April 2010 Newsletter...Board of Directors Ron Keeney, Pres Keeney & Co, Architects, PLC...
Transcript of April 2010 Newsletter...Board of Directors Ron Keeney, Pres Keeney & Co, Architects, PLC...
leagues studied 26,917 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Their ages ranged from 40 to 75 at en-rollment in 1986. Every two years, the men filled out ques-tionnaires about their use of various drugs, as well as other life-style factors. They were also asked if hearing loss had been professionally docu-mented.
The researchers cau-tioned that the study group involved only men and that most of them were Caucasian. It is not clear how the results might extrapo-late to women and other racial groups.
From www.latimes.com/features/health
In a study, men who regularly use analgesics reported hear-ing Thomas H. Maugh II , Los Angeles Times/ Health
March 8, 2010
Perhaps it wasn't those years of listening to rock 'n' roll that damaged my hearing after all; regular use of aspirin, acetamino-phen and other anal-gesics appears to sub-stantially increase the risk of hearing loss, especially in men younger than 50.
Researchers reported recently in the Ameri-can Journal of Medi-cine that use of aceta-
minophen more than twice a week by such men doubles the risk of hearing loss, use of ibuprofen and related non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk by nearly two-thirds, and regular use of aspirin increases it by about a third.
Studies in animals and anecdotal reports in humans have indi-cated that high doses of the analgesics could interfere with hearing, but there have been few studies looking at regular use and none studying acetamino-phen (one brand name is Tylenol), according to the study authors.
Dr. Sharon G. Curhan of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and her col-
Painkillers may increase risk of hearing loss
H e a r i n g L o s s A s s o c i a t i o n o f C e n t r a l V A
January 2010
Volume 3, Issue 3
Say What?
Inside this issue:
April 2010
Painkillers may increase risk of hearing loss
1
Hearing aids alone won’t do the trick
2
One in Six Suffer-ing From Hearing Loss
Meeting Schedule
4
6
Hybrid Hearing Aid/Cochlear Im-plant
Communication Tips for People with Hearing Loss
6
6
3rd State Confer-ence—Cochlear Implants 2010 and Beyond
8
Communication Tips for People with Better Hear-ing
10
Hearing loss af-fecting psychoso-cial health, par-ticularly in young people
11
Hearing Aids Alone Won't Do the Trick
hearing aids to really
hear and understand in
some settings. Unlike
eyesight returned to
20/20 by glasses, hear-
ing aids don't return
hearing to "normal."
What's often needed is a
variety of products and
services beyond hearing
aids and, unfortunately,
they are not always dis-
cussed by hearing care
professionals when they
dispense hearing aids.
There are many very ca-
pable, caring hearing-
care providers but
a study found a substan-
tial number of them
don't follow guidelines of
the American Academy
of Audiology. The major-
ity don't tell clients
about the world of assis-
tive devices available to
supplement hearing aids.
Less than half even make
certain clients under-
stand how the telecoil in
hearing aids can help
them hear on the phone.
Many hearing aid wear-
ers aren't even told they
have telecoils.
This problem is so preva-
lent that one state, Ari-
zona, has a new law
mandating that provid-
ers instruct their clients
in the applications and
use of the telecoil.
So, what is this technol-
ogy that's so routinely
ignored by hearing care
providers? A telecoil
picks up electromagnetic
signals from an induc-
tion loop, which is con-
nected to an amplifier
and microphone, a TV
set, or some other elec-
tronic sound source. A
loop can circle a chair, a
room or an entire home,
and anyone with a tele-
coil equipped hearing aid
can pick up the signal
from anywhere within
that loop. Small neck
loops, operating on the
same principle, work
with cell phones, iPods
and other devices.
Because the micro-
phones in the hearing
aids are normally turned
off when using telecoils,
the only sound comes
Albuquerque Jour-
nal - Opinion (Op
Ed)
By Stephen O. Frazier
State Coordinator, Hearing Loss
Association of America
Othel Moore is hard of
hearing. When she
moved to Albuquerque,
she started attending
services at Christ United
Methodist Church but
says, "I never heard any-
thing in the service."
Even with hearing aids,
she could not under-
stand what was being
said.
