Congratulations to Nancy MacPhee on her 2018 Inclusion Award

October 19, 2018.  Last Sunday, the City of Charlottetown gave out the 2018 Inclusion Awards, which recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses who try to be inclusive and in that way contribute to the city.  Recipients are chosen based on nominations and selections by the city’s Civic Board for Persons with Disabilities.

Among this year’s recipients was speech reading instructor Nancy MacPhee.  The citation for her well deserved award explained why she had been nominated:

‘Nancy MacPhee volunteers her time and expertise as a speech reading instructor, teaching speech reading courses for members of the public. Over the past three years, Nancy has taught several 10-week courses, and has improved social interaction and self-confidence for all of the participants. She is a passionate advocate for those who have hearing loss and has been a member of the leadership team for numerous workshops and training sessions for workers and the general public. She also coaches Special Olympics curling in Charlottetown.’

Councillor Mitchell Tweel, left, chairman of the city’s Civic Board for Persons with Disabilities, and Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee, right, presented Nancy MacPhee, centre, with her Inclusion Award. (Photo courtesy of City of Charlottetown)

Thank you to Jennifer Gavin for sharing the photo of Nancy receiving her award. Congratulations to Nancy!

Do you have a hearing loss story to share?  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Don’t miss our upcoming events: 

October Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church.  Guest speaker will be audiologist Peter Benstead of PEI Audiology, to let us know about the firm’s public information campaign for hearing health.  With hearing loops now being available at venues on PEI, Peter will also let you know how you can have a telecoil activated to your hearing aid.

We will be in Montague on October 27, 2018!  We will have a table at the 7th Annual Learning and Caring for Ourselves Conference, an event hosted by the Seniors Secretariat of PEI on Saturday, October 27th, 9am-3pm at Montague Regional High School.  See https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/event/learning-and-caring-ourselves-conference-0 for more information on this event.

Upcoming Event in a Looped Venue: Senate of Canada 150 Medal recipient Pieter Valkenburg will speak about the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph Research Project at South Shore United Church in Tryon, 7 pm on Friday, November 2, 2018.  This event is co-hosted by South Shore United Church and Tryon & Area Historical Society.  Note: this venue is equipped with a hearing loop for the benefit of those with hearing loss.  If you haven’t experienced the clarity of sound that you hear through a hearing loop, this is your opportunity.  Email dariadv@yahoo.ca for more info.

© Daria Valkenburg

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Would You Wear Glasses?

October 18, 2018.  Glasses have been in the news lately.  Do you wear glasses?  I do, and since I love to see where I’m going, I wouldn’t be without them.  So what’s new with glasses?

If you enjoy going to the movies, then you may have noticed that on PEI they have a closed captioning system you can ask for when you buy your ticket.  This little device sits in the cup holder and you can then swivel your head back and forth between what’s on the big screen and then down to the cup holder to see what is being said.  It works.

In many other places, there are closed captioning screens on either side of the big screen.  If you go to an opera, then you know what I’m talking about.  The opera is sung in one language, with surtitles displayed in the language of the audience (ie English) so you know what the singers are saying.

Now you can borrow Smart Caption Glasses that operate like 3-D.  You look at the big screen at the movies, and the closed captioning is displayed right in front of your very eyes.  No need to swivel your head, as the captions are right in your line of vision!  See https://hackaday.com/2018/10/14/glasses-for-the-hearing-impaired/ for more information and watch a short video (which has closed captioning).  Absolutely fascinating!

That’s the future, and it’s an exciting one that makes the world become more inclusive.  However, there is a long way to go, as I found out in an article I recently read in The Economist.  In parts of Asia, there are many people who earn their living not by receiving a wage, but by doing piecework.  One example used is that of people working in a garment factory who are paid by each piece successfully completed.  My maternal grandmother worked in a garment factory, so the article caught my attention.

Here’s what the gist of the article was about…..Older adults, whose vision is no longer as good as it once was, are not able to be as productive because they can’t see well.  The solution? Give them a pair of glasses.  For those who accepted the glasses, productivity increased by 39%.  A no-brainer, you’d think, right?  If being able to see increases your earnings, wouldn’t you want a pair of glasses?

