The Benefits of Being Social for Older Americans

The Benefits of Being Social for Older Americans

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Brain Health, Cognitive Health, Communication, Family & Relationships, Hearing Health, Lifestyle & Leisure, Mental Health, Research, Tips & Tricks

Social engagement is often identified as extremely important for children and their development. This emphasis on social interaction during early stages of identity development often overlooks the importance of remaining socially active as one continues to age. Social activity continues to shape who we are and who we are becoming as we are always learning, growing, and changing throughout our …

Eating Healthy Can Protect Your Hearing

Eating Healthy Can Protect Your Hearing

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Diet & Nutrition, Research, Tips & Tricks

Being proactive about your wellness can enhance your quality of life. Maintaining a healthy diet is key to feeling the best you can. A healthy diet is an important preventative measure and can reduce the risk of various medical conditions including hearing loss. Hearing loss is a common health concern many people are navigating today. It is important to know …

Keeping Your Hearing Aids Dry

Keeping Your Hearing Aids Dry

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Hearing Aid Maintenance, Tips & Tricks

Caring for your hearing aids properly is an important part of owning the devices. Protecting your investment in not only your hearing health, but also the technology assisting you can ensure that your devices can stand the test of time. Outlined here are care and troubleshooting tips for hearing aids. Ask your audiologist how you can obtain a few items …

A man straining to hear

Why Pretending to Hear Doesn’t Help

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Communication, Hearing Loss, Tips & Tricks

Everyone has encountered situations where they have not been able to follow a conversation whether in a noisy room or understanding the speaker’s voice. It’s normal in our society to pretend to understand, even when you do not. You might feel it is impolite to stop the conversation or you don’t want to make a spectacle and ask the speaker …

Improving Communication with Your Family

Improving Communication with Your Family

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Communication, Family & Relationships, Tips & Tricks

Helen Keller once remarked, “Blindness separates people from things, but deafness separates people from people.” With hearing loss, we can easily be isolated from those who are closest to us. This isolation comes from the difficulty in understanding the words of family members.  You might have noticed it when you repeatedly ask your family members to repeat themselves, or complain that they …

Protect Your Ears at Your Favorite Sporting Events

Protect Your Ears at Your Favorite Sporting Events

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Events, Hearing Health, Hearing Loss Prevention, Hearing Protection, News, Research, Tips & Tricks

Did you know that sporting events can be dangerous to your hearing? Sporting events are actually some of the loudest environments you could ever put yourself in. Sometimes the loudness of sports events is precisely what draws people to them. Monster truck rallies, demolition derbies, and NASCAR races traffic in the roaring engines of cars and trucks. Sometimes it’s not …

Dealing with Noise Pollution in Your Neighborhood

Dealing with Noise Pollution in Your Neighborhood

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Community, Hearing Health, Hearing Loss, News, Noise, Research, Tips & Tricks

Sound occurs when the fragile complex system inside our ears picks up vibrations in the air, which our brain then interprets and identify.  Our days are permeated with sounds that are relaxing or stressful to our ears. The sounds in our day are inescapable and when sound becomes bothersome, we call it noise. When this noise in a particular area …

Ensuring That Your Meetings are Accessible to People with Hearing Loss

Ensuring That Your Meetings are Accessible to People with Hearing Loss

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Communication, Hearing Loss, News, Tips & Tricks, Workplace & Economy

Do you run a lot of meetings at the office? Do you sometimes feel like not everyone is on the same page, or that some people on your team are struggling to hear? Roughly 60% of those with hearing loss are in work or educational settings, and as a leader at your workplace, it’s important that your meetings are accessible …

Nonverbal Cues to Help You in Meetings

Nonverbal Cues to Help You in Meetings

Leanne E. Polhill, LHAS, BC-HIS, BA Communication, Hearing Loss, Tips & Tricks, Workplace & Economy

Do you struggle to hear around the conference table during a meeting? If you attend a lot of meetings, or find yourself leading discussions, you know that hearing loss can have a huge impact on your work. While the words your colleagues are saying are important, learning to pick up on the subtle nonverbal cues can help you follow conversations …