Category: News articles

January Meeting Summary – Coping with Hearing Loss

Better Hearing, Events, Meetings
Alison Freeman

Alison Freeman, Ph.D.

A big thank you to Alison Freeman, Ph. D., for a wonderful presentation and discussion about dealing with the challenges of hearing loss and your mental health. We had a great turnout and honest and thoughtful questions throughout the presentation which just shows how impactful hearing loss can be to our mental well-being and health.

Please enjoy the presentation below or go to our YouTube channel to enjoy this and other video presentations. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

View Meeting Presentation

 

Hearing Health Care Impacts from COVID

Advocacy, Better Hearing, News

But like so many aspects of life, hearing health care was impacted by COVID, sometimes causing radical changes that could prove to be permanent. Four people deeply involved in the world of hearing health care—Sydlowski; Kate Carr, president of the Hearing Industries Association (HIA); Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA); and Donna Sorkin, executive director of the American Cochlear Implant (ACI) Alliance—provided personal insights into these changes, as well as initial expectations, surprises, hopes for the future, and silver linings.

Kelley also hopes the heightened awareness of hearing caused by facial coverings will lead to more patients getting the care they need.

“I want to drive more people to hearing health care. Hearing health is part of overall wellness.”

Consumer Reports Articles to Figure Out Hearing Aids

Better Hearing, News, Resources

Consumer ReportsSee the below articles from Consumer Reports outlining advice and tips for hearing aids, including shopping for them. Over-the-counter hearing aids are not far away so now is the time to get yourself informed!

It’s Confusing and Difficult to Shop for Hearing Aids. Here’s How to Figure It Out.

If you buy a direct-to-consumer (DTC) hearing aid and it doesn’t work for you, don’t give up, urges Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America. “It might just not be a good device,” she says. Return it and try again—or consider consulting an audiologist. There’s almost surely something out there that can help.

It’s likely that just as with DTC hearing aids, some makers of PSAPs will seek approval for their products as OTC hearing aids once the FDA finalizes the rules, says Kelley.

Your Guide to Hearing Helpers

Don’t Miss the “We Hear You” Documentary!

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing, Events, Social Event
HLAA is proud to host a Talkback with the filmmakers of the award-winning documentary, “We Hear You.” Executive produced by HLAA members Holly Cohen, Shari Eberts and Roxana Rotundo, and also featuring HLAA member Toni Iacolucci, “We Hear You” was named Best Film on Disability in the June 2021 awards of the Cannes World Film Festival.

Important Note: You must register for the event first and then you will receive a link two weeks prior to the talkback event to watch the documentary. The documentary will not be shown during the September 23 Zoom Event.

REGISTER

Panelists
Holly Cohen

Holly Cohen

Sheri Eberts

Sheri Eberts

Toni Iacolucci

Toni Iacolucci

Roxana Rotundo

Roxana Rotundo

Moderated By
Gael Hannan

Gael Hannan

The Talkback will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary and give the filmmakers the opportunity to hear from you—the hearing loss community. You will receive a link to the Zoom Event when you register. We look forward to a fun and lively conversation about the film.

Learning About Wireless Audio Streaming for Modern Hearing Aids

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing, Hearing Loop, Resources

Hearing Tracker Logo

Hearing Loops and Bluetooth are hot topics of today for people with hearing aids that can support those technologies – which many do now. Do you know how they work and the latest developments with those technologies? Check out the insightful podcast from HearingTracker.com.

About the podcast:

In today’s episode, we speak with two hearing aid experts to learn about wireless audio streaming in modern hearing aids. Today’s hearing aids can stream multimedia and calls from your phone, but also have the ability to tap into shared audio streams through magnetic induction loops, or “hearing loops”, which are installed in public spaces like auditoriums and churches. While hearing loops are the current state of the art, we’ll also learn about the Bluetooth future of shared audio streams.

Speakers:

  • Andrew Bellavia – Director of Market Development at Knowles Electronics, a supplier of hearing aid hardware.
  • Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens – An audiologist and strong lifelong advocate for hearing loops and people with hearing loss.

Watch Podcast

The Essentials for Caring for Hard of Hearing and Deaf Seniors

Better Hearing, Resources

Caring for hearing of hearing elders imageAccording to the National Institute on Aging (NIH), approximately one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Yet for those who care for an elderly loved one, the additional challenges of their hearing loss is sometimes an afterthought.

Learn how to address these challenges beforehand to ensure your elderly loved one have the care and support they need while giving you peace of mind.

Special thanks to Noelle Bennett, a teacher and advisor at Learning Haven, for sharing this resource from her student Anna. Thank you Anna!

What Losing My Hearing and Getting it Back Taught Me

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing

From a TEDx Talks presentation, Angela Irwin shares her journey from the hearing world to hard of hearing. Insightful thoughts and perspectives are shared by Angela as she dives into the challenges and transitions experienced between hearing and not. If you have a little time, have a view and see how these relate to your own personal hearing loss journey. Or perhaps someone you know with hearing loss.

OTC Executive Order – Watch Now!

Advocacy, News articles, Resources

President Joe Biden’s new executive order, signed on Friday, July 9, includes a directive to HHS to consider issuing proposed rules within 120 days for allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter. The executive order said that the four largest hearing aid manufacturers now control 84% of the market and that hearing aids, which cost more than $5,000 per pair, are “so expensive that only 14% of the approximately 48 million Americans with hearing loss use them.”

Watch how this could impact you in five different ways.

May 22 Finding Balance Meeting Recap

Meetings, Research, Resources
Alaina Bassett

Dr. Alaina Bassett

A big thank you to Dr. Alaina Bassett for a very engaging and informative presentation of the vestibular system. Our balance system is unique and is made up of many different systems working in concert to give us the ability to understand and navigate our surroundings.

Dr. Bassett started off her presentation discussing our balance system made up of the vestibular, visual and somatosensory systems. The anatomy and physiology of our inner ear and the particular functions each part plays in our hearing were discussed in-depth. Various testing techniques to understand and evaluate balance was shared to give the audience a better feel of what they should expect should they want to be tested.

» Read more

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 12