Better Hearing Consumer

Make your bed. Do your homework. Face your mom when you’re talking to her. Three simple house rules – is that too much to ask of my teenage son? I’m not reaching for the moon, or a spotless room or a 95% average. Just three basic life activities that should not be considered undue hardship.  The first two are meant to train

Where’s that voice coming from? Sound localization is one of the most challenging aspects of hearing loss. When I hear birds singing, I always look for them in the trees to my left, although they’re just as likely to my right, ahead or behind me. But I do hear the birds, so what do I care where they are? It

Ask the person with hearing loss what you can do to  improve communication:        Ensure the light is on your face and not behind you:    Get the person’s attention before beginning to speak:   Speak clearly and at a normal or slightly slower pace.  Do not shout or overemphasize your words, as this distorts speech and makes speechreading difficult:   Facial expressions

I’m a reasonably good cook, nothing fussy or time-consuming, but I do make a wicked vinaigrette.   While browsing the internet for recipes, I found these fundamentals of what makes a good cook – not a world-class chef, just a good cook: 1. Creativity combined with ability to follow a recipe 2. Sharp knives 3. Fresh ingredients But, for the hard of

You’re standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. You’re about to start your speech when you think, “I don’t know the lines. Or the play. Hey, I’m not even an actor!” The actor’s nightmare – every actor has a personal version. A friend of mine dreams of arriving at the theatre to find they’re doing Act III

People with hearing loss love to eat – because we are human, after all. But when we eat out, we enter one of our most challenging communication environments – The Restaurant. Whether it’s a hole-in-the-wall diner or a fancy establishment, most restaurants offer, along with the appetizer, main course and dessert, a fine selection of communication barriers: noise, bad lighting,

This will be a short blog. They say that to live successfully with hearing loss, you must keep your sense of humor. That makes sense; being able to see the funny side of things is an admirable quality. But what if the laugh-at-yourself gene didn’t make it into your DNA strand ? Hearing loss is a goldmine of laughs, especially

There’s never been a better time to have hearing loss. The stigma of hearing loss is disappearing.  Technology has given us an unprecedented, and undreamed, level of access that will only continue to improve. Cochlear implants have transformed lives and hearing aids are efficient things of beauty. Sure, we have a long way to go in all of these areas, but

When the lights go out, so does the conversation. (I’ll say right now that this blog does NOT refer to any intimate practices beyond speaking, whispering or the translation of a verbal message. If you’re looking for anything more titillating, you’re on the wrong site.) A fundamental truism for people with hearing loss: the better the lighting and the lower

Even though I’m still relatively young, I like looking back at  significant events in my life. Some are pretty obvious – turning 18, leaving home, getting my first hearing aid, first wonderful job, meeting husband, marrying husband, birth of child at age 41. Some events only gain significance with hindsight, “Wow, THAT sure changed my life!” I came upon an unexpected