Helping Single Sided Deafness

Some people have little or no usable hearing in one ear, and either normal hearing in the other ear, or a hearing loss that can be helped with amplification. There is a solution for this situation, and current technology makes it better than ever!

Single sided deafness (SSD) involves significant damage to hearing in one ear. People with SSD can have trouble understanding speech because they can’t separate background noise from the sounds they want to hear, and they can’t hear from one side – making it difficult to locate sounds.

In addition, these people need to strategize when they are in a car, walking in the street, or sitting at a meeting, in each case being sure that the speaker they are trying to hear is on the “good” side. This is not easy.

The technology that addresses single sided deafness is called CROS (when the better ear is normal) and BICROS (when the better ear has an aidable hearing loss.) Here is what happens:

CROS hearing aid systems wirelessly transmit sound from the deaf side to the better ear via a small sleek transmitter, which is placed behind the deaf ear. The transmitter picks up sound and wirelessly transmits it to a receiver hearing aid on the normal-hearing ear. This solution is discreet and highly effective.

BiCROS is similar to CROS, but is made for those who are deaf in one ear and hearing impaired in the other ear. Here, the receiver hearing aid also amplifies sound on the better ear.

People who have lost their hearing in one ear and begin to use a CROS or BICROS system often light up with delight as they realize they are picking up sounds from the “bad” side. It is truly an “oh, wow!” moment.

Today’s CROS/BICROS instruments use the latest fashionable wireless instruments. They not only look good, but take advantage of the newest sound processing.  Battery life is surprisingly good.  Some units have a volume control so the sound from both sides can be adjusted.

Finally, patients with tinnitus (ringing in the ear) often get relief because of the additional sound enrichment.

If you or someone you know has single sided deafness, we would we happy to discuss this option with you.

CaptionCall - a Free Service to Assist With Phone Calls

If you have trouble hearing easily on the phone there is a technology that can help you.   Even with hearing aids, sometimes it is difficult to hear soft or high-pitched voices. Sometimes names or numbers are hard to hear, and sometimes the phone connection is simply not good.

CaptionCall is similar to captioned TV, but it is only available to people with hearing loss.  It displays written, almost instant easy-to-see captions so that you can listen and read the captions simultaneously.   Twice the information allows you to communicate with better understanding and less stress.

Moreover, it is FREE!  Captioned Telephone Service is a federally funded program administered by the FCC as a benefit of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  There are no costs associated with this service.  The telephone itself is provided by CaptionCall at no cost.

In the words of one of my patients – a dynamic professional woman with a tough hearing loss and a wonderful way with words:  “Thanks to CaptionCall there’s no more ‘processing’ time interrupting my conversation.  I can answer spontaneously.  Without the help of CaptionCall it takes a pause to get the contextual meaning.  But now I can have a true dialogue.  It provides another layer of ability, not disability!”

To qualify for a CaptionCall service you must have a hearing loss, and a signed form from a qualified health professional affirming that you need a captioned phone because of your hearing loss.  Once you submit your form by FAX to 1-888-778-5838 a CaptionCall representative will contact you and arrange for: free phone, free delivery, free installation, free in-home training, and free captioning service.

You will be able to communicate with confidence!  Caption Call is familiar – calls are dialed and answered like any regular phone.  The phone is hearing aid compatible if the hearing aids have telecoils available.  The sound of the phone can be customized - the ringer, handset volume and frequency balance can be optimized to meet your hearing configuration.

Three things are needed to get started:

• hearing loss that requires the help of a captioned phone service
• high-speed internet connection 
• standard home phone connection

Be empowered!  Accurate and easy telephone use is important for staying in touch with family and friends, obtaining needed information, knowing you are communicating with accuracy, and staying well-networked.  My patients who have obtained this service are delighted with the help.

McGuire's Featured in Suffolk Time's Article on Hearing Health

The December 3rd edition of the Suffolk Times included an article by Rachel Young ("Don't take your hearing for granted") that featured McGuire's Owner and Help America Hear founder David Carr. Click here to read the article.

Most People Do Not Listen with the Intent to Understand

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” I read this quote from Steven Covey recently on Facebook. He’s the author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It caught my attention and has stayed in my mind for a few weeks. This quote resonates with me for two different yet related reasons.

First, I believe that we clinicians – your professionals, must bear this in mind at all times. Every patient is unique and has a story to tell. It is our job to truly listen to your story, and respond with a treatment plan that is tailored to your hearing ability and your preferences and needs. So, even though we may have a “checklist” of questions we will want to cover, ultimately we need to take our time, sit back, and hear your story. This is how we can help you best, and we are committed to actively listening to each patient who seeks our help.

Second, listening through a hearing loss, even with the help of excellent hearing technology, is an active process. I’ve noticed that sometimes my patients seem to rush ahead to respond to conversation, not allowing enough time to process the words. But perhaps, slower listening would result in more accurate hearing, as well as more responsive and thoughtful give and take.

Mr. Covey said that communication is the most important skill in life. We are taught to read, write, and speak. But what about listening? We are less educated in listening to truly, deeply understand another human being.

