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Making Light of Hearing Loss? Not a good move!

By Monique Hammond / August 27, 2019 / Comments Off on Making 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…

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people sitting at tables for a conference

The Great Communication Divide: Hearing v. Understanding

By Monique Hammond / August 6, 2019 / Comments Off on The 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…

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a little girl having her hands on the ear

Hearing Loss Prevention: At Home YOU are the Expert

By Monique Hammond / July 19, 2019 / Comments Off on Hearing Loss Prevention: At Home YOU are the Expert

  Safety training? Pay it forward Hearing practices that are learned during on-the-job Safety Training translate very well to the home front. Mother Nature does not care where the ear-killing din comes from. The bottom line is that repeated exposures to excessive sound levels lead to permanent inner-ear and nerve damage that so far cannot be…

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Embarrassed by Hearing Loss? Time for Change!

By Monique Hammond / July 7, 2019 / Comments Off on Embarrassed by Hearing Loss? Time for Change!

A recent study by the International Campaign for Better Hearing found that among the respondents from 10 countries, 74% stated that they have been embarrassed by their hearing loss.  It’s actually amazing that the figure is not higher.  So, what or who makes people feel that way? Hearing loss itself or the attitudes of those around them? …

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a person giving a presentation in a hall

Hearing Damage: An Often Underrated Work-related Injury

By Monique Hammond / May 29, 2019 / Comments Off on Hearing Damage: An Often Underrated Work-related Injury

 Consider the industry Safety slogan: 10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 eyes, 1 nose—Safety counts. What about the ears? Don’t they count? Hello!   Although noise-induced Hearing Loss Prevention and Hearing Conservation are part of company Safety Training Programs, they might not be given the full attention they deserve. How often is the hearing portion of…

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Closeup shot of the stethoscope

Hearing as a Diagnostic Tool

By Monique Hammond / May 6, 2019 / Comments Off on Hearing as a Diagnostic Tool

How long had this been going on?  After Jane’s longtime physician retired, her new doctor warned her that she would have to take prophylactic antibiotics before having dental work done. When she wondered why, she was told that she had a “noisy” heart valve and would not want to risk bacterial endocarditis. Often detected during…

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Closeup shot of a man with a hand on his face

Hearing Loss and Auditory Deprivation

By Monique Hammond / April 8, 2019 / Comments Off on Hearing Loss and Auditory Deprivation

 On average, it takes between 7 and 10 years before people act on a known or suspected hearing loss. A lot can happen to the hearing nerves and to the hearing center in the brain during that time. Due to a lack of sound stimulation, the systems become sluggish, weaken and ultimately atrophy. They fall…

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Prevent Noise-induced Hearing Loss in Children

By Monique Hammond / March 26, 2019 / Comments Off on Prevent Noise-induced Hearing Loss in Children

As parents and grand-parents, we are responsible for helping children avoid the damage that excessively loud sound can do to inner ears and hearing nerves. The earlier we intervene, the better it will be.   For kids even a mild hearing loss can interfere with speech development, learning and education. But it does not have…

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The Back of a Man and a Child on a Field

Hearing Loss is a Chronic Condition.

By Monique Hammond / February 23, 2019 / Comments Off on Hearing Loss is a Chronic Condition.

A management project  I used to have really, really good hearing. Then one day – poof −I went deaf in my left ear in a matter of four hours. Tinnitus set in almost immediately. Although I regained a bit of hearing over time, life had changed – forever. The ENT specialist informed me tersely that…

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Loved Ones with Hearing Loss? Hear’s to Valentine’s Day!

By Monique Hammond / February 9, 2019 / Comments Off on Loved Ones with Hearing Loss? Hear’s to Valentine’s Day!

 This year, make Valentine’s Day count for friends and loved ones with hearing loss. Although their biggest issue is understanding speech in background noise, they delight in being told that they are appreciated – and they really want to hear it.  Any efforts at even basic accommodation will be greatly appreciated. So, surprise your hearing-challenged Valentine(s)…

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