Hearing News Watch

By David H. Kirkwood For audiologists and other hearing healthcare providers, there’s been no more disturbing development in recent years than the explosion in the sale of hearing aids directly to consumer sales. When hard-of-hearing consumers buy hearing aids without the care of a trained professional, practitioners lose out on the revenues they would have received if these consumers had

COWLEY, UK–Former workers at the Cowley car plant in an industrial area of Oxfordshire, England, have been awarded more than 15 million British pounds (over $23 million US) in insurance payouts in compensation for damage to their ears suffered during decades of work in the noisy, 100-year-old factory. Most of the claims have been brought against BMW Group, the German

CHICAGO–Gloria Wong, AuD, received the annual award for Outstanding Audiology Services from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Field counselors from the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) were asked to nominate audiologists who had provided outstanding services. Wong was selected for her dedication and for the quality of services provided to DRS clients. Wong has been manager of the Audiology

DALLAS-FORT WORTH–More than half of adults in the U.S. over the age of 65 experience hearing loss; a third of older adults fall each year, often resulting in serious, even life-threatening injuries. Is there any direct connection between the high incidence of falls in this population and the high rate of hearing loss? And will providing seniors with hearing aids

SHEFFIELD, UK—Rockers with tinnitus will team up on an album to help the British Tinnitus Association  raise awareness of tinnitus, a sometimes-tormenting condition that is especially prevalent among musicians. Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas are among the internationally popular bands that will perform on the album, which is being produced in partnership with Eddy Temple-Morris, a British DJ, record producer,

GAINESVILLE, FL—Hearing scientists have learned much of value about hearing, hearing loss, and its causes and treatments by conducting research experiments on laboratory animals. However, no matter how promising a procedure or drug seems to be in animal studies, at some point before a new treatment is made available to the public, researchers must find out if what worked on

NEW ORLEANS—Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans was a banner occasion for hearing care foundations as well as for football fans. On February 2, the day before the Baltimore Ravens upset the San Francisco Forty-Niners, Starkey Hearing Foundation conducted a mission where nearly 300 people received free custom hearing aids. As reported here last week, last Saturday was also the

By David H. Kirkwood SYRACUSE, NY—The HearStrong Foundation was launched nationwide last week with an ambitious mission: to connect with and empower the 80% of those whose hearing loss has not been treated to take control of their hearing health. Ed Keller, president of the HearStrong Foundation, said its guiding principle is “Change the message, change the world.” Keller, who is

WASHINGTON, DC–Senator Tom Harkin (D, IA), perhaps the U.S. Senate’s leading champion of people with hearing loss, announced on January 26 that he will not seek re-election when his fifth term expires at the end of 2014. Harkin, who is 73 and has been in the Senate since 1985, cited his age in explaining his decision. Harkin became deeply involved

PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA—When the Special Olympics Winter Games open here on Tuesday, January 29, many of the 2100 competitors from over 100 nations will be wearing hearing aids provided to them free by the Hear the World Foundation. Almost a quarter of the athletes who participate in the Special Olympics have hearing loss. However, a great many of them do