HearUSA Crystal Clear Vol 4 Issue 2

HearUSA.com

CRYSTAL CLEAR VOL 4 • ISSUE 2

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound 

How to Enjoy Music with

Hearing Loss

The Evelyn Glennie Story

Hearing Aid Compatibility

with Cell Phones

Hearing with

Heart

How to Enjoy Music with Hearing Loss

by Jaqlyn Tinaro

“You can expose yourself to so many musical situations to find out what resonates. We are all different so take the time to find out”

–Evelyn Glennie

M

usic has charms, as the saying goes. Hearing music can uplift the spirit, soothe the soul, bring joy to the heart, and relax the body. Its power is undeniable. But music is ‘heard’ with more than just the ears, so being hard of hearing does not take away the ability to enjoy, and play, music.

Just ask Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish musician who is deaf.

the tops of their heads and cheeks. In other cases, individuals are able to pick up the beat through the base running through their chest and sternum.

“When I’m asked if I hear the percussion instruments I am playing or other instruments playing alongside me, my response is that I feel the music through my body – my hands, arms, cheekbones, scalp, everywhere,” the percussionist said in a recent interview.

“I regularly play barefoot during both live performances and studio recordings in order to feel the music better,” she described.

Indeed, for the hard of hearing and deaf, musical tones or pitches not ‘heard’ can be felt through the body which acts as a conduit to sense the vibrations running through it. In some cases, people can feel higher pitched tones through their teeth,

Glennie, who led 1,000 drummers at the 2012 London Olympic Games, said she completely relies on the feel of the music running through her body as she plays.

When speaking about her music, one can feel the passion Glennie has for it, especially percussion: “I love the bass drums, the triangle, the rattles and marimbas. To be able to play the whole range of different instruments is extremely satisfying. I love the variety of sounds and pitches, the different feel of each instrument, the dynamics.”

Photography by Philipp Rathmer

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hearing aids. It is important to remember to return the hearing aids to their normal setting when done listening to music.

A study from the University of Colorado Boulder, which took data from 18 hearing aid users, suggests that the more processed the music is, whether done in a recording studio or by the hearing aid itself, the more distorted the result. For the study, participants listened to many different music samples from the minimally processed to the highly processed. The results of the study showed that, in general, the less processing that occurs at the hearing aid level, the better the music sounded.

Case in point: Sometimes, simpler is better. It turns out less sophisticated hearing aids could be one solution, especially for music that has been heavily processed to change the way it sounds. Newer digital technology, as opposed to older analog technology, converts sound into digits which are then processed by the hearing aids. Music causes the newer hearing aids to be overwhelmed by loud sounds, which in turn causes distortion.

Be sure to ask your hearing healthcare provider which hearing aids will best serve your music listening needs. He or she can also advise you how to change the settings when necessary, or even design a music program for your existing hearing aids.

For most individuals who have hearing loss or are deaf, certain pitches are not heard and lyrics are hard to understand, if heard at all, so like Karaoke, reading or seeing the lyrics along with the song can help. As can hearing aids and depending on the device, they can provide a new way to enjoy music; the tones and pitches are much cleaner, for example. Glennie has experience with those sounds and tones.

“But it is true to say that some sounds are more pleasant than others, and some are tinny and squeaky to my ears. What I would encourage you to do is experience as many different types of music as you can,” she suggested.

Hearing Aids and music

With the support and technology we have today, being hard of hearing does not take away the ability to embrace and enjoy music. It can be a calming and simplified experience or a tangible bodily experience, regardless it is the motion of opening yourself up to the exploration of how music can change and uplift you that makes the difference.

“You can expose yourself to so many musical situations to find out what resonates. We are all different so take the time to find out,” Glennie said.

‘Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie’ The award-winning and internationally acclaimed 2004 German documentary about Scottish classical percussionist Evelyn Glennie, ‘Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie’ explores and examines how Glennie perceives sound. She described the film in a recent interview as exploring the “connections among sound, rhythm, time, and the body.”

“It is a film which demonstrates a completely different understanding of what and how we hear.

The central message of the film is sound is all around us, but are we paying attention,” she asked rhetorically.

