Caption Us! A Message to Hearing care Professionals

My hearing advocacy colleague Shari Eberts and I were excited, as always, to attend a conference of hearing care professionals (HCPs), where we were scheduled to present the patient’s perspective.
We were dismayed, at the first presentation of the conference, to find that the captioning access we depend on for speech comprehension was not available. While we had not expected that the room would be hearing-looped, which is the standard in consumer hearing loss meetings and conferences, captioning access is integral to the communication success of people with hearing loss.

When the Client Decides to Change Their Hearing Health Care Professional

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.

What Your Clients Hate to Hear!

Living with hearing loss is like drinking from a bottomless bowl of emotional soup. It’s a constant loop of mis-hears, repeats, and corrections, keeping our emotions in play. And we don’t do one emotion at a time! Hearing loss is more complicated than that; emotions stay close to the surface, ready to erupt.

Murder Most Foul: Hearing Aid Version

Murder Most Foul: Hearing Aid Version

Warning: The following column may contain content that some people find upsetting. Especially you, the HCP, so you may want to warn your clients!

Don’t You “Never Mind” Me!

The most hurtful words a person with hearing loss (PWHL) can be told when asking for something to be repeated:
“Never mind.” “Don’t worry about it.” “Oh, nothing.” “It wasn’t important.”

A PWHL at a Professional Conference

Gael often speaks at hearing care professional (HCP) conferences and it’s not unusual to feel a bit isolated, like a fish out of water.

“I’ve Lost My Hearing”: Emotions Unleashed

Gael recently spoke at a conference of people with hearing loss – one of her favorite things to do. The shared emotions and experiences of people who ‘get’ each other is eternally inspiring to her.

Audiologists I Have Known And Loved

Long-term relationships are valued in our society.

Sitting Here, Deaf

Gael shares a poem inspired by three interminable hours spent waiting while her hearing aids were ‘being looked at’ by technicians at the manufacturer’s offices.

“Have You Got Your Ears In?!”

All people with hearing loss have experienced the two most painful words in the hearing loss dictionary—never mind. But another question stings every hearing aid or cochlear implant user: “Have you got your ears (or, things) in?”