Some of our members enjoying catching up
On Saturday, November 3, HLAA–Los Angeles held a dynamic, interactive meeting that included our annual discussion topic, “Coping With The Holidays with Hearing Loss,” followed by an abundant Thanksgiving potluck with many sweet and savory treats. We shared our holiday frustrations and coping strategies, then got down to the serious business of eating all that food!
The HLAA logo flying high!
By Heather Lehr
This is what I learned at the recent HLAA-Los Angeles rap session: you are all a bunch of badasses.
But let me start from the beginning.
First of all, we met at Georgia’s gorgeous flat with a shining chandelier and deep Queen Anne wingback chairs. Delightful! Then Puay, of course, brought her addictive dark chocolate almond biscotti and Wendy shared her knock-you-over potato salad. It left me wondering why we call it a rap session instead of a bust-your-diet session.
Reminder: There’s no regular chapter meeting on October 27.
Join us the following Saturday, November 3 for our annual “Coping with the Holidays” rap session and “Potluck Thanksgiving Feast.” We have skits to illustrate the former and some yummy treats lined up for the latter. The more the merrier! Please RSVP to info@hlaa-la.org with the dish you’re bringing, so we can fill in any gaps for our buffet. So far, we have green salads, wild rice stuffing, homemade bread & veggies, spinach “quiche,” bagels, sweet potatoes and a dessert.
9:30am – setup and social; 10am-noon – meeting
Sherman Oaks Branch Library
14245 Moorpark Street, Sherman Oaks
This is our last regular chapter meeting in 2018. Details about our Holiday Party on December 8 are coming soon.
As 2018 winds down, it means one thing for our chapter.
Party Time!
October – The rap session on the 13th is a full house; thanks to Georgia for hosting. Remember that this takes the place of our regular meeting. If you show up at the library on the 27th, be prepared to be part of the kids Halloween party.
November 3rd – We’ll have our annual “Coping with the Holidays” chapter meeting, 10am-noon (come as early as 9:30) at the library, featuring some skits put together by Sandy Blake and input from all. Then, we’ll start the partying with a potluck lunch. Please bring a dish that can be shared by 8-10 people. RSVP with a hint of your food item to Jen, jen@hlaa-la.org
December 8th – We’ll close out the year with our fantabulous evening holiday party, once again hosted by The Amazing Grace Tiessen at her beautiful home in Pasadena. Your Steering Committee will provide a catered meal. And, what would be our holiday party without a white elephant gift exchange? Stay tuned for further details!
Toni starting her great presentation about “Ins and Outs” about buying hearing aids
Long-time HLAA member Toni Barrient led us through “The Consumer’s Guide to Purchasing Hearing Aids.” The items she covered can also be applied to finding the best cochlear implant provider. Her talk was based on HLAA’s Consumer Checklist, which can be downloaded from https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HLAA_Purchasing_HearingAid_Checklist.pdf?pdf=Checklist
Are you aware of the implications of buying a hearing aid from a “big-box” retailer? Meaning, if you need any adjustments made to your hearing aid, you must only go to that retailer or a very limited choice of associated retailers? It’s often easy and surprisingly common individuals looking for a hearing aid for the first time or looking to replace their existing one will follow the ease of going to a single retailer.
Hearing loss advocate and HLAA-California Trustee Toni Barrient, who has held numerous positions with the State and National organizations, presented this information during her ins and outs of buying a hearing at our September 22 chapter meeting. Please have a read to understand and learn more. It could make a big difference in your hearing aid buying experience!
Heather, Barbara, Florence and Tim.
Our very own Executive Director for HLAA, Barbara Kelley, took time while in Los Angeles to visit with Heather, Florence and Tim. Truly a pleasure to spend time with to collaborate on a variety of concerns and topics. It was also great to raise more awareness about our chapter and all that we do with Barbara. There’s an exciting and great future ahead for our hard of hearing community from all walks of life. Thank you Barbara!
It’s that time of year again! The annual re-registration of your Ralph’s card into our community rewards program is required every September, even if you just signed up for the program in August.
Liz discussing the Hearing Loss Californian special edition.
This is a summary of our August 25 chapter meeting, covering the guest presentation and chapter business. Click here to view meeting transcript..
Guest Presentation
Aural Rehabilitation was the topic of the day, presented by Helen Tinsman, a speech therapist who works for Advanced Bionics (AB). She can be reached by email at helen.tinsman@advancedbionics.com
Your HLAA-LA chapter is looking for a few good people to stand for our September 22 steering committee election. Are you one of them?
As a steering committee member, you’ll be part of the team that shapes chapter meetings, parties and other activities.
To serve on the steering committee, you need to meet these requirements.
· Be a paid member of HLAA National
· Have attended a minimum of six chapter meetings
· Participate in 5-10 hours per month of online SC communication
· Know or willing to learn Slack and Confluence online programs for SC communications
· Have a valid email address
· Respond to written SC communications within 24 hours
· Attend all SC meetings (on average, following every other chapter meeting)
Yes, this is a comprehensive list. But serving on the steering committee gives you the satisfaction of doing something worthwhile for yourself and your hearing loss community!
If you are interested, or have questions, please send an email to info@hlaa-la.org and a steering committee member will respond.
