Access Points: When “Accessible” Isn’t the Same as “Safe”: What Canada Should Know Before Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Arrive

by Lorin MacDonald, CM, OOnt, LSM, JD

Departments

Features

Early Development of Measurement Microphones, the Audiometer and its use in Sound Evaluation, the Decibel, and the Sound Level Meter

by Walter Montano Noral Stewart, BS, MS, PhD
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, much effort went into devising an accurate and portable means of measuring sound. Along the way, one of these efforts resulted in the accidental invention of the audiometer which was later then used for comparative listening evaluation of sound before sound level meters became available. This paper will concentrate on measurement microphones, the audiometer, the decibel, and the sound level meter.

From Knowledge to Action: Implementing a Group Intervention for First-Time Hearing Aid Users in Québec through a Clinical Research Partnership

by Alexandra Tessier, PhD, MPO Élodie Latreille, BSc Mireille Tardif, MPA Caroline Lafontaine, MPA Mathieu Hotton, PhD Audiologist Claire Croteau, PhD, SLP Victoria Duda, PhD
This article describes the successful development and pilot testing of a brief group intervention in Québec that improves self-efficacy and device adaptation for first-time hearing aid users. Using a collaborative research-practice partnership, the study highlights how early rehabilitation can improve patient outcomes and underscores the need to reform fragmented healthcare pathways.

What’s New about Getting Older

by Kathy Pichora-Fuller, PhD, Aud(C), RAUD, FCAHS
Kathy's latest article outlines two newly updated guidelines from the summer of 2026 to help Canadian audiologists implement evidence-based, community-minded practices for patients at risk of or living with dementia. It highlights the World Health Organization's second edition guidelines on dementia risk reduction, which now includes hearing loss as a conditional risk factor, alongside the CSA Z2000:26 national standard, which provides a framework for integrated, person-centered home and community care.

Diabetes and Hearing Loss: Implications for Comprehensive Audiological Care

by Grace Malheiro, BHSc Christine Meston, Ph.D., Reg. CASLPO Chris Allan Jana Bataineh, BSc, MPH Robin O'Hagan, BA, CDA Danielle Glista, PhD, Reg CASLPO
This article reviews research confirming that diabetes significantly doubles the prevalence of hearing loss, often affecting higher frequencies at an earlier age. The authors identify a major knowledge-to-practice gap and call for integrated care pathways that routinely blend audiological monitoring into standard diabetes management to improve long-term patient health outcomes.

To the Brain and Back: Speech Emotion Perception, Hearing Loss, and Hearing Aid Use

by Brandon T. Paul, PhD
This article reviews how hearing loss disrupts the brain's "dual pathway" network for processing vocal emotions and highlights recent research showing that while hearing aids restore audibility, current processing algorithms fail to improve speech emotion perception due to a breakdown in sensorimotor integration.

Columns

Amplification

with Calvin Staples, MSc
Contributions for this new column will be considered from anyone who works in the hearing health care field. Its orientation will be translational- how does one get an innovation from the textbook to our clients' ears. For those who may be interested in contributing gems from their clinical experience please contact Calvin Staples directly at GrandRiverAudiology@gmail.com.

Sound Business Sense

with Robert Traynor, Ed.D., MBA, FNAP
In our formal business planning process in Issue 3 the discussion ended with the Practice Overview section and a cursory list of Market Assessment considerations. As we move into the market assessment section, Parsons (2026) identified five critical points for reviewing the market: Industry Overview, Target Market, Competition, Pricing, and Forecast.

Audiology in the Classrooms

with Pam Millett, PhD, Reg CASLPO
This article discusses the concept of knowledge mobilization in educational audiology, emphasizing how these specialized professionals act as vital information brokers who translate complex clinical data and latest research into practical interventions to better support students with hearing loss in the classroom.

From the Labs to the Clinics

with Robert V. Harrison, PhD, DSc
This column chronicles the evolution of the standard pure-tone audiogram from its mid-twentieth-century data origins to recent deep-learning applications, highlighting how AI protocols aim to automate diagnostic interpretation while noting that future clinical success relies entirely on the quality and variety of data used to train these models.

The Way I Hear It

with Gael Hannan
Gael Hannan’s new column illustrates the transformative power of consumer events like the Hearing Loss Association of America convention, emphasizing how connecting with a community of peers eliminates stigma, builds confidence, and fosters self-advocacy in a way that technology alone cannot achieve.
Editorial Committee