Better Hearing Consumer

As a teenager with hearing loss, I often wondered “Why me?” It’s tough enough being a teenager, let alone one with a communication challenge. My friends didn’t need to sit at the front of the class in school. They could whisper secrets. I felt left out, even embarrassed at my difference. But over a long period of time (we’re talking

(Note: I’ve adapted this blog from my 2016 article, Drinks, Dementia and Hearing Loss. A great title, but as I don’t want to confuse Google, I’ve tacked on a couple of important words.) For those who have hearing loss and/or chronic tinnitus, news of breakthrough cures or treatments makes our hearts beat faster. Then it becomes: yeah, yeah, tell us

Ask me how my summer has been, and I will be honest: it’s been a mixed bag. Some great fun, sure, but it’s also the summer when I got a new hearing aid AND a new cochlear implant sound processor. AND new apps on my phone that stream them. All within a few weeks! Summer stress: device adjustments, sound levels,

I’ve been writing about telecoils and looped things for a long time now. So has almost every hearing health advocate I know, especially the indomitable Dr. Juliette Sterkens. Why do we keep shouting and writing about it? Because we’re passionate about their beneficial, positive impact on our quality of life. Because too many hearing care providers still pooh-pooh telecoils as

Don’t you just hate the “entertaining” clickbait that exists solely to gather our personal information and sell questionable products?  You won’t believe what this big star looks like now! Drink this every day for a week and you’ll have the flattest belly in town! And there’s the hearing loss and tinnitus clickbait:             One pill a day will stop that

With hearing loss, a person may perceive sounds as distorted or too soft to make sense of, and of course they may not hear them at all. ‘Hearing’ people may have difficulty grasping this because when a sound happens, they hear it. They can’t help it – it’s a human superpower they take for granted. And get this: not only

Have you ever felt emotions about ‘something’, but you can’t find quite the right word to describe them? Often when we can’t find the right word for an emotion, it’s because it doesn’t exist!  I’ve been reading a fascinating book called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, which is infinitely more enjoyable than the title suggests. It’s a

It’s that time of the day. My hearing devices have done their duty – and I’m done with them. They need a break to recharge from their job of amplifying the world, of trying to make sense of words, of trying to identify the multiple swishhh-sounds that could be anything from a fan to the dishwasher or a passing car.

I just returned from the first live convention of the Hearing Loss Association of America since 2019, pre-pandemic days. It was just as awesome, fun, and inspiring as ever. Also hot and steamy – Tampa in June is not the coolest place on earth. But that’s a minor quibble. The following is why I believe that every person with hearing

Both of my parents used to say I’m just going to rest my eyes for a bit. As kids, we knew that we were about to be tuned out. Nothing in the world requiring their attention at this minute was going to get it. We had to find someone else to bother, because mom and dad were closing their lids