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Commentary: Hearing loss, dementia and the danger of professional rabbit holes- a comment on Livinston et al., 2024
Editor’s Note: ENT & Audiology News, a British publication, was gracious enough to allow CanadianAudiologist to reprint this article by Doctors Munro and Dawes. Like a cup of tea, this article cuts through a labrynth of terminology and misinterpretation in this important area. Phrases such as “relative risk” are discussed to remind us that the word “relative” is not just an adjective, but that the phrase has a well-defined, and often misleading definition.
Auracast: Revolutionizing Accessibility in Audio
Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) and its associated features represent an advanced wireless audio technology, designed to deliver high-quality sound with minimal power consumption to all users. In contrast to standard Bluetooth, which can be power-hungry and limited in functionality, Bluetooth LE Audio offers more efficient, faster, and clearer audio transmission. This is particularly crucial for hearing aids, where both battery life and sound quality are paramount. By incorporating Bluetooth LE Audio, hearing aids can stream audio directly from various devices—such as smartphones, TVs, and public broadcasting systems—with lower battery drain. This technology enhances both usability and convenience, introducing a line of new features and making it revolutionary in the hearing care industry.
From Tinnitus to Musical Hallucinations: Navigating Complex Auditory Symptoms
Auditory hallucinations, also known as paracusia, occur when the brain perceives sounds without any external source. This condition is complex and often misunderstood, carrying significant implications for an individual’s well-being.
Striking the Right Balance
Living with balance and dizziness issues can include living with fear and anxiety of what the next day or even the next moment might bring. For some the symptoms come and go, while for others the symptoms may be chronic and present at all times. The usually invisible nature of these illnesses brings on its own challenges. Are you faking it? Is this something you can just “get over” or make it go away?
A Life In and Out of Music
Stu Nunnery is a late deafened musician who had to leave music, and now, after much hard work, is back.
Technology Transition Points for Students with Hearing Loss, and the Role of Educational Audiologists and Teachers of the Deaf
This regular column by Dr Pam Millett has also been included as an article because of its importance providing the reader with a valuable insight into some issues regarding educational audiology.”
CAA Conference Highlights
Check out the highlights of the 2024 CAA Conference.
Columns
Sound Business Sense
Global Edge describes Canada’s economy as a market economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. Canada and the United States are both great examples of market-driven economies where the amount of a product that consumers demand usually indicates to managers within an industry, how much of that product is to be manufactured and distributed for what price to the marketplace.
What’s New About Getting Older?
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down for a conversation with a late middle-aged neighbour who has lived with hearing loss since childhood. The conversation gave me some new insights into the differences between how aging adults adjust to late-onset hearing loss and how adults with early-onset hearing loss adjust to aging.
From the Labs to the Clinics
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is back in the spotlight with the news that Geoffrey Hinton (Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto) was just awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, for his role as the “grandfather of AI”. It is a well-deserved reward for his ground-breaking academic studies. On this occasion, what could be more appropriate than a commentary on the role of AI in audiology?
Clinic Corner
As a business owner and a new mom, I have been thinking about work-life balance a bit more than usual lately.
The Way I Hear It
I am a big fan of hearing care professionals as a group and individually. Regardless of their designation, I respect and applaud the audiologists and hearing instrument specialists who have chosen the life of a clinician, researcher, But sometimes, the person with hearing loss (PWHL) changes their HCP.
Volunteer Subjects Wanted for Online Research
There are several audiology studies going on that need your help.
Audiology in the Classrooms
This regular column by Dr Pam Millett has also been included as an article because of its importance providing the reader with a valuable insight into some issues regarding educational audiology.”