Posts by Monique Hammond
How “Invisible” is Hearing Loss?
A notion that feeds denial and hinders acceptance Those with hearing loss look just like everybody else as they stand in a crowd. Damage that leads to this communication challenge is invisible to the eye. Ever smaller and invisible hearing aids help them protect their “secret” and so nobody will ever know. Or so one…
Read MoreSix Tips for Better Hearing in the New Year.
In the interest of quality of life, keep communication and learning alive. Don’t let the music die. How can all of that be done? Prevent hearing loss and preserve existing hearing.!. 1) Get out of denial Hearing no longer what it used to be? Let this be the year to get out of denial. Find out…
Read MoreHearing Loss? The Mutual Gift of Holiday Communication
The Season of Inclusion For those with hearing loss, the Jolly Holiday Season poses many communication problems. People typically feel left out when trying to socialize with family and friends. Conversations that are carried out at dizzying speeds against background noise still challenge even the best of hearing aids. Listening and understanding become tiresome chores. …
Read MoreThanksgiving and Hearing Loss
A lot to be grateful for Although Thanksgiving comes but once a year, every day should be a day of Thanks. However, for those with hearing loss, Holidays can be tremendously challenging. Many state that they actually dread the socially-intense events: Too much noise, too much confusion and overwhelming listening fatigue while struggling to follow conversations. But…
Read MoreIndustrial-strength Sound Where Least Expected
Hearing Threats at the Gym What? 93, 95 decibels (dBs) with spikes of 100 dBs and higher as the instructor yelled almost non-stop into the microphone. During an industry training session, a gentleman shared that he confirmed his suspicions that his gym class was overly loud by taking some readings with a calibrated sound…
Read MoreTo Protect or Not to Protect Hearing
A matter of choice? Worldwide, the two leading causes for hearing loss are Aging and Excessively Loud Sound, in that order. While noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, people cannot help the fact that they are aging. Yet, by using hearing loss prevention strategies that apply to everybody – no matter what the age – they…
Read MoreSleep Apnea and Hearing Loss
Beyond snoring: a threat to health and hearing My dad never slept well. Sleeping time turned into a fight for air and breath. As a child, I was scared for him. Never able to get proper rest, he often fell asleep in the living room chair. Pretty soon he would snore loudly. Then, his breathing…
Read MoreMake Websites Accessible to those with Hearing Loss
Stay ahead of the competition: Prevent “click-offs” Spoken communication can include or exclude people from important company messages. Nowadays the inclusion of narrated videos and YouTube pieces are all the rage for making business websites trendy and attractive to the visitors. Then there are the over 20% of potential clients who feel left out because…
Read MoreMaking Light of Hearing Loss? Not a good move!
In my time of working with community and industry groups on hearing loss issues, I have heard plenty of clichéd hearing-loss jokes. Comments made with forced smiles brush aside the obvious and are meant to be humorous: “My problem is that I have selective hearing when it comes to my wife,” or “I hear what…
Read MoreThe Great Communication Divide: Hearing v. Understanding
The classic struggle of hearing loss Those with hearing loss tend to state their frustration with words like: “I don’t hear in this loud place!” What they really mean is that they hear plenty of sound—otherwise they would not perceive the place as loud—but they can’t understand what anybody is saying against the background din. In quiet settings, one-on-one…
Read More