by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. with Christa A concerned mother wrote, My son has an overall moderate hearing loss. He wears hearing aids in both ears. He has a really hard time in the cafeteria. He is in second grade. He has difficulty keeping up with his peers’ conversations because of the noise level, background noise, […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. One lady vented, My complaint in dealing with folks on the phone who, when I tell them I’m hard of hearing, they think that talking louder is what is needed. Case in point; yesterday I had to deal with a local company. After playing the waiting game, I told the lady […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A doctor explained, I am a pediatrician with progressive hearing loss, due primarily to loud noises, and also a mild congenital deficit. I have been in practice for 33 years. An unavoidable part of my job includes very loud, screaming children. It is especially loud when I look in their ears! […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © March, 2013   If you are hard of hearing and are in the market for a “new” used car, here is a great resource to help you find a quiet car. Driving a car that is as quiet as possible will let you better converse without straining to hear […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Do you always carry personal identification with you? Maybe you do when you are going out driving or shopping since you’ll have your wallet or purse with you containing your driver’s license. But what happens if you just go out for a walk around the block? or are swimming? or are […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I have hearing loss in the severe/profound range and use very powerful Phonak hearing aids. They have excellent t-coils and I get the best sound quality whenever I’m able to use them. What I’d like to find is a portable loop system that I can use when […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I have hearing loss and use an amplified phone that displays a warning “HIGH VOLUME – May cause hearing damage!”. I need the volume to be at that decibel level in order to hear. Will having the volume that high cause further hearing damage? Is it better for […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked, How can I recharge my Cochlear Implant batteries and my assistive devices when the power fails? This is an excellent question, especially considering the massive power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy back in October. At one point during the storm, more than 7 million people were without […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, I developed a severe, sudden, low-frequency hearing loss in my left ear. Do you have any ideas why I am now having severe difficulty hearing/understanding in situations where there is a lot of noise or a lot of people talking? For example, at the gym yesterday I was […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote, I am 23 years old and I have recently started to believe that I may have a mild hearing loss. I often have trouble understanding other people in noisy environments, such as cars or restaurants, and I seem to be the only one having difficulties. In quieter environments, […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I am hearing impaired and also have tinnitus. I wear bilateral hearing aids. I work at home. My husband, when he gets home from work, tends to forget I am hearing impaired and will talk to me from various locations in the house. I have no idea what […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. We hard of hearing people have to put out a lot of energy in order to catch what those around us are saying. This means we may come home from work exhausted—totally wiped out. As one lady explained, “Sometimes people around us acknowledge that hearing loss is stressful. But hardly anyone […]

You come home with the shocking diagnosis—you have a hearing loss. The first reaction of your hearing family members is to pressure you into getting hearing aids. Family members, resist this temptation. This is not the right time for a person with hearing loss to get hearing aids. The truth is, multitudes of hearing aids […]

When hearing loss hits one family member, it affects everyone in the family, not just the person with the hearing loss. Typically, the other family members miss the free and easy (and intimate) conversations they used to have. This saddens and sometimes angers them. Thus, just as for any other kind of loss, they too […]

Question: What is the best way to help someone who is in denial regarding their hearing loss? The statement, “You need to get hearing aids” just doesn’t work!—J. D. Answer: It sounds to me that the real question you are asking is, “How do I knock some sense into a hard of hearing person so […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked, What are some reliable methods and words I could use to find the self-confidence I need to be a better self-advocate for my hearing loss? This is an excellent question. Too often, people with hearing losses find it very difficult to advocate for their needs. Thus learning about […]