If your hearing aid does not have a specific music program, your hearing care professional should be able to mimic one. There may be a bit of trial and error to make the settings optimized for the individual listener - but the only way to find out is to try it out.

As a child Glennie suffered a neurological disorder that left her with hearing loss beginning when she was just eight. By 13, her hearing loss had become profound, but she had already developed a passion for music having begun playing the piano shortly before her hearing loss began. Despite being told she should attend a school for the deaf and abandon music, she stayed put and switched from piano to percussion, a place where she could ‘feel’ the music.

Almost any pair of hearing aids can be configured with a ‘music setting’ that disables many of the automatic functions and reduces the amount of processing that needs to occur in the

“Listening is about concentrating, being focused, being in the moment and paying attention. It is amazing that when one opens the body up like a huge ear all things resonate in meaningful ways.”

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

3

Safety First: Jaqlyn Tinaro

Home Security Systems Advances and Tips

H

ome security systems use 'sound' to alert residents that there may be an intruder, usually an alarm. For the hearing impaired, that may not be enough, so the development of systems that use different alert approaches is important – and welcomed -- because when you are hard of hearing these signs can be easily overlooked or unheard.

Home security is not just about keeping intruders out of the home; it is also ensuring that you and your family members will be safe in case of an emergency. Fire alarms and smoke detectors are common systems that use high pitch frequencies to alert an emergency. As people age, their ability to hear these higher frequencies becomes impaired. Here are some alternative systems that will better assist you and your family at home.

Alternative Alert Systems

Visual blinking or strobe lights- Not only are blinking

lights an excellent way to get your attention in case of an emergency, they are also a great system to know when someone is at 4

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the door (Door Bell light system) or is calling on the phone. There are many companies that are specifically geared towards installing these systems in your home for your convenience.

Vibrating systems- Vibrating alerts that can be attached

to your pillow or if you are a heavy sleeper, bed shakers. When your eyes are closed and you are sleeping at night, strobe lights may not wake you. With a vibrating alert system, you will be able to ‘feel’ if there is something you need to know about.

Video intercom- This is a great way to truly know who is at your door, as well as the ability to ‘see’ what they are saying.

Emergency alert button- If ever an accident occurs;

there are devices that you wear around your neck or wrist that connects you to an ambulance faster than a phone call.

Portable amplifiers or headset amplifiers can be carried in your pocket or purse; they have the ability to pick up the sound around you and keep you aware of surroundings.

Low pitch sound settings- As mentioned before, some

people have an issue with the ability to hear high-pitched sounds.

Setting your phone, alarm systems and smoke detectors to a lower pitched tone will give you the ability to hear the emergency.

In addition to the alternative alert systems, homeowners can take some matters into their own hands to enhance security and keep their homes safe from intruders. Here are some great ideas and tips:

Motion detection lighting: Not only do they have the ability to shed light on whatever may be outside your window, but also gives you a visual warning to keep your eye out and stay alert.

Keep a sign out: Studies show that if you have an alarm

system sign or sticker near or on your house, intruders will usually steer clear of these homes.

Technological advances in home security mean there are a myriad of options available for families to feel safe and secure in their homes. Employing one or more of these alternative alert systems in the home provides next-level security and peace of mind.

For more information contact hearUSA at (800) 432-7872 or visit www.hearingshop.com

Have an open yard: It is important to have a yard that is

open and clear so you may recognize if there are any shapes or appearances that may be out of the ordinary. Keeping shrubs and bushes low are an easy way to lessen hiding spots.

ďƒŻ Opening a Whole New World of Sound ďƒ°| HearUSA.com

5

Hearing Aid Compatibility With Cell Phones

by Jaqlyn Tinaro

I

f it was not hard enough to choose the perfect cell phone given the variety of options available, finding a phone that is fully compatible with a conventional hearing aid can be difficult.

The reason? The electromagnetic radiation and radio frequencies from cellular devices can produce buzzing, humming or whining noises in a hearing aid. Worse than being annoying, those sounds can make it nearly impossible to hear others.