The problem?  Many people don’t want to wear glasses!  They think it makes them look ‘ugly’! Some countries have regulatory hurdles, where glasses can only be provided by licenced practitioners. No going to the local pharmacy or dollar store for a pair of ‘readers’.  Read the article for yourself at https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/08/02/wear-glasses-earn-more.

The Economist article made me think of how many of us avoid dealing with hearing loss.  We pretend we can hear fine, we avoid going out as often, and we can find it difficult to adjust to the fact that hearing aids and other assistive listening devices are now part of our lives.  With all the new tools and research coming out, we should be embracing how lucky we are to be living at a time when so many people are trying to help and find solutions!

Do you have a hearing loss story to share?  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Don’t miss our upcoming events: 

October Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church.  Guest speaker will be audiologist Peter Benstead of PEI Audiology, to let us know about the firm’s public information campaign for hearing health.  With hearing loops now being available at venues on PEI, Peter will also let you know how you can have a telecoil activated to your hearing aid.

We will be in Montague on October 27, 2018!  We will have a table at the 7th Annual Learning and Caring for Ourselves Conference, an event hosted by the Seniors Secretariat of PEI on Saturday, October 27th, 9am-3pm at Montague Regional High School.  See https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/event/learning-and-caring-ourselves-conference-0 for more information on this event.

Upcoming Event in a Looped Venue: Senate of Canada 150 Medal recipient Pieter Valkenburg will speak about the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph Research Project at South Shore United Church in Tryon, 7 pm on Friday, November 2, 2018.  This event is co-hosted by South Shore United Church and Tryon & Area Historical Society.  Note: this venue is equipped with a hearing loop for the benefit of those with hearing loss.  If you haven’t experienced the clarity of sound that you hear through a hearing loop, this is your opportunity.  Email dariadv@yahoo.ca for more info.

Event in Venue Equipped With A Hearing Loop:  UPCOMING PRESENTATION: Sorensen Christmas Concert at South Shore United Church in Tryon, 7:30 pm on Friday, December 7, 2018.  Freewill offering, beneficiary will be South Shore United Church. This venue is equipped with a hearing loop for the benefit of those with hearing loss. If you have never heard the clarity of sound through a hearing loop, this is an opportunity to try it out.

© Daria Valkenburg

A Sad Farewell To Jean Profitt

October 12, 2018.  We were saddened to learn of the passing of friend and member Jean Profitt yesterday.  Her funeral is on Saturday afternoon at the Anglican Church in Crapaud.  For more information, please see: https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/obituaries/jean-borthwick-profitt-9075/

Annie Lee MacDonald noted that “Jean was a charter member of the CHHA PEI Chapter. She served as Vice- President since it was formed in 2001, until recently when health issues prevented her from being active. Jean was a strong supporter of our Chapter and promoted it wherever she went.”

Our condolences go out to her family.

If you have memories you’d like to share about Jean, please email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog at https://theauralreport.wordpress.com.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Like the work we do?  Consider a donation in Jean’s memory.  100% of your donation stays on PEI to help Islanders. See our page at the Canada Helps website:  https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/34708

© Daria Valkenburg

“Living and Thriving With Hearing Loss” Presentation

October 12, 2018.  Whenever possible, we accept speaking engagements as it’s a chance to participate in outreach events and let people know that anyone with hearing loss can have a wonderful life, even if you don’t hear every word.

Last week, we were invited to be guest speakers at the Speaker-A-Night class at Donagh Regional Community School.  This was a great opportunity, as not everyone in the class had hearing loss. We shared our own hearing loss journeys, gave some tips for better communication, and a general awareness of how people can have their hearing affected.  And we introduced the class to the pocket talker, an assistive listening tool that helps amplify sound.

Presentation made by Daria Valkenburg and Annie Lee MacDonald

The class of 16 participants was engaged and a delight to be with.  The evening just flew by.

Participants at the Speaker-A-Night class at Donagh Regional Community School. Annie Lee stands at the back of the classroom. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The evening was very successful, and everyone enjoyed themselves, including the presenters!  Our thanks go to Theresa Laverty, who sent us feedback, saying “Everyone in the class thought you ladies did a great job and we all commented on how much information you brought us that we were unaware of.”  And we received the note below from Barb MacFarlane, the Community School Coordinator at Donagh Regional School:

Thank you note from Barb MacFarlane, Community School Coordinator.

