Better Hearing and Speech Month is a designated month dedicated to improving communication for all. Every May, the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) sponsors Better Hearing and Speech Month to raise awareness of an often-overlooked condition: hearing loss. Hearing loss is often undiagnosed and neglected because it is an invisible disorder that develops over time. This is partly because hearing loss rarely occurs overnight. …

Hearing aid technology has changed a lot in the last decade, and you might not even recognize a hearing aid if you saw it. You may think hearing aids are like the clunky devices your uncle wore 15 years ago. But today’s hearing aids are small, sophisticated devices that provide the best in clear hearing. Like much of the technology you use every day, hearing …

When we discuss hearing loss, we often talk about permanent hearing damage that takes place in the inner ear. Most hearing loss occurs when tiny sensory cells called “hair cells” are damaged or destroyed, limiting our capacity to detect sound. These tiny cells are the way the body picks up sound waves vibrating in the air and sends a signal to the brain.  In the …

Noise-related hearing loss is the most common form of hearing loss, in part because many people don’t recognize the extent to which excess noise can permanently damage their hearing – or how loud the world around them is. Dangerous noise levels in our everyday environment is called noise pollution and it can have a big effect on how well we hear. If you live around …

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, only around 20 percent of people who may benefit from hearing loss intervention seek care. Of the few that eventually do so, the general timeline between the first hearing loss diagnosis and the first pair of hearing aids is around a decade. Ignoring a condition and hoping it goes away is human nature, but hearing loss can only intensify …

You may think that hearing loss is only an ear issue but it is much more complicated than that. While the fragile hairs and nerves of our inner ear, which pick up sound, it is the job of the brain to interpret this information. In this way, brain health and hearing health are very much entwined.  If our brains are not able to receive enough …

Through myriad studies conducted over the last 20-30 years, research draws conclusive links between hearing loss and loneliness, social isolation, and depression. Intuitively, we understand that decreased hearing ability makes communication more difficult, and therefore we have to weigh our desire to connect with people against our knowledge of how strained and difficult it may be to try to converse. Well, it turns out that …

Hearing loss is a medical condition that over 40 million people navigate on a daily basis. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 1 in 8 people have some degree of hearing loss in one or both ears. This makes impaired hearing the third most common health condition that people experience. Oftentimes, hearing loss occurs gradually over time so it …

One of the major ways hearing loss impacts a person is by straining communication. Impaired hearing reduces one’s ability to hear sound. This is a key way we process and make meaning of information. Strained communication affects relationships, job performance, and various other responsibilities we manage on a daily basis. Working with impaired hearing can be particularly difficult. But by addressing your hearing loss as …

Hearing loss is a common health concern that millions of people navigate on a daily basis. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to hearing loss including pre-existing medical conditions, genetic history, and environmental exposure to loud noise. A decreased ability to hear can impact all aspects of life: communication, relationships, and overall health. If untreated, it can increase the risk of medical …