So, before settling on a particular cell phone brand, consider devices that produce as little interference as possible. Start by checking the M/T rating of the cell phone; the higher the rating the better. For example, M3/T3 is the common rating for most cell phones but the M4/T4 is the most desirable for hearing aid compatibility. Best bets for compatibility?

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Try these: • Apple iPhone 4s, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 plus, 6s • Asus ZenFone 2E • BlackBerry Classic • HTC Desire 610, 626, EYE • Kyocera DuraForce • LG G Flex • LG G2, G3, G3 Vigor, G4, G Vista, G Flex2, Escape2 • Microsoft Lumia 640, 640XL • Samsung The Galaxy Note 4, 5, Note Edge Regardless of the cell phone capabilities, you also want to make sure that your hearing aid is up-to-date and compatible. Siemens binax Hearing Aids have been updated to provide superior sound

EasyTek™ App

technology and featured services. Read on for information on advances found in certain hearing aids.

Blue tooth streaming- Now your hearing aid will able to connect to your phone or any other external audio source.

Touch Control App- This is a free app you can download

on certain Android or Apple smart phones; it does not require any intermediary device. It can be used to adjust volume, fine-tune treble or any listening program.

EasyTek™ wireless remote/streamer- It is only

2 inches in diameter and weighs less than an ounce. With Pure® and Carat™ binax hearing aids; a single button controls streaming, phone calls and connects to a external audio source, Blue Tooth, iPhone and Android devices.

EasyTek™ App- This free app transforms Android and

iPhones into a hearing aid control center for certain hearing aids. It makes the most of binax technology using the Spatial Configurator (SC) feature. Through this, wearers can visually extend EasyTek’s functionality by manually adjusting the direction and span of the hearing aids’ microphones via their smart phone. This gives individuals instant control over both where and who to listen, regardless of whether the sound source is coming from the left, right, in front, or behind. This allows a wearer, for example, to focus on the conversation of the person next to him at dinner, even if distracting, more dominant speech is coming from another direction.

With all of these incredible advances, the common struggles people experience with cell phones and hearing aids will be a thing of the past. Contact a professional from HearUSA to learn more.

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

7

HEARING LOSS PREVENTION in Live Entertainment

by Jaqlyn Tinaro

T

he phrase ‘live entertainment’ can mean many things, ranging from a local band playing in a restaurant to a loud symphony concert. Regardless, both can be loud and both can cause damage to your ears. Here are some simple tips to protect your hearing and prevent any loss that can occur.

Turn down the music- Playing music in the car or in your home

Earplugs- A common misconception with earplugs is that you

little bit everyday your ears will adjust to the volume and you will be able to hear it just fine.

will not be able to hear the music, but what you do not realize is, the musicians are often wearing ear plugs just like you.

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is one thing, but if the music is loud enough to drown out other noise or if the person next to you can hear it through your headphones, it is safe to say you are probably playing it a little too loud.

Train your ears- If you start lowering your TV and radio a

Wear the right type of headphones- The best type of

head phones that protect your hearing are noise-cancelling head phones and ‘muff-type’ head phones. Even with the right pair of head phones you still want to give your ears a break.

60/60 Rule- Here is a simple rule to follow, the maximum percentage of volume you want to utilize is 60% and the maximum amount of direct ear time would be 60 minutes in a day.

For those of you that love to go to concerts regularly or have children and family members that like to enjoy live music, here is a fun little way to remember ear/hearing protection.

M- Mp3 players can be too loud- turn it down.

U- Use chill out zone in clubs, go outside and remember to

take breaks.

S- Stand back from speakers!

I- Invest in noise cancelling headphones.

C- Carry ear plugs with you, they will not block the music out, just make it safer.

There are many different types of ear plugs out there, some better for sleep, swimming etc. Sensorcom, Edz Kidz Ear Defenders and ACS ear plugs are excellent for ear drum protection.

