Hearing Aids

Hearing Loss & Allergy Season: A Nightmare in Pollen

Shari Eberts Advocacy, Audiology, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss , , , ,

It’s allergy season. That stuffy-nosed, watery-eyed, and always itchy part of the year. When the sniffles begin, I know my hearing is about to take a temporary dip. On my worst allergy days, I feel like I am walking in a fog. Sounds are muffled and my ears are popping more than usual as they work to clear the increased pressure.

Each time I move my head I can almost feel the fluid shifting position, bringing on dizziness or even vertigo. Sometimes it can even cause my tinnitus to spike. Allergies are miserable for everyone, but when you have a hearing loss, they can take a significant toll on your ability to communicate.

Living With Hearing Loss | A Hearing Loss Blog

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What My Hearing Loss Has Taught Me

Shari Eberts Advocacy, Break the Stigma, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss , , , ,

Big birthdays breed reflection and so it was a few months ago that I realized I have had hearing loss for almost half my life — probably longer since it often takes time for someone to notice their own hearing problems. I’ve been using hearing aids for less time — it took me a while to come out of my hearing loss closet — but I now wear them with pride. I am grateful daily for the help they provide, even if they are far from perfect.

While my hearing loss presents constant challenges, looking back, I realized it has also taught me so much. I share those lessons with you below. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Living With Hearing Loss | A Hearing Loss Blog

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5 Reasons You Should NOT Ignore Your Hearing Loss

Shari Eberts Advocacy, Break the Stigma, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss Facts, Technology , , , ,

Today I share an excerpt from an article I wrote for Hearing Tracker.

Let’s be honest. It is tempting to ignore your hearing loss. You rationalize the times you don’t hear things, thinking, “If only he would stop mumbling,” or “This restaurant was just too loud.” Those things may be true, but so, too, is your difficulty hearing.

Hearing loss often comes on gradually, making it hard to detect as it is happening. Once treated, people are often amazed at the sounds that they have been missing — birds chirping, water running in the faucet, the refrigerator humming — many of which they have not heard for years.

Living With Hearing Loss | A Hearing Loss Blog

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Person-Centered Care Requires Thinking Beyond The Technology

Shari Eberts Audiology, Community, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss, Technology , , , ,

This is the fifth and final article in a series I am writing for Ida Institute on person-centered care. The first article was about what person-centered care means to me — the hearing loss patient. The second article discussed why partnering with your patient is so important. The third article described how to make your audiologist office hearing loss friendly. The fourth article talked about how important creativity is to successfully implementing person-centered care. This final article focuses on the importance of thinking outside the technology to enhance communication options for your patients. 

An excerpt from the fifth article appears below. To read the full article, click here. 

Living With Hearing Loss | A Hearing Loss Blog

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How to Handle Hearing Loss in the Workplace

Shari Eberts Advocacy, Break the Stigma, Coping Strategies for Hearing Loss, Disability, Hearing Loss, Technology , , , ,

It was my first meeting with the new CEO of a large retail company and he was clearly under the weather. His eyes were watery, he was coughing and his voice was weaker than usual. “I’ll sit across the table from you,” he said, “so I don’t get you sick.” This was a thoughtful gesture, but as I sized up the large conference table now lying between us, I worried I wouldn’t be able to hear him. As he began to answer my first question, my fears were realized — I couldn’t understand a word he said.

I hadn’t yet begun to disclose my hearing loss to people, preferring to fake it when I couldn’t hear, rather than reveal what I still considered my shameful secret. How was I going to handle this critical meeting?

Living With Hearing Loss | A Hearing Loss Blog

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