One of the greatest fears and challenges for those of us with hearing loss is visiting our audiologist. Will they have our best interest at heart? Can they really help us? What should I expect or don’t know? Believe me, you aren’t alone but with proper research, asking others for advice, and understanding a little bit what the audiologist point of view is can go a long ways.
Suzannah Hagan sharing a wealth of information!
Meeting transcript can be found here.
We had a packed house for our meeting last Saturday. Suzannah Hagan started us off with a terrific presentation – understanding audiograms, what it takes to be a cochlear implant recipient (and be covered for the surgery/equipment by insurance!), how Cis work, …. Due to a plethora of questions during the presentation, Suzannah only made it through a fraction of her slides, but we learned a lot from what we saw and heard!
Getting a cochlear implant doesn’t restrict by age whether you are a newborn or in your 90’s. A touching story was recently shared by a chapter member about a parents struggle to have their newborn born deaf get a cochlear implant when originally told no. As many people know, a child’s ability to effectively learn to communicate starts at a very young age. Have a further read below.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at our first meeting of 2020! Note that we will still be meeting at the Sherman Oaks Library.
Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 9:30am, social; 10am-noon, meeting
Place: Sherman Oaks Branch Library, 14245 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks
Notes: Feel free to bring a snack to share. It’s the Lunar New Year; perhaps some fortune cookies are in order.
Topic: The Latest information on Cochlear Implants / Hearing Aids / Hybrids and other Hearing Loss Related Issues
Presenter: Suzannah Hagan, AuD, CCC-A, F-AAA; Assistant Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery: Director of Cochlear Implant Program at USC Keck Medical Center. She has also been affiliated with Advanced Bionics.
Attendees will have an opportunity to share memories about Katherine Burns, chapter co-founder, past president, and dear friend, who lost her four-year battle with cancer on December 25.
Although the article notes Thanksgiving as a common gathering that can give all of us with hearing loss communication fits, the article really makes sense for any social and holiday gathering. Giving yourself breaks, compassion, and using certain strategic ways to effectively communicate and enjoy the gathering can help make your family and holiday get-together that much more enjoyable. Learn tips and strategies with this article.
Interesting story from The New York Times about just which direction should decisions be made regarding teaching a hard of hearing or deaf child to succeed in the world. Do you have them helped via technologies, such as cochlear implants or hearing aids, or do you teach them to communication through sign language or other alternative forms of communication? Decide for yourself here.
The Census Bureau is looking to hire more people from your community and nearby to make sure we are counted in 2020. The bureau will hire regardless of disability and have many hearing loss friendly positions for you to earn some extra money!
Visit their website at https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html to learn more.
Did you know demands from all walks of individuals is growing for captioning. In fact, 80% of individuals use captioning that do not have hearing loss!
With people watching videos on the go using their phones, oftentimes audio isn’t possible so captioning saves the day. It’s safe to say captioning is going mainstream which is great for all of us hard of hearing folks! Check out further information from this article.
Understanding and managing tinnitus with Dr. Sharzad Cohen.
This presentation is designed to explain different theories about the causes of tinnitus and the available therapeutic methods. A review of the recent research about tinnitus and the relationship between tinnitus and hearing loss will be offered. Tinnitus management techniques and instruments will be discussed to eradicate the myth that tinnitus has no solutions!
In an interesting development that may provide a road ahead for more captioning options throughout the U.S., 8th U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis voted 2 to 1 in favor that Fox Theatre must provide captions whenever a patron asks. This is not just for one matinee performance per Broadway run which is commonly offered by theatres that say they offer captioning services.
Please see this article for further information and some background on how this all developed!