Everyday Measures

Hearing loss prevention is not always about the precautions that we take to protect our ears; it also has to do with our internal

system and physical health. Studies have shown that you have a higher chance of hearing loss when you are deficient in vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Researchers are starting to find that daily long-term supplementation in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Magnesium and Omega 3 Fatty acids are helping to prevent permanent and long-term hearing loss.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps with neutralizing free radical damage, slowing down the aging process. A common thing you hear is how people lose their hearing with age, but this might be a great way to slow down that process! Vitamin E is another antioxidant that helps prevent cellular death, through this; it can prevent permanent noise induced hearing loss.

Magnesium is an amazing mineral that has a long list of benefits including muscle function/soreness, calcium absorption, regulates bowel function and promotes restful sleep. On top of all of this; it helps increase blood flow to the inner ear and promotes healing. Omega 3 fatty acids help decrease inflammation in the body, inflammation is one of the main reasons our body cannot fully heal, when we remove the inflammation it assists our body in repairing and preventing damage.

With all the tools at hand, taking these proper precautions can decrease the chances of hearing loss tremendously. For more information contact your local physician or hearing care professional.

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

9

Hearing With Heart

by Ellyn Santiago

F

inally being able to hear his teenage daughters clearly without habitually asking them to repeat themselves is a blessing for Michael Mittleman. Then again, he is hearing his teenagers perfectly now.

“You could say that’s a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what mood they’re in,” Mittleman said with a chuckle.

Mittleman, 49, who began wearing hearing aids when he was just 13, recently began wearing Siemens binax hearing aids. The state-of-the-art devices were introduced in 2014, and it has changed his life. “Perhaps the most significant change,” he pauses, “is the perception that I’m not paying attention to somebody. That has gone away.”

Mittleman explained that his biggest problem has always been when he has found himself in a large, open room filled with people and ambient noise. He described a recent seminar with some 300 people in attendance where he had tremendous difficulty hearing and was unable to have a conversation, even with people standing right next to him.

“I had an extremely difficult time hearing a person, even someone two feet in front of me,” he recalled. “Now, I can block all that background noise. Before, I’d just nod my head.

That’s not really a very good conversation.”

When he was a teen, his hearing loss was confined to one ear, though now he suffers with hearing loss in both. For more than 30 years, he has been wearing hearing aids and struggling to hear. “I was never satisfied with (hearing aids).

They weren't sophisticated back then. They didn't talk to each other and even though they were programmed for my

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hearing loss, I had one digital and one non-digital -- it was a strange situation. I was running around town that way,” not always hearing what he needed to hear, he said. And then a friend, Lisa Goodman, who also happens to work in marketing for HearUSA, suggested he consider the Siemens binax hearing aid.

“I was very skeptical,” Mittleman recalled. “Lisa explained, ‘They talk to each other. They amplify sound. They’re really like mini computers.’ Still, I was very, very skeptical. But I said I guess they can’t really hurt.”

Enter Dr. Georgette Sinclair, the New York-based HearUSA Audiologist who Mittleman describes as no less than “fantastic.”

“When you wear hearing aids for 30 years, you get to know people who know what they're doing and who care, and she really

cares,” Mittleman said of Sinclair. “She takes pride in actually helping people improve their life as opposed to just helping them hear better. I wish I liked my job as much as she likes her job, and I’m in a noble profession!”

Sinclair said her approach is to treat the whole person, not just test hearing and program hearing devices. “You can get the best hearing aid, but I believe in going beyond that.

I want to know about the person, your life, your work environment. You can test someone and come up with a graph of hearing loss but that doesn’t tell you enough; you’re missing the person,” she explained. “I’m like the old, old tailor of the past. I will make sure it fits perfectly. It’s the best feeling to walk with my patients in Grand Central Station or in a store and hear them say, ‘Oh, wow! I can hear.’”

So what has changed for Mittleman now that he is hearing with the new binax hearing aids? For starters, going out to dinner and being able to have a conversation with his wife. “I can click the button three times to block out the background noise so I can actually hear her,” he explained.

At work, where previously he had trouble hearing colleagues speaking while in an office conference room: “Now, I can casually hit a button, change a setting and no one knows what I’m doing.

Just click a different setting and emphasize a voice,” he explained.

Or at the movies: “I don't have to wear those stupid headphones they give you -- a lot of times they don’t even work. Now, I can understand movies better.”

