HLAA National Virtual Meeting – June 6!
Elaine McCaffrey, Patient Advocate & Member, HLAA Board of Directors

Zina Jawadi, Member, HLAA Board of Directors
Richard Einhorn: Chairperson, HLAA Board of Directors
It’s the sign of the times these days. To stay connected, the world is virtual through various online communication platforms. On Saturday, May 16, the chapter had our first virtual meeting using Zoom. Meeting transcript can be found here.
We miss you and hope you and your loved ones are safe and in good health.
As we try to navigate our world(s) during this unprecedented and extraordinarily difficult time, we have the added burden of trying to hear and understand family members, grocery store employees, health care workers and others through their face masks, without the ability to read lips as well as having to contend with strange and muffled sounds that emanate through the speaker’s masks.
Rebecca Alexander
We had another successful HLAA Holiday Party at the beautiful home of Heather & Frank Lehr just over a week ago. The crowd was a great mix of long-time members as well as a number of new guests who are interested in what HLAA has to offer. We enjoyed turkey and ham, as well as several delicious side dishes supplied by Urban Plates. Kudos to the staff at Urban Plate for comping our salads and bread! And thank you, Heather and Frank, for the spiked punch!
If you haven’t rsvp’d yet, please do so if you have interest to join our holiday party scheduled for
Saturday, December 14 at Heather’s home from roughly 6pm-9pm.
It’s always a great time filled with good food, company, and getting to know people who “get it” when it comes to the daily challenges and struggles with hearing loss. An invite was emailed to our members but if you haven’t received one, no worries! Just email us at info@hlaa-la.org and note the following:
Hope to see you there!
Come help us celebrate on Saturday November 2nd as we look back at the history and accomplishments of our chapter over the past decade and a half.
It takes a village to establish and maintain an active functioning group, and we have many people to thank, both those who started and those who have contributed to maintaining our chapter. A special shout out to pioneers Valerie and Willy Stern, Danny Tubbs, Katherine Burns, Alicia Fernandez, Mike Kaplan, and Grace Tiessen for brainstorming the creation of the chapter and securing a meeting location at the Hear Center in Pasadena.
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!
Ever wonder how you will act or respond if LAPD pulls you over? How do you safely convey you’re hard of hearing? No matter what the situation, how should you communicate with LAPD?
Dan Widman, Pat Widman’s (former HLAA-LA President) son and current sergeant of LAPD, will help us learn how to communicate with any officer safely and effectively.
Join us for our upcoming HLAA-LA meeting on Saturday, August 24th, at our usual time and location:
Day and Time: Saturday, August 24 – 9:30am for light fare and shmoozing, 10:00-noon for program and other HLAA announcements.
Location: Sherman Oaks Library –14245 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Note: Please bring a food item to pass along – we are a hungry bunch!
Due to the great response from our previous rap sessions, we will be having another interactive meeting, this time on the subject of hearing challenges in the summer.
Are you confused about what auditory equipment to pack for a day at the beach?
What should you take and what should you leave at home?
Are you worried that sweating in the heat of summer will cause your hearing aid to malfunction?
For you CI wearers, are you concerned about going through metal detectors and scanners at airports?
Would you like to be prepared for travel with a kit for your hearing equipment, devices and accessories?
Day and Time: Saturday, July 27 – 9:30am for light fare and shmoozing, 10:00-noon for program and other HLAA announcements.
Location: Sherman Oaks Library –14245 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Note: Please bring a food item to pass along – we are a hungry bunch!