Do you have a hearing loss story to share?  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Don’t miss our upcoming events: 

October Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church.  Guest speaker will be audiologist Peter Benstead of PEI Audiology, to let us know about the firm’s public information campaign for hearing health.  With hearing loops now being available at venues on PEI, Peter will also let you know how you can have a telecoil activated to your hearing aid.

We will be in Montague on October 27, 2018!  We will have a table at the 7th Annual Learning and Caring for Ourselves Conference, an event hosted by the Seniors Secretariat of PEI on Saturday, October 27th, 9am-3pm at Montague Regional High School.

Upcoming Event in a Looped Venue: Senate of Canada 150 Medal recipient Pieter Valkenburg will speak about the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph Research Project at South Shore United Church in Tryon, 7 pm on Friday, November 2, 2018.  This event is co-hosted by South Shore United Church and Tryon & Area Historical Society.  Note: this venue is equipped with a hearing loop for the benefit of those with hearing loss.  If you haven’t experienced the clarity of sound that you hear through a hearing loop, this is your opportunity.  Email dariadv@yahoo.ca for more info.

© Daria Valkenburg

 

Do You Wish You Had Listened To Your Parents?

October 5, 2018.  At a recent meeting, our guest speaker was Mike Smith, publisher of the County Line Courier, who shared his hearing loss story.

Mike Smith, Publisher of County Line Courier, with Annie Lee MacDonald. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

An avid guitarist, Mike followed the path of many musicians who have hearing loss after exposure to loud music. (Huey Lewis made this announcement earlier in the year: https://www.today.com/health/huey-lewis-announces-hearing-loss-cancels-2018-performances-t127072. A list of 12 musicians with hearing loss is discussed at https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52318-Hear-this-12-celebrity-musicians-with-hearing-loss).

While we hear of rock stars from the 1960s now coming forward, classical musicians can suffer even more damage to their ears.  Why? They tend to practice more often, and longer, so have more exposure! (See http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/04/30/musicians-hearing-loss)

Mike Smith wishes he had listened to his parents!

Mike told us how he wished he had listened to his parents “when they kept telling me ‘If you keep playing that loud music, you’re going to go deaf!’ Who knew they were right?”  Anyone who grew up in the 60s can relate!

My own father kept telling me “turn down that noise!” and if I didn’t, he’d shut off the stereo.  Poor man didn’t understand that rock music HAD to be listened at full volume!  These were the days before earbuds.  Parents could keep some control.

But for Mike, these lessons learned came too late.  He explained that he first realized he had a hearing loss while in his mid-30s.  “I kept turning the TV louder, twice as loud as the rest of the family members did.”

To offset problems hearing music, he bought a new stereo.  “I couldn’t hear voices on the one I had, and it was no different with the new stereo.  I took it back to the store.”

Eventually he went for a hearing test.  “I learned that the high end frequency of my hearing is missing”, meaning higher pitched sounds are no longer heard.  It took 15 years, though, before he took the step of getting a hearing aid. One regret?  “I don’t remember my parents’ funerals as I couldn’t hear the service.   This was pre-hearing aid.”

Even with a hearing aid, Mike explained that he still faces challenges.  “The office is hard to work in, as it’s a noisy environment. I can’t really hear the editor, who sits not far from me.  Nor can I hear what is going on in the printing area, which is in a separate room.  I have to go to them when I need to communicate.”  Everyone present at the meeting could relate to that!  “In business, people don’t understand”, he explained.  “I have 6 grandchildren, and they don’t really understand why I can’t always hear what they are saying. Luckily, hearing loss hasn’t affected my ability to play guitar.”

Now Mike wants to warn young people about listening or playing music too loud.  “At the age of 17, I thought I knew everything.  I didn’t.”  He isn’t alone.  Today’s youth are at risk from sound going directly into the ear through earbuds, which sit closer to the ear drum. The louder music is played, the more damage can be caused. (See http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/earbud-generation-hearing-loss-1.4658336

We appreciated Mike’s frankness in telling his story.  Do you have a hearing loss story to share?  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Don’t miss our upcoming events: 

October Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church.  Guest speaker will be audiologist Peter Benstead of PEI Audiology, to let us know about the firm’s public information campaign for hearing health.  With hearing loops now being available at venues on PEI, Peter will also let you know how you can have a telecoil activated to your hearing aid.

