Several years ago, I met a wonderful couple. Both were in their 80s and had a long and very happy marriage. They had both been school teachers and had traveled the world to teach. The husband, who was my patient, had been interned in Indonesia by the Japanese during World War II and his wife had not known whether he was alive or dead for three or four years. Somehow, he survived and thrived and so did their marriage. They were two of the happiest most positive people that I have ever … [Read more...]

Loud noise can hurt more than your ears! Most of us are concerned that loud noise will cause hearing problems. It certainly can and I would suggest carrying a pair of disposable earplugs with you, just in case. Loud noise can affect your whole body. Did you know that it can affect your heart? Sound levels above as little as 50 dB can cause problems. It can affect your blood pressure and hormone levels. This is why it is so important to protect yourself from excessive noise and to … [Read more...]

My grandfather was in his early 80s when I graduated from college with my master’s degree. I knew he had a hearing loss and so did the rest of my family. My grandfather kept insisting that people were mumbling, there was something wrong with the phone, etc. It took a lot of convincing to get him to do something about his hearing even though I was an audiologist, I couldn’t have been right. After I fit him with his first hearing devices, (this was close to forty years ago) he was amazed … [Read more...]

Can you help us? We are Compiling a List of Restaurants in St. Petersburg based on the Level of Noise. One of the biggest complaints I hear from my patients is that it is very difficult to hear when dining in restaurants. I want to compile a list of restaurants (based on Level of Noise) to hand out to patients. Not the food, just how loud it is. Please comment if you would like to contribute to this list, or feel free to send an email to: [email protected] or … [Read more...]

A few years ago, I worked with a gentleman who was 98 years old. He told me that his wife had been asking him to do something about his hearing for years. She had passed away a few months before I met him. He had probably had a hearing loss for close to 20 years and his wife had been helping as his interpreter. I was able to fit him with hearing devices and he did very well with them. He lived to be over 100 and was able to hear well for the rest of his life. I have always … [Read more...]

I have two patients, a couple, who first came to me because they were having “crazy conversations.” One individual would ask a question, and the other would answer the questions with an answer that had nothing to do with the original question. They thought it was very funny. It also helped them realize that they were both having difficulty hearing. While they handled their communication problems with humor, they realized that they needed to do something about the problem. They came … [Read more...]

Big events often bring new people into my practice. By that I mean; special events, a birthday party, a visit with a grandchild, trip of a lifetime. Many of my patients tell me that they think that they are “doing ok” until there is a big event and it is ruined because it was so difficult to hear. Even though family and friends may have been telling the person that they needed to do something about their hearing for a long time, often it is a bad experience that brings someone in. … [Read more...]

Over the years I have worked with many families. You might think that I work with patients, but this isn’t necessarily true. Helping one person in a family hear better, improves the whole family dynamic. I often hear about disagreements that are due to “mishearing” another family member. “You said ________.” “No, I didn’t.” “Yes, you did!” It can be very frustrating for everyone concerned. Then there are the disagreements about the television. The volume is too high. The volume is … [Read more...]