A critical social sense, an important personal skill

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Hearing - A critical social sense, an important personal skill Hearing - with the ears. Of the five senses, hearing is perhaps the most critically important for personal relationships and social interaction. One of the greatest treasures of life is the pleasure of simply talking to each other. One of the greatest losses of aging happens as the voices of your friends and loved ones fades from your perception, and carrying on a conversation becomes first a drudgery and then impossible. My father was a pianist who made his living as a cabinetmaker; some of my best memories are of jam sessions in the wee hours when dad would bring home a bunch of musician friends and play the night through, and mom would make breakfast for the lot of them in the morning. Now my father, at 95, can't hear the music anymore. Worse, he can't hear what I say to him, and even when I yell, he misunderstands most of what I expect him to hear. It is very draining to convey the simplest of messages. It is easier to let him talk, and if I want to get his understanding, call him on his amplified phone to make any points in his best ear. Soon that won't work either. For a young person, hearing loss can be adapted to by using hearing aids or learning sign language. For an old person, those adaptation don't seem to work well; hearing aids don't sound right (my father complained - and refused to buy them), and who can learn a new language when you are having trouble remembering how to tie your shoes. My brother made the most telling impression on me when he remarked how funny it was to eat dinner with my dad and two friends and listen to them carrying on three totally different conversations and yet nodding and answering each other like they could hear one another. They don't have a clue what is being said. I am not looking forward to that at all. Well, perhaps the upside would be never getting offended by another's crass remarks or political rantings. Most kids today have zero regard for future of their hearing, thinking they can blast their ears with the loudest subwoofers and the shrillest tweeters in their cars and ride unmuffeled ATVs. The rock concerts and all-night dance clubs are severely damaging, and yet youth is oblivious to the potential for killing a business career or the pleasure of quiet conversation with your spouse after 40-plus years of marriage, just the two of you. I have managed to come through 68 years of life with most of my hearing intact. I can't hear the ultrasonic sensors in the department stores like I could as a kid, but the world is full of crickets and birds and wind-chimes on the neighbors patio four houses down. But I do notice that it is more difficult to catch every nuance of conversation in a noisy restaurant (my wife complains that I have no trouble hearing conversations at the other tables - but that is a different listening skill). Hearing - with the heart. The other side of this hearing issue is that many people with perfect hearing never learn to actively listen to what another has to say. There is an art or skill to listening - some come by it naturally, others need to work to acquire the ability. I happen to be married to an exceptionally skilled listener, and that has been my social salvation. We have many dear friends as a couple, and I have no illusions that they value the relationship because of my conversation skills - my wife Jo is the rock upon which our relationships are built. Jo listens, and she hears; she hears the needs and feelings of the others, and she knows how to act to meet those needs. I seem to be full of things I want to tell you; Jo is there to be with you and hear your story. She will reflect your goodness to you - you will always walk away feeling good about the relationship and your value to her. She loves by hearing and responding with caring. I am a fortunate man to be blessed with her love! So this topic will cover strategies for preserving both hearing with the ears and with the heart. I thought it belonged under Personal Deportment, because it is important to keep these capacities sharp as we age. There is a tendency to turn inward and become more self-absorbed as we age, complaining about more and more as we become more infirm. Those who age well manage to stay connected, with relationships that get richer with time - an important part of that ability is being able to hear with both ears and heart. More to come....

1. Hearing Damage in Children by Jason Mills “Can you hear me now?” may be a popular catch phrase for a giant telecommunications corporation, but could it also represent the future of your child’s sense of hearing? Lately, iPods have received a lot attention from healthcare professionals as a probable cause for hearing damage. The media has focused specifically on iPods as a potential cause for premature hearing loss, but really, th ...more...

2. Simplify the Digital Hearing Aid Experience: Questions to Ask Be... by Henry Smith Purchasing a digital hearing aid is an important step in obtaining increased quality of life for people with hearing loss. There are many things to consider when deciding on the right hearing aid, such as brand, quality and price, but one of the most important considerations is the quality of the hearing aid provider, and the level of customer service it offers to clients throughout the ...more...

3. Best Digital Hearing Aids by Alvin Toh alvintohw@yahoo.com.sg. Best regards Alvin Toh http://www.acceleratedresultsoptimization.com Best Digital Hearing Aids There has been much advancement in the hearing aid industry in the last few years. Hearing aids come in even smaller, discreet sizes, and yet still providing a high level of sound quality. Nowadays, most hearing aids are digital, replacing the analog ...more...

4. Hearing Aids and Glasses: Leveling the Sensory Playing Field by Randy Wohlers Since time immemorial, people have referred to the eyes as “windows to the soul”, yet blind and deaf Helen Keller said "Hearing is the deepest, most philosophical sense man possesses." For centuries, sight impaired people have worn glasses without being labeled “mentally defective.” Meanwhile, those with hearing impairment have suffered enormous prejudice. Labeled as “old", "stupid", ...more...

5. How is Adult Hearing Loss evaluated? by Tanja Kelly Of the estimated 28 million American patients of hearing loss problems, 54 % adults older than age 65 suffer from significant hearing loss. This makes hearing loss the third most frequently reported chronic medical condition in America. To determine whether adult hearing loss has occurred in grown ups, audiologists conduct different tests for a complete hearing evaluation. After confirmation of th ...more...

6. Cranking the Volume on Your iPod or MP3 Player Can Damage Hearin... by Paul Smith Kids have always loved listening to their favorite music, and the louder the better – much to their parents’ dismay. In the 1980s, the portable tape recorder with headphones – which came to be known as the “Walkman” – enabled teenagers to listen to their music as loud as they wanted, anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone around them. But the more modern rendition of the Walkm ...more...