Then Christ United in-
stalled an induction loop
system and, simply by
using the telecoils in her
hearing aids, she could
hear and she could un-
derstand. Moore said of
the loop/telecoil technol-
ogy, "It's fantastic— I can
hear everything going
on."
Like Moore, many of the
hard of hearing— 10 per-
cent of the public and
increasing at a faster rate
than the general popula-
tion— need more than
Page 2
Say What?
Page 3
Volume 3, Issue 3
Tao Blake and Lou Gibb
from the loop's signal.
Background noises are
not amplified, intelligi-
bility of spoken words
is enhanced and the
hearing aids correct the
sound for that
particular person's
hearing loss.
Induction loop technol-
ogy is the sound system
of choice for many
hard-of-hearing people.
With such a system, all
they have to do is flip a
switch. They don't need
to be near the sound
source or facing it.
When used with a TV
set in the home, the
devices allow the
wearer to hear and un-
derstand programming
while leaving the vol-
ume low enough that
others don't complain.
Loop systems are rela-
tively inexpensive, easily
installed, and require
little or no maintenance.
If loops and telecoils are
so great, why don't hear-
ing care providers tell
clients about them?
Why don't they tell cli-
ents they could hear in
church, at Popejoy Hall,
at the Hispanic Cultural
Center and many other
venues without the has-
sle of borrowing an in-
frared headset (probably
with dead batteries) that
doesn't correct sound
like hearing aids do? As
stated earlier, there are
many very capable, car-
ing hearing care provid-
ers but there are also
many who may be capa-
ble but possibly not as
caring and conscien-
tious as they could be.
Short of a law requiring
negligent hearing care
providers to really pro-
vide hearing care (as is
the case in different pro-
vider.
For more information
on living with hearing
loss, visit or call the
Hearing Loss Associa-
tion of America in
New Mexico,
www.HLAAnm.homeste
ad.com, or call (505)
401-4195.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Your support is very important to us. We use your dues and
donations for printing and mailing notices for each monthly
meeting, quarterly newsletter mailings, and for the June and
December get togethers. We also use it for equipment if abso-
lutely necessary.
We need your support to continue our mission. Please Help.
Send Dues and Donations to HLACVA, c/o Keeney & Co. Ar-
chitects, 1413 Sachem Pl, Suite One, Charlottesville, VA
22901-2497. Application on cover.
Board of
Directors
Ron Keeney, Pres Keeney & Co, Architects, PLC 434-978-2000 [email protected]
Poppy Lesti, News. Editor, Coord. 3875 Whitetail Ln. Keswick VA 22947 434-923-0378 [email protected]
Frank Shiflett, Treas. 434-985-2060
Larry Herbert, Tech.Advi. 434-981-3004
Betty Bonvillian, Dir 434-244-0461
Marjorie Boone, Dir 434-244-0461
Lou Gibb, Dir 434-293-8437
Dot Clark, Dir 434-973-3667
Carolyn Newsome, Dir 434-295-9094
Page 4
Say What?
One in six suffering from hearing loss
Just a small minority of people needing hearing aids use them even though hearing aids can be vital for holding employment and improve quality of life.
Sixteen percent of adult Europeans suffer from hearing loss great enough to adversely affect their daily life. This is much higher than the previously generally assumed prevalence of 10 per-cent. In Europe, about 71 million adults aged 18 to 80 years have a hearing loss greater than 25 dB, the defini-tion of hearing impair-ment recognized by the World Health Organi-zation, WHO. In the EU alone, the number of people with hearing loss is more than 55 million. The data on hearing loss in Europe is re-ported in the scientific Survey, “Evaluation of the Social and Eco-nomic Costs of Hearing Impairment”.
“Hearing loss affects
every family. It has now been documented that one in six adults suffers from hearing loss and that only a fraction of those with hearing impairment actually use hearing aids. This is sad, be-cause hearing loss is inexpensive to treat, and surveys have dem-onstrated that modern hearing aids promote general well-being and improve the quality of life of those who use them,” says Kim Ru-berg, Secretary Gen-eral, Hear-it AISBL.
One in six use hear-ing aids
According to the re-port, just one in six of those who could bene-fit from using hearing aids is being treated with hearing aids. Numerous scientific surveys show that the satisfaction among hearing aid users is high, and several stud-ies have concluded that the use of hearing aids causes significant im-provement in the qual-ity of life.
