hearing loss

Lower hearing aid costs will be good news for consumers, especially seniors with hearing loss.

When Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I knew he would need all of his senses to help interpret the world around him and balance his changing cognitive abilities. But he has hearing impairment and limited vision (glaucoma plus visual-processing problems associated with Alzheimer’s). Even though there is only so much I can do about the visual issues, I assumed  hearing aids would solve his auditory problems. I was wrong. The good news is that we eventually discovered a surprisingly simple solution.

Santa Claus may be the hardest person on earth to lipread — or, more properly, speech read.

I love the five weeks that begin with Thanksgiving and end with New Year’s, but a part of me also thinks, “Bah, humbug.”

October is National Audiology Awareness Month, which seems a good time to ask: Do you know how to find an audiologist to test your hearing or help you choose a hearing aid? If you’re unsure — or shaking your head no — you’re not alone.

The ads call them “invisible hearing aids,” describing them as “discreet,” “well-hidden” and “virtually undetectable.”

Here’s another reason to limit the use of common  painkillers: a higher risk of hearing loss.

With only a fraction of the estimated 30 million older Americans with age-related hearing loss using hearing devices, “the time is ripe for a technology solution that could be helped along by federal action,” said geriatrician Christine Cassel, M.D., last week in a report on hearing issues before a government advisory council.

It clearly was a moving memorial service for a longtime friend who had died after a long illness, but I sat in silence, unable to hear the poignant stories and loving words from family and friends.

It's a boon for people with hearing loss, widely used in northern Europe, and yet in this country it still remains relatively unknown and underutilized by millions who could benefit from it.