#HearingFactFriday Tag

10 Media Representations of Hearing Loss

  10 Media Representations of Hearing Loss Finding media representation in TV and movies for characters with hearing loss can be difficult unless the film is centred around life and struggle as a hard of hearing individual. However, in recent years, several films and TV shows have been released that incorporate deaf characters and storylines to create a more dynamic watching experience. Although not all new, most of these movies and TV shows are from the last decade. They feature characters with tinnitus, various levels of hearing loss, and in some cases the use of American Sign Language (ASL). Here are 10 media representations of hearing loss we thought were worth a watch. Movies: Drama and Comedy 1. A Star is Born (2018) character Jack Maine Jack is a musician with substance abuse and worsening Tinnitus. Through his struggle, he helps a young singer find fame as his career is coming to a close. Starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.   2. The Old Man and the Gun (2018) character Forrest Tucker Based on the, mostly, true story of Forrest Tucker, a career criminal after he breaks out of prison... again. Forrest is shown to wear hearing aids for his hearing loss. He continues his hijinks with a colourful cast of characters, a funny script, and beautiful cinematography. Starring Robert Redford. 3.  Wonderstruck (2017) characters Rose and Ben The movie interlaces two stories set 50 years apart: Rose, a deaf girl, leaves her home in hopes of finding her mother. In...

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parts of a hearing aid

How do Hearing Aids Work

How Hearing Aids Work Hearing aids have become incredibly small pieces of digital technology. Even these little devices can improve the quality of communication for many people with hearing loss. So, how do hearing aids work? Well, let's find out! While most hearing aids have the same basic components, some will have modifications based on the wearers' needs. Here is a basic overview of how the most common hearing aids work. Basic Hearing Aid Components As mentioned, all hearing aids have the same 4 basic components: microphones, an amplifier, a receiver, and a battery. Microphones - The microphones take in the sound and turn it into electrical signals Amplifier - The amplifier increases the strength of the signal to your prescription A Receiver or Speaker - The receiver or speaker takes that signal delivers a louder sound to your ears Battery - The battery, disposable or rechargeable, powers the whole process Sounds simple, right? But a lot happens in those 4 little parts in addition to some other components that can be involved. Other Components While these other components don't necessarily change the process for how the sound enters your ear, they can manipulate how you experience the sound. Domes or Custom molds - at the end of the receiver there is always a little rubber dome or a custom mold. Based on the size, shape, and style of the dome or mold, it will change how the sound enters your ear. Wax filters - another part of the receiver, most...

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middle ear bones

Middle Ear Bones… They’re small!

Bones of the Middle Ear Did you know, the smallest bones in the human body are in the Middle Ear! It's true! These 3 little bones, collectively know as the ossicles, are the Malleus, Incus, and Stapes. Also know as the Hammer, Anvil, and Stirrup based on how they look. Middle Ear Fun Facts I don't know about you, but I like random fun facts, so here are a few about the middle ear! These bones are the smallest in the human body! They are small enough all 3 can fit on a dime. You can see the Malleus (Hammer) on the eardrum when looking into someone's ear. If damaged, these bones can now be surgically replaced! Talk about a tiny replacement part! They can vibrate as much as 20,000 times per second. The ear bones are the only ones that do not continue to grow after birth. Without these small bones, you would have moderate to severe hearing loss. You can have arthritis of the middle ear. It's true! This is called Otosclerosis, a hardening of the bones. Amazing how something so small can have such a large impact on our hearing. See Them In Motion To see how the ear works and how the middle ear bones move, check out the video below. Middle Ear from 0:22 to 0:47 Youtube: https://youtu.be/eQEaiZ2j9oc Do you know any other fun facts about the middle ear bones? Or the ear in general? Leave them in the comments below. For more fun facts, check...

