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Source: Shari Eberts, Healthy HearingSummer parties are a joy – wonderful friends, balmy weather, delicious food and the great outdoors. Social gatherings can sometimes be difficult for people with hearing loss, but barbecues are easier to navigate than most parties. The outdoor location makes it easier to hear since the buzz of conversation is not bouncing around the hard surfaces of a restaurant or other indoor space. Barbecues are also typically more casual, with a variety of seating areas and alternative spots for conversation. If the first place you choose doesn't work, it is easy enough and quite socially acceptable to...

Source: Debbie Clason, staff writer, Healthy Hearing How much do you rely on your hearing when you drive? Probably more than you know. Although your sense of sight is undoubtedly the most important when behind the wheel, your sense of hearing helps you detect approaching emergency vehicles, hear the blaring horn of an impatient driver or reminds you that your turn signals are engaged. While people with hearing loss don’t drive any worse than those with normal hearing, it never hurts to be prepared and take extra safety precautions.  Get treatment for your hearing loss First of all, if you aren’t hearing...

1. Ongoing Exposure to Noise on the Job Long-term exposure to continuous loud noise can cause lasting hearing loss. A common culprit is workplace noise, like machinery. About 30 million Americans face hazardous levels of noise at work. Things like motorcycles and power tools also can damage hearing over time. If you can, avoid or take breaks from noisy activities. Wear earplugs or ear protectors that fit over the ear.   2. Injury or Pressure Changes   Severe head trauma can dislocate middle-ear bones or cause nerve damage, causing permanent hearing loss. Sudden changes in pressure -- from flying or...

Source: Debbie Clason, staff writer, Healthy Hearing Technology takes care of so many things for us today, it’s often difficult to realize that it occasionally needs a little assistance from us to work effectively.  Smartphones are only intelligent when their battery is charged. Your car’s GPS gives you great directions, as long as you enter the destination information correctly. Hearing aids can amplify sound, but they can’t teach others how to effectively communicate with you.Talking to others about your hearing loss isn’t always fun, but advocating for yourself is essential if you want to get the most out of interactions with...

Source: Debbie Clason, Healthy HearingMany of us know noisy environments are detrimental to our hearing health. Hearing protection is standard issue on noisy job sites. Gun hobbyists wear hearing protection at the gun range, race car enthusiasts wear noise-canceling headphones and musicians wear custom earmolds. But what about unexpected sources of noise - things that may not immediately come to mind as hearing dangers? We live in a noisy world! Many hazardous noises come not just from our occupations, but from things we do for fun.  Summertime activities like parades and fairs come with dangerously loud sirens and ear-splitting marching band standards. Even...