We will be in Montague on October 27, 2018!  We will have a table at the 7th Annual Learning and Caring for Ourselves Conference, an event hosted by the Seniors Secretariat of PEI on Saturday, October 27th, 9am-3pm at Montague Regional High School.

© Daria Valkenburg

The World of Star Trek…..Coming To a Hearing Aid Near You

September 17, 2018.  As a child I watched the original Star Trek program faithfully, completely fascinated by a world that didn’t exist in my time.  Communicators?  Today we have smart phones!  Letters sent and received from outer space?  Today we have email and text messaging. Talk to a computer and get a verbal response?  Our snowbird friends use ‘Alexa’.  You won’t catch them typing into a smart phone when they can speak into it instead. A screen showing the person we’re talking to?  Today we use Skype, Face Time, etc.  Space travel?  In the days before the Moon landings and the International Space Station, this was mere science fiction. These and more examples from Star Trek seem common place today.

I’m still waiting for the transporter to get me from place to place and save the hassle we currently have in making long distance travel! Another Star Trek tool I wished I had was the Universal Translator (See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_translator).  If you saw the show, you know that the intrepid crew of the Enterprise had no difficulty in understanding any member of their international crew or those they met on their space exploration because of a device that instantly translated, sort of a portable simultaneous translator.

I grew up in a city where people spoke many languages and I sure wished I could easily understand what was being said.  Of course I was a bit lazy as I had to go for second and third language courses after school, and this seemed an ideal shortcut.  And now that I travel a bit internationally, I could really use one of those universal translators.  With my hearing loss, it’s difficult sometimes to understand people even in a language I’m familiar with.

Captain Kirk holds a Universal Translator in his hand. Source: https://goo.gl/images/RTD2Zd

So I was astonished and delighted to learn that a new hearing aid promises to do the translating, in one of 27 languages, for its user.  Imagine.  You’re on vacation in a foreign country, and have no idea what’s being said as the language is not one you speak.  No problem, your hearing aid whispers what is being said, directly into your ears!  How cool is that?  While you do need an internet connection for this translation function to work, it’s still very useful as so many places have WiFi.

But this new hearing aid says it can do more to make life easier for those with hearing loss.  It can “do an environmental scan” and block out “noise” you don’t want to hear, so you can concentrate on what you do want to hear.  I don’t know about you, but that might make going to restaurants and wedding receptions more enjoyable.

The new hearing aid also claims to help monitor those who might be socially isolated.  It tracks your steps (no more pedometers to wear, your hearing aid can do it for you!), how much time you spend interacting with others, and recognize if you’ve fallen down.  A planned software update would even call your emergency contact for you, to advise you need help.

To read more, see https://www.wired.com/story/this-hearing-aid-can-translate-for-you.  The world is becoming more accessible than we ever thought.  Would you buy such a hearing aid?  Let us know!

Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

September Chapter meeting:  DATE CHANGE: Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church. Guest speaker will be Mike Smith, Publisher of County Line Courier and Summerside Citizen, who will share his personal and business life experiences in living with hearing loss.

Fall Speech Reading Classes: The Tuesday afternoon class of Level I is full, but there is still space available for the Level I class that will run Monday evenings, from 7 to 9 pm in Charlottetown, beginning September 24, and will run for 10 weeks.  Level 1 introduces the most visible spoken consonants, as well as thematic groups, such as colours and numbers. Students practice with phrases in class groups as well as with the instructor. General info on hearing loss, as well as coping and communication strategies, are covered.

© Daria Valkenburg

Fall Events

September 3, 2018.  Now that we are into September, the leisurely summer pace we’ve enjoyed over the past months will slowly quicken as events begin again here on the island.  In case you’ve not had a chance to look at our Upcoming Events over the summer, a summary is below.  Please note that the date of the September meeting has been changed to September 25 – one week later than originally scheduled.