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human lifespan

Hearing Tests through the Lifespan

Hearing Tests Through Life While most people don't think about getting a hearing test until into adulthood, there are various kinds of hearing tests that can be done throughout the lifespan. Some of these tests weren't as common until recent years. Beginning in 1995 by the World Health Organization, at least the first test, is standard for all infants. Although you may not get tested until you're an adult, here are the variety of hearing tests that can happen throughout your life. Infant Hearing Tests As stated above, infant hearing screenings are now pretty standard practice in most countries. The goal of infant hearing screenings is to identify infants with hearing loss within 3 months of birth and to put intervention/amplification in place by at least 6 months of age. Typically these tests are done at the hospital, occasionally right after birth, or through other community organizations. With this protocol in place, these children are identified early and intervention is put in place as soon as possible. Why is this important? It is known that children who are hard of hearing or deaf typically have delayed speech development and other delays to emotional and social development. In Ontario alone, approximately 4 of every 1000 babies are born deaf or hard of hearing. Additionally, babies that are born premature, with low birth weight, born with infections, etc. are at a higher risk. With early intervention, there is less risk to these delays. How are Infants Tested? During an infant hearing screening, measurements...

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ear candles

Ear Candling

Ear Candling and Wax Ear Candling, I'm sure we've all heard about it or have done it at some point in time [definitely more popular in the early 2000s]. Candling has been advertised as a natural home remedy to remove ear wax similar to ear drops and Q-tips. But does it actually work? Is it safe? What are Ear Candles? Ear candles are just that, candles. These hollow candles have been advertised as 'cure-alls' for things like wax blockages and earaches. I definitely remember my mom using these on me as a child for earaches after swimming. As the candle burns down it's supposed to draw the wax out of your ear. At the end, you can cut them open and there is usually some pretty gross-looking stuff inside that was supposedly pulled from the ear. The question remains, is the candle actually pulling wax out of the ear? The Reality of Ear Candling As an effective way to remove wax, according to research ear candling isn't up to par with clinical approaches such as water irrigation. Although the warmth of the candle can provide some temporary relief from pain; like putting heat on a sore muscle. The concern with ear candling is 3 fold: 1. it doesn't really remove wax 2. the chance that wax or other material will fall into the ear and 3. the heat can dry out the ear canal. Although it may look like wax is being removed from the ear, the laws of physics cause...

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Applying for WSIB Hearing Aids

WSIB Hearing Aids Do you or have you worked in noise? If you were exposed to high levels of noise that resulted in 'noise-induced' hearing loss, you may be entitled to hearing aids through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). For those that have worked in factories, around big machinery, driven large trucks, etc. there is a lot of noise in your environment. If you think your hearing has been affected by work-related noise, here are 3 steps to applying for WSIB covered hearing aids. Steps to Apply Get a hearing test - this lets us know if you display 'noise-induced' hearing loss and is part of the application process Fill out the WSIB application - the application will include information about your work history Wait for decision - once we send in the application it can take anywhere from 6-months to 1 year to get a decision from the adjudicator, but worth the wait for sure. And that's it, those are the steps for applying for WSIB hearing aids! We'll take care of all the paperwork for you. If approved... If WSIB approves your claim, you are entitled to several things. Obviously, they will pay for your hearing aids; which they will replace for you every 5 years for the rest of your life. Additionally, any appointments and supplies for the hearing aids will also be covered. This includes program adjustments, annual hearing tests, hearing aid cleanings, batteries, etc.   While there is a wait if you got hurt...

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sounds on audiogram

What Does my Audiogram Mean?

What Does my Audiogram Mean? In Canada, 19% of our 35 million population have hearing loss (Statistics Canada, 2013), and many more than that have their hearing tested regularly. So what does the audiogram mean? What information does it give me about my hearing? Well, here's a short explanation for you and what your audiogram means. What is an Audiogram? An audiogram is a graph used in audiology to plot your hearing levels. On this graph, you'll see the vertical line we call decibels (dB) and the horizontal line for frequency (hertz - Hz). Decibels are the units of volume or loudness used in audiology. Quiet sounds are at the top of the graph and as you go down the louder the sound is. Frequency is the pitch of the sound with low pitch on the left and high pitch on the right. We examine several frequencies from 250 to 8,000 hertz; this captures all the sounds in human speech and more. During a hearing test, we use this graph to chart how you respond to beeps at each frequency as we raise and lower the volume. Each ear is given a symbol, O for your right ear and X for your left. We'll look at these more in the next section. Information is on the Audiogram? After the hearing test is done, there are several important things to look at. First, we look at the responses of your right and left ear. Depending on where they fall on the graph...

