Join the Fascinating Open Mind Program “Of Sound Mind” Event!

Sound of Mind BannerMonday, February 7
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PSTRegistration is required for this
free live private Zoom event.

Please join The Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors for a fascinating Open Mind program with Nina Kraus, PhD, author of the groundbreaking new book, OF SOUND MIND: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World.

 

Dr. Nina Kraus, Northwestern University professor, neuroscientist, and director of the renowned Brainvolts Lab, uses her thirty years’ experience studying the interplay of the brain and sound to show for the first time that the processing of sound drives many of the brain’s core functions. She leads us through a fascinating exploration of sound’s surprisingly unrecognized role in both the healthy and hurting brain and brilliantly makes the case that the sounds of the world around us—and what sounds we’re exposed to throughout our lives—impact the development of our brains, the abilities and weaknesses we develop, and who we are as human beings.

Dr. Kraus is a scientist, inventor, and amateur musician who studies the biology of auditory learning and investigates the neural encoding of speech and music and its plasticity. She holds the Hugh S. Knowles Chair in Audiology at Northwestern University.

Mark Jude Tramo, MD, PhD, will join Dr. Kraus in discussion. Dr. Tramo is the Director of the Institute for Music & Brain Science, Co-Director of the University of California Multi-Campus Music Research Initiative, and both an Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor in Ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

To watch videos of our past Open Mind programs, please visit www.friendsofnpi.org/open-mind-videos or our YouTube Channel.

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January Meeting Summary – Coping with Hearing Loss

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

 

How to Cope with Hearing Loss and Your Mental Health Meeting

Join Us!

Coping with Hearing Loss: Taking Care of our Mental Health
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022
Where: Online Zoom Meeting
Time: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PT (may extend beyond 11 a.m.)
Audience: Open to all for this free event. Please pass along this invite to others!

Hearing loss is an invisible disability; its true disability is a communication disability. The primary disability of hearing loss is a communication disability rather than just not being able to hear. Struggling to understand conversations with lifelong friends and family, hearing music or professional meetings is a constant stress every day and can lead to depression and social withdrawal.

An essential part of dealing with hearing loss is recognizing that stress is inevitable so rather than avoiding it, learning more effective stress communication skills will be more productive and emotionally satisfying. Come learn new coping skills for keeping depression and anxiety at bay with Dr. Alison Freeman, who has a severe, bilateral sensorineural loss herself.

Presenter:

Alison Freeman

Alison Freeman, Ph.D. received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and theater arts from the University of California and doctorate from International University. She works half-time at California State University at Northridge as a staff psychologist working with students with hearing loss, is an adjunct professor at Cal Lutheran and has a private practice.
Dr. Freeman was diagnosed with a moderate-severe hearing loss at age 3.

Hearing Health Care Impacts from COVID

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.”

HLAA 2022 Convention Registration Now Open!

The HLAA 2022 Convention is back in person and is now open for registration! The convention will be held in Tampa Florida, June 23-25 at the beautiful JW Marriott Tampa Water Street hotel.

As you may know, the last two conventions have been virtual so there is a lot of anticipation and excitement to finally meet in person. Please note that your safety and wellbeing are of the utmost importance so all Covid and vaccination protocols will be followed. You can learn more on the convention page link above.

Additionally, this three-day event includes a research symposium on cochlear implants and a variety of educational workshops, programs and events.

Hope to see you there!

Join our Steering Committee!

Steering Committee The LA Chapter is looking for individuals who want to make a difference and shape the future of our organization by joining the steering committee. 2022 promises to be an exciting year of changes and opportunities. We really need your support!
How can I help? 

  • Posting to our social media channels
  • Website help such as posting articles and updating content
  • Meeting planning – including finding topics and presenters
  • Providing Zoom help and support during our meetings
  • Helping to secure a new meeting location. We are ready to meet in person again!!!
Requirements:
  • Have a current membership with HLAA
  • Check and respond to periodic emails
  • Be available for quarterly Steering Committee meetings
  • Approximately 3-4 hours per month of SC involvement
If you can not join the Steering Committee, you can still support us.
There are many tasks to be done! You can tell us your strengths and interests!
Please Contact Us:
info@hlaa-la.org by Friday, December 10!

Stay Updates with the Latest Chapter and HLAA News

Please see below for many great options to sign up to stay updated on the latest hearing loss and chapter news!

LA Chapter email/newsletter subscription form.
See the right side of any page to submit your email.

HLAA Groups
Link below will take you to various groups you can join and follow.

https://hlaagroups.hearingloss.org/

HLAA Hearing Life e-News
Twice a month HLAA news stories and information to your inbox.

https://www.hearingloss.org/news-media/e-news/

HLAA News and Hear This! Blogs

Latest hearing loss and HLAA news and events sent directly to your inbox.(You’ll find it on any HLAA website page in the lower right corner of the page. Just look for the below and submit your email.)

Consumer Reports Articles to Figure Out Hearing Aids

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

AMC to add Open Captions

AMC LogoBig news was announced by AMC that 240 of their locations will now offer open captions for their movies at selected times. Keep in mind this isn’t all their locations but it’s a step in the right direction.

Moviegoers at locations offering open captions will be able to search for showtimes via the AMC website or their mobile app. Interestingly, this announcement comes just before the release of Disney’s Eternals film set to debut on November 5. The movie features deaf actress Lauren Ridloff as the first Marvel deaf superhero.

The hope is as people experience and see more of these captioning options, it will gain momentum for more movies and theaters to offer captioning. Let’s see what happens.

Read the full article.

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