Tinnitus is no laughing matter!
There are some research studies support the idea of seasonality with tinnitus. Do you notice the winter months with cooler temperatures, changes in humidity, and less physical activity creates a greater awareness and sensitivity to your tinnitus? Or maybe it’s something to think about?
Check out the Living with Hearing Loss blog to learn more about this possibility.
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.
Back by popular demand, we are hosting our annual relationship panel and interactive session! We will talk about the good and the bad when it comes to communicating with a loved one who has hearing loss. Whether married, dating, or just dealing with a family member or friend, you’ll be sure to have a blast. Come and join us as we learn stories, challenges, and advice to help us successfully move forward!
Note that we will still be meeting at the Sherman Oaks Library.
Date: Saturday, February 22
Time: 9:30am, social; 10am-noon, meeting
Place: Sherman Oaks Branch Library, 14245 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks
Notes: Feel free to bring a snack or side-item to share!
It may seem a long ways away, but it will soon be June which is the month the annual HLAA Convention is held. This year it will be in the magical city of New Orleans from June 18-21. Early bird registration is now open until March 2 so if you are planning on attending, now might be a good time to take action (further information below).
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.
(By our own Wendi Washington!)
American Girl of 2020 – Joss
On New Year’s Day I dragged Nanci Linke-Ellis over to the launch event at American Girl. The 2020 doll of the year, Joss was being introduced. She is a surfer girl and a cheerleader who wears one hearing aid. Woo-hoo! The place was teeming with girls and their families buying these adorable but expensive dolls.
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.
We’ll miss you Kat but never forgotten!
It is with profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Katherine “Kat” Burns. Katherine and her husband Danny Tubbs were among the seven founding members of the LA chapter of HLAA. Kat is the only person in our chapter’s history to have served as president for three consecutive years. Over the years, she also served as treasurer and secretary, and she spent several years on the steering committee. Kat was known for her beautiful smile and warm personality. When she was the Walk4Hearing Captain, she named our team The LA Stars, and we have been shining ever since.
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!