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livio edge technology

What’s New in Hearing Aid Technology

What's new in Hearing Aid Tech: 2020-2021   Like most technology-based products every few years we get an updated, higher-tech version. Hearing aids are no different... we've come a long way from the 'ear trumpets' of old. So here's what's new in hearing aid technology, 2020-2021 edition!   2020 Tech In 2020 we saw some pretty cool updates to hearing aids. With newer technology and smaller microchips, hearing aids are able to do more and at faster speeds; turning them into even more complex 'supercomputers.' For instance, earlier this year Starkey and Phonak released hearing aids with "body tracking." In the Phonak Virto Marvel Black, this means biometrics that are able to monitor your blood pressure. Their first step into health monitoring. Starkey Livio AI and Livio Edge AI also include body tracking as well as brain tracking, and their new artificial intelligence (or AI) features. AI includes things like find my phone, reminders, and transcribing text as you hear it. They've also talked about the AI feature eventually being able to translate languages as you hear them. Pretty cool right!   Signia also did some updates in 2020. The Signia Silk was again updated in 2020 with a new microchip and continues to be one of the smallest, non-custom hearing aids available.   The latest update from Starkey included the first-ever rechargeable custom hearing aid, the Livio Edge rechargeable Custom aid. Up until now, custom hearing aids, or what we call In-The-Ear or In-The-Canal hearing aids were only available with...

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wearing hearing aids and masks

Hearing Aids and Mask Mode

Hearing Aids, Masks, and Mask Mode Well, we've made it a year with masks. However, many hearing aid wearers are still struggling to hear clearly in our Covid-19 environment. Last year, we posted some tips on wearing hearing aids and a mask. Now that it looks like masks will be around for a bit longer, let's dig a little deeper into hearing aids and mask mode.  Wearing Hearing Aids and a Mask Even though we've all been wearing masks for a year now, here's a refresher on wearing hearing aids and a mask: Use the masks with 4 strings vs elastic. These tie around the back of your head and nape of your neck with no pressure on the ears. You can find the pattern shown in the photo here.  Get a mask extender. These can be purchased, made, or makeshift (I’ve seen people use paperclips).  Attach the mask to a headband with buttons. This not only protects the backs of your ears from the elastic but keeps your hearing aids in place too. Be very careful when removing your mask. Too many hearing aids have been lost* getting caught on a mask string. Take your hearing aids off in the same place (i.e. the car) or hold onto the hearing aid while removing your mask. *If you find a lost hearing aid, take it to any hearing care centre. Hearing aids have serial numbers that the manufacturers can use to contact the clinic it was purchased at. They can then...

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Hearing Aids are NOT Like Glasses

When talking about sensory aids, hearing aids usually are compared to getting glasses. The thought is that once the hearing aids are in everything should sound ‘normal.’ Just as your vision becomes 20/20 when you put on glasses. However, as those of us that have hearing aids or work in hearing know that is not the case.   Here's what would happen if we really treated glasses like hearing aids. https://youtu.be/LJog3HUITFk In all seriousness, they are different, but we shouldn't treat people any differently for wearing one or the other.  Here are a few reasons why hearing aids aren’t like glasses. Hearing aids do not restore your hearing to “normal”. Your practitioner will do their best to have your hearing aids working at the best volume and clarity, but unfortunately, hearing aid technology can’t yet exactly mimic the complexities of human hearing. Hearing aids amplify all sounds, including those you don’t want to hear. Like the hum of the refrigerator and other background noise. While background sounds can be decreased some, it won’t ever be perfect. Unlike glasses where you want everything to look clearer! They are not seen as fashion accessories, like some glasses. Although some hearing aids now come in a wide range of sleek styles and colours. Hearing aids often carry the stigma of being old or something to be ashamed of, unlike glasses which make you look “smart.” Hearing aids need batteries to function. Simple, but it is a big difference! Hearing aids can make some noise...

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