Katherine Bouton’s latest book, Smart Hearing — Strategies, Skills and Resources for Living Better with Hearing Loss, is just that — an excellent guide to living a better life with hearing loss. Using personal anecdotes and containing extensive research on assistive listening devices, the book provides a road map for people at all stages of their hearing loss journey. If you think you may have hearing loss, or know you do, this book is required reading.
The book is packed with useful information with chapters dedicated to statistics about hearing loss and tips for protecting the hearing that you have left. Organized along the typical hearing loss journey, the book starts with how to recognize a hearing loss, the best way to find an audiologist, and how to think about what hearing device is right for you.
Smart Hearing contains detailed descriptions of a variety of assistive listening devices for people at all degrees of hearing loss, ranging from the simplest of PSAPs to add-ons like T-coils and Roger Pens to surgical options like cochlear implants. For most people with hearing loss, a combination of hearing aids/CIs and other devices works best, making this a valuable yet likely-to-require-frequent-updating section of the book. As OTC hearing aids go from concept to actual products in the next few years I expect there will be many new additions to the marketplace as well.
In the book, Katherine addresses the pending disruption to the hearing loss industry from OTC hearing aids and makes a strong argument for why audiologists will continue to be critical for people with hearing loss — in addition to correct fittings, she writes, aural rehabilitation is often essential. I agree. As devices become more of a commodity, audiologists will have more time to teach patients how to effectively use their devices and other assistive listening accessories so they can hear better in a variety of settings. Helping the patient hear better is the most valuable service an audiologist can provide.
The book concludes with tips and suggestions for living a better life with hearing loss — things like how to get your family and friends to understand your hearing issues and help you hear your best. No surprise here — the first step is accepting that you have a problem. Katherine also discusses how to manage hearing loss on the job, while traveling, dining out, and during an emergency. Her personal experiences provide the dos and don’ts for many of these sections.
If you are new to hearing loss or simply looking to update your hearing loss knowledge, the book is worth a read. I bet you will learn something. I certainly did.
Readers, is there a hearing loss book you recommend?
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And the Ajthlr’s lrevious book was very helpful
I found out El Deafo, a graphic novel by another author is one of the best graphic novels. I read books relating all levels of hearing loss. I find it helpful . My first books as a kid reading Letters to a deaf daughter and Helen Keller .
As an adult who is among the Late deafened folks ( smallest percent is born with a hearing as I was) I always recommend Deaf Sense by Davis Lodge ( a novel but I knew the author had to be hearing impaired to write so true)
FYI
Sue Farrell
Thank you for sharing your recommendations.
I’ll have to check this out.
In the meantime, I’m interested in how profound hearing loss individuals deal with travel. I have the latest up to date hearing aids which I got just before a 14 day trip to Europe. Our guides spoke English, but had heavy accents and I was lost! I wore a “whisperer” box w earphones especially to wear with hearing aids, but it was in no way enough. It was very trying to listen while taking a walking tour and not being able to see the guides lips while he spoke.
Do you have any suggestions as to how I could take a tour and know what is going on?
My best suggestion is to talk to the tour guide and tour companies in advance to discuss how to best make this happen. Advance planning is key to a successful trip. I hope that helps.
I am looking forward to reading Katherine’s latest book, as I thoroughly enjoyed her last book.
I am sure you will like it!