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February 24, 2017

Gallaudet University’s Doctoral Degree in Audiology Program will hold a “Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) Assessment Day” at the University at 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC in the Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) building on Saturday April 1, 2017 from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

The purpose of the day is to help you assess your communication needs and “test drive” Hearing Assistive Technologies that can improve your communication at home, work, and leisure.

There is no cost for participation in this program, and no obligation to purchase anything from Gallaudet. However, you must pre-register for the program to participate. Register quickly: maximum capacity will be 15: five participants for each of the three sessions.

You can sign up for one of three 90-minute sessions at 8:30 am, 10:30 am or 12:30 am on Saturday April 1. Each session will begin with coffee, snacks and an informal introduction. A team of two students will work with you for up to 60 minutes to explore your communication needs and technology options.

As an added bonus, each participant will be provided with handouts of basic HAT information and an opportunity to order the purchase of desired hearing assistive technology items “at cost” to Gallaudet.

All of the students and faculty will be able to communicate with you in either ASL or spoken English, and an FM will be provided upon request.

For more information, or to register, email matthew.bakke@gallaudet.edu or call 202-651-5335 and leave a message.

 

Could a sound bar speaker or the right pair of headphones help you hear the dialogue on your TV again?

Not long ago, a reader wrote to us asking for help with a common problem: Due to hearing loss, she was having a hard time watching television. Even with the volume at maximum level, she couldn't quite make out the dialogue. What could she do?

For me, the issue hit close to home.

In the later years of his life, my dad struggled to understand what was being said on TV shows. When I called or visited him, the TV was often at full blast. And yet, he complained, that really didn't help him follow the on-screen conversations. It simply added another layer of commotion.

Read more  . . . TV sound

 

 

Better Hearing Consumer
By Gael Hannan
June 14, 2016

It’s the kind of news that makes the hard of hearing heart beat faster.

No, there’s been no proclamation of National 50% Off Hearing Aids Day.

No announcement of a little pink pill that will make damaged cochlear hair cells spring back to life.

No scientific proof of a twice-daily mantra that will calm the neurons firing off tinnitus cannons in our heads.

It’s more like a climate change event, with the barometer rising in the world of hearing health care.

On June 2nd, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) issued what is considered a ground-breaking report: Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability.  A powerhouse expert committee, comprised of members from all stakeholder groups, assessed the state of hearing health care, its affordability and accessibility for adults in the United States.

Read more . . . Don’t Make Us Beg

 

 

The National Academies Of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine hearingHealth_cover

Date:  June 2, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Americans Need Easier Access, More Affordable Options for Hearing Health Care, Says New Report; FDA Should Remove Regulation for Medical Evaluation to Purchase Hearing Aids and Create New Category of Over-the-Counter Hearing Devices 

WASHINGTON – Hearing loss is a significant public health concern, and efforts should be made to provide adults with easier access to and more affordable options for hearing health care, especially for those in underserved and vulnerable populations, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  The committee that carried out the study and wrote the report called for greater transparency and changes in the cost of hearing health care and expanded treatment options given the number of Americans who have hearing loss and the high cost of hearing health care.  It recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration remove the regulation requiring adults to have a medical evaluation or sign an evaluation waiver to purchase a hearing aid, as well as establish a new category of over-the-counter, wearable hearing devices – separate from hearing aids – that could assist adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.  The report does not address surgical devices, such as cochlear implants, and related services.   Read more  . . . Press Release June 2 

Related Links to report:

 

 

PHOENIX — At the AudiologyNow! convention here last week, visitors stood next to blowing electric fans to experience how a new hearing aid could screen out wind noise. They donned goggles to attend a virtual reality dinner party to learn how new technology made it easier to hear conversations around them.

But the elephant in the room, as it were, was what was happening outside the convention hall.

The consumer electronics industry is encroaching on the hearing aid business, offering products that are far less expensive and available without the involvement of audiologists or other professionals. That is forcing a re-examination of the entire system for providing hearing aids, which critics say is too costly and cumbersome, hindering access to devices vital for the growing legions of older Americans.