in the Face

Gael Hannan
“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
Featured image for “The Poetry of Hearing Loss”
Feb. 24, 2014

The Poetry of Hearing Loss

Gael Hannan
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
Featured image for “Hearing That Pesky ‘S’”
Feb. 17, 2014

Hearing That Pesky ‘S’

Gael Hannan
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,
Featured image for “Nitty-Gritty Tips from a Hearing Aid User”
Feb. 11, 2014

Nitty-Gritty Tips from a Hearing Aid User

Gael Hannan
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.