Over the summer, there have been some interesting reports on how we hear, with the conclusion that it’s our brain that decides what exactly we hear. You may have come across that Yanny or Laurel debate.  In case not, here is the link, so you can try it for yourself:  https://search.app.goo.gl/3VTHw.  If you want to learn more about the science behind this, read here:  https://www.self.com/story/yanny-laurel-science-explains.

And you may have heard about the lawsuit where a disgruntled restaurant patron claimed that an exploding hard-boiled egg that had been warmed up in a microwave caused hearing damage.  Scientists were so intrigued by a You Tube video of an exploding egg that they decided to see if an exploding egg could cause hearing loss. Conclusion? It can’t. (See https://www.popsci.com/microwaved-egg-explosion-damage-hearing)

UPCOMING EVENTS

September Chapter meeting:  DATE CHANGE: Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church. Guest speaker will be Mike Smith, Publisher of County Line Courier and Summerside Citizen.

October Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church.  Guest speaker will be audiologist Peter Benstead of PEI Audiology, to let us know about the firm’s public information campaign for hearing health.  With hearing loops now being available at venues on PEI, Peter will also let you know how you can have a telecoil activated to your hearing aid.

November Chapter meeting:  Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church. Guest speaker will be audiologist Derek Hughes of Connect Hearing, to provide a report on a project he did on cochlear implants, in which a number of our members participated in.

Fall Speech Reading Classes: Level I will run Monday evenings, from 7 to 9 pm in Charlottetown, beginning September 24, and will run for 10 weeks.  Level 1 introduces the most visible spoken consonants, as well as thematic groups, such as colours and numbers. Students practice with phrases in class groups as well as with the instructor. General info on hearing loss, as well as coping and communication strategies, are covered.

Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

© Daria Valkenburg

Sometimes Technology Advances Are Great

August 29, 2018.  I’m not a big fan of much technological advances as usually it means life becomes more complicated or something that used to be simple to use becomes harder.  One example is a telephone.  At one time, a telephone was just that – a phone.  It didn’t have any bells or whistles, and was simple to use.  I must admit that I don’t miss the childhood days of rotary dialling, however.

Then they invented cordless phones.  At one time, the phone was in a fixed location, attached to a jack in the wall.  If you wanted to move it around, you needed a long extension wire to move it from a location far away from the jack.  I remember we had one long wire so we could have a phone outdoors on the patio. Cordless phones removed that headache as you could pick up the receiver and take it anywhere you wanted.  However, if you had hearing loss, the sound quality was not great.

Between cordless phones and cell phones, I grew to intensely dislike talking on the phone.  So, when our cordless phones finally gave up the ghost I rejoiced.  Yeah, no more phones.  We had one old phone with a very good quality speaker and I figured that’s all we needed.  After all, we don’t use a phone very much.

My husband, aka Tech Support in our household, had other ideas.  He bought new portable, inexpensive phones.  Of course, I griped for quite a while about the waste of money and pointed out it was useless to me.  He ignored me and proceeded to set up the phones.

“Which ringtone can you hear best?” was his first question.  There were 10 choices and there was one I could hear from anywhere in the house, to my surprise.

After setting up the phones he then called me from his cell phone and asked me to test if I could hear him.  I could, loud and clear, another surprise.  And it wasn’t at the highest volume!

The phone was even easy to use, a third surprise.

But the biggest surprise came when he showed me the box.  These inexpensive phones were telecoil compatible!  Telecoils have moved into the mainstream!

Inexpensive cordless phones, bought at any office supply store, have a telecoil. Look on the bottom right hand corner of the box for the telecoil sign. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Brief explanation from the user guide.

I love our new phones now, even the ringtone! At the same time as we got our new phones, I read about a new type of headphone that adjusts the sound according to your hearing ability.  Yes, a headphone that gives a mini hearing test, then automatically adjusts itself so that your experience is enhanced.  (See https://www.wired.com/review/review-even-h3-wireless-headphones/)

The third piece of technology I’ve read about is for people with iPhones and hearing aids.  There is now an app which turns an iPhone into a directional microphone to help the user hear sounds around the user via the phone, sending sound directly into the user’s hearing aid.  (See https://beebom.com/apple-airpods-hearing-aids-ios-12/)

I give the new cordless phones a thumbs up.  If anyone has tried the new headphone or iPhone app, let us know!  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com.