Hearing loss in different coun-tries
The report findings make it possible to calculate the num-bers of people with hearing impairment in any given region or area in Europe and other industri-alized nations. Some examples:
• Germany 10.2 million
• France 7.6 mil-lion
• United Kingdom 7.5 million
• Italy 7.2 million
• Spain 5.5 mil-lion
• Poland 4.7 mil-lion
The Netherlands 2 million
Source: Evaluation of the Social and Economic Costs of Hearing Impair-ment”, October 2006, by Bridget Shield for Hear-it AISBL. From www.hear-it.org
Page 5
Volume 3, Issue 3
Ivy Commons Family Chiropractic
Meghan Custer, D.C. 434-293-2779
4422 Ivy Commons fax: 434-293-0712 Charlottesville, VA 22903 [email protected]
We are dedicated to helping people reach their optimum potential by releasing interference in the body’s innate healing ability. Offering safe, effective, affordable chiropractic care for the whole family. Let’s see if we can help
you. Now accepting new patients. Spinal adjustments and massage therapy.
. March 30, 2010
Hybrid hearing aid/cochlear implant
tional cochlear implant, but who cannot use a conventional hearing aid.
“The processor is actu-ally two processors in one, with one processing the electrical impulses and the other processing the acoustical impulses. The device is slightly lar-ger than a conventional CI, but similar in its op-eration," stated Helge Rask-Andersen, profes-sor at the Uppsala Uni-versity Hospital in Up-sala, Sweden.
Rask-Andersen per-formed the first Scandi-navian EAS implantation together with Wolf-Dieter Baugarten, a sur-geon from Austria, where the new device and procedure were de-veloped. So far, EAS implants are made by few manufac-turers. If you think you may be a candidate for EAS treatment you should contact your hearing health specialist. Source: Auris From. www.hear-it.org
Electric Acoustic Stimu-lation is a hybrid treat-ment solution for indi-viduals who have some hearing left in the low frequencies but who can-not hear all of the higher frequency sounds.
The EAS-implant is a combination of a hearing aid that acoustically am-plifies low frequencies and a cochlear implant that electrically stimu-lates the higher frequen-cies. This is the solution for those who hear too well to receive a conven-
Meeting
Schedule
We meet most months on the first Wednesday from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, 1180 Pepsi Pl, Charlottesville, VA, 434-974-7756. ALL PEOPLES AND AGES WELCOME
May 5, 2010—Karla Lesher from the Dept of Rehabilitation - “Safety Practices for People With Hearing Loss”
June 2, 2010— Elizabeth LeBarron of HLAA National Headquarters—sandwiches served.
July & Aug no
meetings
Sept 1. 2010— Linda
Swinson, Audiologist
from Wagner Hearing
Oct 6, 2010— TBA
Nov 3, 2010—Brenda M. Ryals, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized researcher in the areas of auditory plasticity and hair cell regeneration. She will be talking on "A look to the future: Will we be able to make new ears?"
Page 6
Say What?
Communication Tips for People With
Hearing Loss
1. Avoid noisy backgrounds. If noise
cannot be avoided, choose the quiet-
est place possible, i.e. the kitchen, a
corner table in a restaurant, even out-
doors if feasible.
2. In restaurants, choose your seat
first. Sit where you can see well. Ask
people to move if you need to.
3. Remove all visual obstacles from
tables or desks (flowers, photos, tro-
phies, etc.).
4. Round table or seating in a square
makes for better visual communica-
tion. People who don’t hear well need
enough space to see body language
and interaction between people.
5. If a radio or television is making it
impossible to hear at a restaurant or
at home, ask politely that it be turned
down.
6. If you want to watch television at a
restaurant ask that the captions be
turned on– it’s your right.
7. The light should not be in your eyes
or from behind the speaker. You need
to see their face.
8. Let your communication partner
know which side is your “better” ear.
Cont.
9. 5-10 ft. is the best dis-
tance for sound reception
(with or without a hearing
aid) and speech reading.
More than 6 ft reduces
effectiveness of hearing
aids by 50%.
10. Give feedback: let the
speaker know if you are
not able to hear or under-
stand.
11. Encourage success.
Compliment the speaker if
communication is going
well.
