Hearing News Watch

PHILADELPHIA—Are you someone whose hearing aids have helped you lead a happier, more rewarding life? Or, have they improved the life of your spouse, parent, or other loved one? If so, your story might win a prize in a national contest announced this week by SecondSense Hearing Solutions. SecondSense created the Sweet Sounds of Life Contest to draw attention to

MILAN—While men generally suffer hearing aid more often and earlier than women, a recent study has found that in at least one aspect of hearing the male gender has the edge. Writing in the June 2011 issue of Cortex, a journal on the study of cognition and the relationship between the nervous system and mental processes, Ida Zündorf, from the

By David H. Kirkwood LEXINGTON, KY–The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) has demanded that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) cease and desist making what it alleges are false statements to audiologists about the consequence of not holding ASHA’s certification in audiology, the CCC-A. In a letter, sent on June 27 to ASHA officials, ADA’s attorney, Robert M. Gippin, asked

EAST LANSING, MI—Wind power is among the most frequently cited alternative sources of energy. And, to be sure, advocates for wind power have some good arguments on their side. It is a proven technology that has been providing energy for decades. It doesn’t generate materials that pollute the air, water, or soil. And the wind is a truly unlimited resource.

ATLANTA—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected the dramatic expansion of newborn screening for hearing loss in the U.S. as part of one of the 10 greatest public health achievements in public health in the past decade the area of Maternal and Infant Health. A report issued in the May 20 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

RESTON, VA—Replacing the only editor-in-chief that the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology (JAAA) has ever had is no easy task. Indeed, it could be argued that no one person could take over from James Jerger, PhD, who, along with being JAAA’s founding editor since 1989, was also the founder and first president of the academy. Perhaps that’s why

FORT MYERS, FL—A U.S. District Court jury in Fort Myers found on June 23 that 7-Eleven had violated the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act in firing Jim Soliday, a long-time employee who is deaf, rather than reasonably accommodate his disability. The jury awarded the 58-year-old Naples, FL, resident $178,000 for lost wages and benefits and

PISCATAWAY, NJ—A survey of 500 hearing aid wearers, conducted by Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc., showed that many of them want more robust products that can better hold up during swimming and other activities that they want to enjoy without giving up their ability to communicate. According to the study, hearing-impaired Americans want to lead a more vibrant daily life, but

SOMERSET, NJ–The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Oticon Medical 510(k) clearance to market a bone-anchored power processor called Ponto Pro Power. In announcing the FDA approval on June 27, Oticon Medical said that the new device will benefit adults and children with severe hearing loss due to malfunctioning of the ear canal or middle ear (conductive or

  SAN DIEGO—A meta-analysis of 11 studies has found a strong correlation between diabetes and hearing loss. A group of Japanese researchers reported that people with hearing loss are about 50% more likely to have diabetes than an otherwise comparable population with normal hearing. The scientists presented their findings on June 23 at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in