Mr. Covey explained that most people seek first to be understood, to get our point across. We may ignore the other person, pretend to be listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning. What is happening here? According to Mr. Covey, most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. We have an internal dialogue as we prepare what we are going to say next. We filter what we hear through our own life experiences. So, we may decide prematurely what the other person means before he/she finishes communicating.

I think all of us – with normal hearing or not, can benefit from slower, more intentional and active listening. The result will be not just more accurate hearing, but truer communication.

A Hearing Loop Can Help You Hear at Public Places

When placed at entrances, the sign informs people that the venue is looped. Logo courtesy of  http://www.hearingloop.org/logo.htm

If you have difficulty hearing as well as you’d like in various public venues, you will probably benefit from hearing loops. More and more auditoriums, train stations, sports stadiums, museums, and concert halls offer this easy-to-use technology.

To use a hearing loop, you turn on the t-switch on your hearing aid or cochlear implant to activate the telecoil. If your hearing aid doesn't have a telecoil, you will need a headset plugged into a loop receiver to achieve the same effect.

A hearing loop is a wire that encircles the room and is connected to a sound system. The loop transmits the sound electromagnetically. The electromagnetic signal is then picked up by the telecoil in the hearing aid or cochlear implant.

Using a telecoil and hearing loop together is seamless, cost-effective, unobtrusive, and you usually don't need any additional equipment.

Long Islanders: we have just learned that a hearing loop is now available in the auditorium at Huntington Town Hall. This is the first Town Hall to have a hearing loop installed in Suffolk County, New York. This loop was installed to meet the needs of residents who have experienced difficulty hearing at events that take place in the auditorium.

Check out this website for an up-to-date list of facilities in the metro area that are “looped” – keep your eye out for the logo of an ear with audio waves. Remember, it may be necessary to ask your audiologist or hearing instrument dispenser to activate your telecoil to access help from a hearing loop.

Our Senses Connect Us to Our World

What sounds are you thankful to hear?

As Thanksgiving approaches, gratitude is on my mind. Our senses connect us to our world, and also remind us of past experiences. One sense connects to the next…the sound of sizzling bacon together with its aroma is a mouth-watering sensation. Take a few minutes to imagine your favorite sounds.

I love when my patients who are new to hearing aids are aware of sounds previously unheard. Often the first, in my office, is: I can hear the secretaries in the waiting room! (yes, I can too – that’s a good thing.)

Here are some sounds that come back into the “soundscape” when audibility is enhanced:

• Ice cubes cracking in a drink
• Toaster oven clicking off
• Patter of rain on the window
• Children laughing in pure joy
• Crackling fire
• “thwonk” of a well-placed tennis ball
• Tinkling of teaspoon stirring coffee
• Crunch of crisp apple
• Wind chimes in a light breeze
• A cello solo
• Crunching footsteps on fresh snow
• Baby’s first babbling
• Waves breaking rhythmically on the beach
• Choir singing a joyful song
• Birds chirping in early spring dawn
• Far away train
• Leaves rustling in the wind
• Applause

We are told to stop and smell the roses. True! I am so grateful for all our senses! Take a few minutes today to listen, look, smell, touch and taste. What sounds are you thankful to hear?

Calling All Grandchildren!

Hearing aid technology has made phenomenal advances, and is highly interactive with the soundscape so that the listener has a better chance than ever to hear well and comfortably. And yet, hearing aids are only part of the prescription for better hearing. Good listening strategies and strong, kind family support are as important as ever.

If you are lucky enough to have grandchildren in your family scene, you have a built-in resource to help in the adjustment to hearing aids. I say this on the basis of years of observations of the families I see in my practice.

Children are, by nature, proactive, matter-of-fact, curious, intuitive, and quick to “get it.”

Here are a few tips on how the young ones in your family can facilitate good benefit from amplification:

• Learning to actively listen is essential. Let your little ones read a book or tell a story. When we really want to hear, we put extra effort into listening.
• Kids like to get close. Remind them that it’s easiest to listen when face-to-face.
• Children are endlessly curious. It’s OK to ask questions: Why do you have trouble hearing? What happened to your ears? How do our ears work? Do the hearing aids help? It’s a great opportunity to educate your children, and at the same time clarify the very same questions the adults may also be thinking about.
• Changes in hearing often come with aging, but older people do not need to struggle with hearing impairment. Hearing aids and good listening strategies can make it much easier to listen.
• Motivation is so important to maximize hearing aid benefit. Often children’s voices are especially difficult for hearing impaired people to hear because they are soft and a bit treble. So these young precious voices are just the ones that will benefit from being amplified. This is an opportunity for the hearing aid benefit to shine.
• If you don’t hear the child, don’t pretend you did. Children are straightforward. You can say: My ears didn’t hear you – please tell me again.
• Kids can be your best “hearing ally.” In the words of one of my patients, if she’s observed to be missing things, her grandchild says: Grandma, do you have your ears on? If it’s the grandchild who asks, it is never nagging!

As a grandparent myself, I am so aware that communication with my young grandchildren is a joy beyond words. Harness this energy - it’s beneficial to both grandparents and grandkids.