12. Don’t pretend to un-
derstand if you can’t. Post-
pone the conversation for
a better time.
13. You may need t0 be
ASSERTIVE in reminding
the person that you have a
hearing loss.
14. A positive attitude is
the most important factor.
Empathy and a sense of
humor on the part of both
communication partners
helps communication flow
both ways. The belief that
the problem can be solved
together will provide help
in even the hardest situa-
tion.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
go to the Hearing Loss of
America website
(www.HLAA.org) for help-
ful tips for hard of hearing
people and their family
members.
Thank you both for the generous use of your time and incredible knowledge.
Dr John Mason
March Meeting – Mike Ernest gave us a great talk on communication. He started out with a surmise as to whether JD Salinger was just a recluse or was Hard of Hearing. Mike also has provided us with the “Communication Tips” in this newsletter.
April Meeting— Dr. John Mason gave a won-derful talk and answered a lot of questions about co-chlear implants, tinnitus, telecoils and the new surgi-cal technology being devel-oped for the Hard of Hear-ing.
Thank You
Page 7
Volume 3, Issue 3
FROM THE EDITOR
I want to thank everybody for this opportunity to get out our news. If you have any questions, comments, or articles for future newsletters, please call me at 434-923-0378, email me at [email protected], or write me at Poppy Lesti, 3875 Whitetail Ln, Keswick, VA 22947
HOPE TO SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT
Communication—cont.
PUNS
1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption. 5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work. 6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. 7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie. 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
Page 8
Say What?
The 3rd State Conference
“Cochlear Implants: 2010 and Beyond”
May 22, 2010 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Purpose of the Conference
This conference has been developed in response to needs expressed by co-
chlear implant users in Virginia, as well as individuals considering a cochlear
implant for themselves or a family member.
Cochlear Implant Surgeon Dr. David Coelho will present an overview of co-
chlear implants, including reports on the benefits of bilateral implants and
the future direction of implant technology. Other professionals in the field
will discuss the latest information and available research regarding cochlear
implants so consumers can made an informed decision.
Cochlear implant users will be able to meet and interact with each other, and
also to discuss coping skills for adapting to this new world of hearing tech-
nology.
Representatives from cochlear implant and cell phone companies will be
available during breaks to demonstrate their devices and can answer your
individual questions.
Representatives of the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
and Virginia Relay will present new communication services and devices, in-
cluding the CapTel 800i and Web CapTel. There will also be an opportunity
for attendees to comment on relay services.
This is a great opportunity to learn about cochlear implants and its related
technology from the experts in the field as well as current implant users
themselves.
Seminar Agenda:8:30 a.m.
Registration 9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks by Senator Ed Houck 9:15 – 10:45
a.m.
An Overview of Cochlear Implants Presented by Keynote Speaker Dr.
Daniel Coelho, Cochlear, Implant Surgeon from Virginia Commonwealth Uni-
versity 10:45 – 11:05 a.m.
Break 11:05 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Cochlear Implant User PanelModerated by Dr. Amber Gardner, Audiolo-
gist from the University of Virginia Medical Center 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch provided by Virginia Relay 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Cochlear Implants and Cell Phone Usage Presented by Joe Duarte,
President of Duartek, Inc. and a Cochlear Implant User 2:30 – 3:30 p.m
Page 9
Volume 3, Issue 3 S
3rd State Conference cont.
Update on Captioning Telephone Relay (CapTel®) for Cochlear Implant
Users Presented by Trish Banks, Captioning Telephone Specialist for the Vir-
ginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) 3:30 – 3:45
p.m.
Break 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Town Hall Meeting Led by Clay Bowen, Relay and Technology Programs
Manager for VDDHH, an Open Forum to Discuss Virginia Relay, CapTel, and
other Relay Services
For more information or to register – http://drcfredericksburg.org/DRCPages/CI/CI2010.htm
Cost is $20 per person and you must register by May 6, 2010
Specializing in Audiometric Hearing Tests, Personal-ized Selection and Adjustment of Hearing Aids
and Ancillary Products
FREE HEARING TEST & 15% 0FF PURCHASE
WITH THIS COUPON!