 

Sad News:  Our condolences to Annie Wood on the recent death of her husband. For more information, see http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/obituaries/allister-sherman-wood-7223/

 © Daria Valkenburg

Speakers’ Bureau

August 27, 2018.  On our blog we now have a number of dedicated pages, such as:

• Places on PEI equipped with a hearing loop
• Lawyers and law information offices on PEI that have a pocket talker available
• Upcoming events

Now we have added a Speakers’ Bureau page (See https://theauralreport.wordpress.com/hear-peis-speakers-bureau/).  We get several speaking requests, but on an ad hoc, informal basis. With so many options for speaking engagements amongst our talented volunteers, we try to fulfill whatever requests we receive.

So, if you require a speaker on an issue related to hearing loss, hearing health, hearing loops, or speech reading, let us know!  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com.

 

© Daria Valkenburg

Did You Hear That Diet Can Help Protect Your Hearing?

August 23, 2018. I’m always up for an excuse to socialize with friends, in spite of hearing loss.  When a group of us go out we do our best to pick a place that will optimize our ability to hear each other.  My ideal restaurant has:

• No background music…. if I want to go to a concert I’ll do so. If I dine out with my friends I don’t really enjoy the distraction of background music.
• A booth or walls to help block out sound.
• A menu, so I don’t have to rely on what a server says.
• No rattling dishes, scraping chairs, etc to make it even harder to hear.

Recently, three of us went to Mia’s in Ottawa for a lovely dinner.  All of us have hearing loss and we had a great time, and heard each other perfectly well.   This was important as we had a lot to catch up on!

Left to right: Carole Willans, Daria Valkenburg, Jane Scott at Mia’s in Ottawa.

Take a look at the photo above.  You’ll notice we are by a window, in the corner, with a wall on two sides.  The table had a tablecloth to muffle sound from dishes.  Service was done quietly and there was no background music.

Now, if you are wondering what the title of this posting has to do with eating out, it’s because Mia’s is an Indian restaurant.  All summer there has been article after article, explaining how diet can help protect your hearing.  Suggestions have been made for ideal foods, and we made sure to get a good sample of those in the dishes we chose.  I don’t know if it’s true that food choices can affect your hearing, but as the three of us like Indian food, it seemed a good excuse!

According to the articles, eating a Mediterranean style diet or a salt reduced diet, such as for reducing high blood pressure, helps with hearing health. (See https://www.health24.com/Medical/Hearing-management/News/healthy-eating-may-protect-your-hearing-20180813-3 and https://www.hearinglikeme.com/study-a-healthy-diet-can-decrease-risk-of-hearing-loss-for-women/) One article even specifies four foods to improve hearing:

1. Potassium rich foods to regulate the fluid in your inner ear.
2. Foods that contain folic acid help maintain circulation, which in turn help keep the hair cells of the inner ear working properly.
3.  Zinc rich foods to boost your immune system, which will help reduce the risk of ear infections.
4. Magnesium rich foods to help protect against noise-related hearing loss.

If you want more information and to see the list of recommended foods, read here:
https://search.app.goo.gl/SjozH

So, go out and enjoy those social occasions!  Got more tips?  Email us at hearpei@gmail.com or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @HearPEI.

Summer doesn’t last forever.  Plan to join us at our September meeting:  Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 9:30 am at North Tryon Presbyterian Church. 

Fall Speech Reading Classes

Nancy MacPhee, our speech reading instructor, has notified us that the fall schedule of classes will soon be underway.  It’s worth repeating that studies show that speech reading can have a beneficial effect on your brain and your ability to hear, especially with a cochlear implant.  (See https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-brain-responses-lip-reading-benefit-cochlear.html)

Level I will run Monday evenings, from 7 to 9 pm in Charlottetown, beginning September 24, and will run for 10 weeks. What’s covered in Level I?  Nancy advises that “Level 1 introduces the most visible spoken consonants, as well as thematic groups, such as colours and numbers. Students practice with phrases in class groups as well as with the instructor. General info on hearing loss, as well as coping and communication strategies, are covered.”

If you have taken Level I and are interested in Level II, let us know. If there is sufficient enrollment, Nancy may be persuaded to do a Level II session.

© Daria Valkenburg