7. How Loud is “Too Loud” for Your Hearing? by Dr. Robert Rogers To measure the loudness of sound, a unit of measurement called a decibel (dB) is used. A decibel is one tenth of a bel (B), or the unit of measurement devised by engineers of the Bell Telephone Laboratory to quantify the level of sound reduction when a tone is transmitted over one mile (1.6 km) of standard telephone cable. Since the bel proved to be too large for most common sound me ...more...

8. Noise Induced Hearing Loss And Tinnitus by Paul Tobey On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your tinnitus? If you rated it higher than a five, then it’s most likely that the constant ringing in the ears is interfering with your happiness, your life, and your well being. Occurrences of tinnitus are on the rise and noise induced tinnitus seems to be the one making the most headlines, due to the expressed concern over iPods and other ...more...

9. My Choice - A Personal Tinnitus Story by Paul Tobey I have devoted my life to the study of sound. I am not a physicist, a doctor, a scientist, nor an audiologist. I am a master of sound, an accomplished concert pianist. Since the age of eight, I’ve studied the relationship between the body and the vibration of musical notes. What I couldn’t have known is that one day I would deeply yearn for the one note I would never hear again – the note of “no ...more...

10. iPod Hearing Loss Protection for Boomers: Five HearPod Solutions... by Randy Wohlers Since their debut in the marketplace, iPods have revolutionized the way we listen to music. iPod hard drives store up to 300 hours of music, batteries last for 12 hours, and the volume can be cranked up to 120 decibels. That’s louder than a chain saw or pneumatic drill, and equivalent to a jet plane taking off! But iPod fans are being warned to turn their music down. Even manufacturer, Apple, incl ...more...

11. Tinnitus Self-Help by Dr.Robert Rogers An estimated 36 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, or constant ear noise that is not the result of an outside source of sound. The sounds of tinnitus heard most often tend to explained as a high- pitched bell ringing, telephone dial tone, running water, hissing, cricket chirping, and many more. The ear noise is often constant and variable, meaning while it is always present, it bec ...more...

12. Tinnitus and Your True Heart's Desire by Paul Tobey As I’ve said many times before and have written in several previous articles, it’s important for Tinnitus sufferers to focus on what they want instead of what they don’t want. For example; if you focus on how bad your tinnitus is, it can’t possibly get any better. But, why is this? Why can’t tinnitus get better if you focus your mind on tinnitus? The truth is that most of us have been ta ...more...

13. Prevention of Loss of Hearing in Children, Young Adults and Olde... by Mike Jennings mvjennings@yahoo.com. Best regards Mike Jennings http://www.hammocks-swings-chairs.com Prevention of Loss of Hearing in Children, Young Adults and Older People One of the painless, odorless, tasteless and invisible diseases is loss of hearing. Even though it is painless, it affects the person mentally and psychologically. Loss of hearing is commonly divided in to three ...more...

14. Hearing Loss Prevalent In Baby Boomers by Alvin Toh alvintohw@yahoo.com.sg. Best regards Alvin Toh http://www.acceleratedresultsoptimization.com Hearing Loss Prevalent In Baby Boomers Hearing loss is a common problem in those over 65 years old. But now, more youngsters and baby boomers are being diagnosed with hearing loss. Exposure to excessive noise levels is the main culprit. On the top of the list of noise induced ...more...

15. Tinnitus: It's not a Disease, it's a Symptom! by Mark Goeder-Tarant If you have Tinnitus then you are most probably familiar with some of the most common causes. There is a whole list of them for you to choose from. Only when you start to analyze the known facts and their probable consequences will the whole scope of Tinnitus start to unfold. There can be a million reasons why you have Tinnitus. Let’s take a brief look at some of the most co ...more...

16. Tinnitus Can Certainly Cause Skepticism by Paul Tobey Tinnitus can affect people in many different ways but, in my opinion the most common symptom among most tinnitus sufferers is skepticism. Because there is no proven cure for tinnitus many sufferers search endlessly for anything that will alleviate the constant annoying ringing. And, what happens is, these same people grow more and more skeptical every day because almost nothing helps. ...more...

17. Everything You Need to Know about Cell Phones and Digital Hearin... by Susan Homitz Today, almost everyone has a cell phone - young and old - and it can be a challenge for users of digital hearing aids to know how to handle their phones properly. Issues such as feedback and distortion can arise, as can conflicts between cell phone and hearing aid technology, and the hearing aid user may be tempted to throw both the hearing aids and the cell phone out the window. But the ...more...

18. Hearing Aids - compact and powerful sound enhancers! by Caroline Cathy Do you find it difficult to comprehend words during conversation? Here come the special hearing aids which would help you to actively participate without any hesitation. The electronic Hearing Aid helps people to converse freely with no hindrance. Just wear behind your ears it can expose you to the bustling world. The hearing aids will assist to hear sounds in a better way in both calm and crowded ...more...

19. Bluetooth Hearing Aids: What You Need To Know by Alvin Toh alvintohw@yahoo.com.sg. Best regards Alvin Toh http://www.acceleratedresultsoptimization.com Bluetooth Hearing Aids: What You Need To Know Bluetooth wireless technology allows wireless communication between electronic devices. Bluetooth uses short-range wireless radio technology to connect devices to each other, generally within a distance of 30 ft. Newer devices may ...more...

20. Ensuring Realistic Expectations from Your Hearing Aids by Kelly Malick Many people mistakenly believe that hearing aids will solve all of their woes and make everything around them sound perfectly clear. The truth is that hearing devices make it easier for one to communicate with one's friends and family, but they are corrective devices like eyeglasses and cannot completely cure hearing loss. What they can do, however, is help maximize one's hearing ability ...more...