Toll Free: 866-341-HEAR (4327) www.hearvirginia.com
Communication Tips for People with Better Hearing 1. Do you have personal amplification devices or a loop system available?
2. Remove all visual obstacles from tables or desks ( flowers, trophies, photos, etc.)
3. Round table or seating in a square makes for better visual communication.
4. Face the listener directly and be sure you have his/her attention. Use discreet gestures if necessary to get their attention.
5. Arrange seating so that the light falls on your face.
6. Be sure your mouth is not hidden by hands, newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, or facial hair.
7. Don’t talk with food or chewing gum in your mouth.
8. Don’t shout. Speak clearly at a natural tone and pace.
9. Don’t correct pronunciation, anticipate or speak for the Hard of Hearing person.
10. Use gestures to identify people or objects in the room.
11. Use writing when necessary.
12. Establish the topic before continuing. Example: “I wanted to talk about your daughter’s wedding.”
13. Don’t change topics without warning. Name the new topic. Don’t skip around.
14. Place important details such as date and time at the beginning of the sentence.
15. If a word is missed, try a synonym or give an example.
16. Don’t repeat the same word over and over: Missed once is often missed twice.
17. Use the missed word in a reorganized or rephrased sentence.
A positive attitude is the most important factor. Empathy and a sense of humor on the part of everybody.
Hearing loss affecting psychosocial health, particularly in young people
March 12, 2010
An extensive survey found clear associations be-tween hearing loss and feelings of loneliness, dis-tress, depression, anxiety and somatization. Young people are more deeply affected than older people.
Young people with hearing loss are more prone to a decline in psychosocial health than older hearing impaired people, according to a so-called National Hearing Test conducted in Holland among 1511 in-dividuals aged 18-70 years. The respondents an-swered a series of online speech-in-noise screening questions relating to hearing and self-reported psy-chosocial functioning.
The participants were divided into age groups from 18-29, 30-39, etc. The test indicated that the young-est group experienced a clear association between decreased hearing and increased loneliness. In the 30-39 years of age group, the emphasis was on dis-tress and somatization. 40-49 year-olds talked mostly about distress, self-efficacy, depression and anxiety, somatization was the main characteristic among the 50-59 year-olds, whereas no specific characteristic stood out in the 60-70 year age group.
Bigger hearing loss, worse health In all of the age groups more hearing loss equalled worse general health. As an example, the risk of se-vere depression increased by five percent per dB of individual hearing loss. Similarly, the likelihood of somatization and distress increased by two percent for each dB of hearing loss. The likelihood of feeling lonely was found to increase by seven percent per dB of hearing loss..
Younger people more severely affected Mild distress states are considered part of normal life and do not interfere with normal social func-tioning. However, elevated levels of distress with symptoms such as worry, irritability, tension, poor concentration and insomnia may force a person to give up and withdraw from major social roles, espe-
cially the occupational role. Therefore, the impact of hearing impairment in adults younger than 70 years may be greater than the impact in elderly people.
Of the 1,511 respondents 546 were males and 965 were females, with a total of 355 reporting that they used hearing aids. No significant differences were found in the responses by females or males within the age groups.
Source: Ear and Hearing 2009, 30, 302-312, Lip-pincott Williams & Wilkins
From www.hear-it.org
Hearing Loss Association
Of Central VA
Membership Form Send to: HLACVA
c/o Keeney & Co Architects, PLC 1413 Sachem Pl, Ste One
Charlottesville, VA 22901-2497 NAME_______________________________ Address_______________________________ _____________________________________ Phone/TTY:___________________________ $10 dues for membership to offset cost of news- letter, meeting notices, and 2 get togethers. Background, experience, skills, interests: _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________
HLAA opens the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, advocacy, and support. Membership is $35 per year and includes a Subscription: The Hearing Loss Journal
www.hearingloss.org
7915 Woodmont Ave.
Bethesda MD 20814
(301) 657-2248 (Voice)
(301) 657-2249 (TTY)
Invite a friend to join the local chapter
as well as national!
Hearing Loss Association of Central Virginia c/o Keeney & Co., Architects 1413 Sachem Pl., Suite One Charlottesville, VA 22901-2497 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED PLEASE confirm your address… and if this mailing is not of interest, Tell us at (434) 978-2000… or fax us at (434) 978-7438.
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