Better Hearing Consumer

Gael’s Note:  My guest blogger this week is my friend Wanda Gower-James from Gisborne, New Zealand. I met Wanda in 2007 when I was speaking to the New Zealand Hearing Association in Christchurch. A year later she received a cochlear implant, and she shares this beautiful before and after story of her journey.  Te Ara Ora is Maori for ‘the

When I first waded into the Sea of Hearing Loss Communication, I didn’t know that its healing waters would soon change how I lived my life. Attending my initial meeting of people with hearing loss, I was astounded – truly flabbergasted – at the different strategies that people were using.  As they mingled over coffee and snacks, people were brazenly modeling

On Saturday night, with nothing else to do, the Hearing Husband and I thought we would go on a date night, maybe catch a movie and dinner. HH:   What’s showing? Me:   (reading)…hmm, two movies with superheroes saving the world, Finding Nemo in 3D, and a couple of teen romance flicks. Let’s do Nemo, he’s adorable. HH:   Just a minute – which

When I’m nervous, my hearing goes south, right through the floor. When crossing the border, for example, I have trouble understanding customs officers even though I have absolutely nothing to hide, the odd shopping spree aside. One of the most nerve-wracking human experiences – with or without hearing loss – is the job interview.  And for the hard of hearing person, the

Some of my friends love camping – at Camp Hilton. Others can pack a knife and a match and head happily into the bush. I grew up in a hotels ‘r’ us family, but now I’m a card-carrying camper. I love it, I really do, but camping does present some unique communication challenges. When our son was five, we bought

I have done some dumb things in my life, but one of the most absolutely ridiculous, un-self-aware things that I have EVER done, was to take a job as front desk receptionist for a professional association of chartered accountants. I mean, with my severe hearing loss, how did I honestly expect to successfully work a switchboard?! My only excuse was

I Heard A Bird A lovely bird was flying by, I called him to my side, And asked him to sing alone for me And then I told him why. “When you sit high up in trees, I cannot hear you singing, And if, by chance, I hear a bit, I can’t tell where you’re perching.” He looked me in

It’s my anniversary!   On August 15, 2011, following an invitation to join the editorial team at HearingHealthMatters.org,  I posted my first blog as the Better Hearing Consumer  – and I haven’t stopped writing since.  When people ask how I think of something to write week after week, my answer is that hearing loss touches every corner of our lives and so there

Do you get tired of using the same old phrases when you ask people to repeat themselves?  If so, spice up your life and change how you ask. The most exciting change would be not having to ask at all – to be able to understand people the first time, every time. This would spare everybody a lot of extra

What happens if the groom says “I Do,” and the bride says “Pardon?”  If you don’t hear your partner’s wedding vows, are you legally married? Some people dismiss a marriage certificate as just another piece of paper that has no bearing on the quality or substance of a committed relationship. That may be true for some folks, but I believe that