And at home with the family, “I’ve taken off closed captioning on my TV which makes my family happy,” he laughed. “They can’t stand closed captioning.”

Mittleman said he also heard sounds with the new aids that he either never heard before or never noticed. “Innocently enough, the first week I had them I noticed a couple of my colleagues mumble,” he laughed. And other sounds he just recently noticed run the gamut from the sound of people’s footsteps as they walk on a sidewalk to the noise a suitcase on wheels makes.

According to Siemens, the binax’s “innovative wireless system connects hearing aids on both ears to become a virtual 8-microphone network.”

Meet Our Audiologist

Georgette Sinclair, Au.D., CCC-A Doctor of Audiology "Helping people to hear the sounds of life gives me tremendous personal satisfaction. My goal is to help enhance my patient's quality of life by providing the most appropriate amplification, counseling, excellent customer care, and valuable services.”

Georgette was born in Romania (Transylvania) and immigrated to the U.S. After earning a college degree in her homeland, she continued her education here in the states first at Hunter College with a Master’s Degree in 1992. Next, Georgette earned her Doctoral Degree in Audiology (Au.D.) in 2003 from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.

In her first position in the audiology field, Dr. Sinclair worked at the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center in Jackson Heights, NY. She joined HearUSA in 1995 when the company was first opening Centers in the area.

Presently, she is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.

Dr. Sinclair takes pride in her Help Class offered to patients that teach new hearing aid users how to cope with real-life situations, interact in group settings, and control the environment to eliminate background noise.

Living on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Georgette has two grown children. An avid artist, Georgette shows her work in the U.S. and abroad, has received various awards, and is inspired by her travels, landscapes and the beauty in nature.

“In the beginning, I picked up some new and sometimes annoying noises,” Mittleman said, but was quick to add that life is better with his new hearing aid, much better. “My hearing is not perfect. It never will be. But these new hearing aids have made it substantially better,” he said.  Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

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Ask How Does Hearing Loss Contribute To Dementia?

Answer: Recent re-

search on the nature and causes of deTara Clark mentia has indicated Hearing Aid Specialist there is an increased BC-HIS risk of developing dementia in those with untreated hearing loss. There are three main theories for how hearing loss may contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.

The first is “cognitive load.” When the brain is constantly coping with degraded sounds, its resources are dedicated to processing those sounds, to the detriment of other processes like memory and thinking. It is more difficult to remember information that is not heard clearly and completely.

The second theory involves brain atrophy. Hearing impairment may directly contribute to accelerated rates of atrophy in parts of the brain that process sound. Those parts of the brain don’t work in isolation; they also play roles in memory and sensory integration 12

HearUSA | 1.855.885.3481 | Total Care

and have been shown to be involved in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

The third explanation is social isolation. People who have a hard time hearing often withdraw because it’s so difficult to communicate with others. Numerous studies have found that a loss of engagement and loneliness are risk factors for cognitive decline.

So why don’t more people get their hearing tested and treated?

A lot of people feel that their hearing may not be perfect, but it’s not “bad enough” to warrant hearing aids. The choice to seek treatment for hearing loss is a personal decision, but realize there may be consequences to delaying treatment.

Submit your question to ‘Ask HearUSA’ at AskHearUSA@hearusa.com.

Tara Clark, HAS, BC-HIS is a licensed Hearing Aid Specialist, and Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences.

Protect & Sustain your Hearing with

Healthy Seeds Nutty Herb

Dressing

Berry Omega Blast

Smoothie

Ingredients • ½ cup raw walnuts • 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, stems removed • 1 Tbsp chopped shallots • 3 garlic cloves • ¼ Tsp Himalayan sea salt • 1 Tbsp lime or lemon Juice • 3 Tbsp Flax, Chia or Hemp Seed Oil • 1 Tsp raw honey or Agave Nectar • 3 to 4 Tbsp water

Ingredients • ½ cup apple juice • 1 Frozen banana • ½ Cup blueberries • 1 Cup fresh raspberries • 1 Cup frozen strawberries • 1 Tsp Flax Seeds • 1 Tsp of Chia Seeds • 1 Tsp of Hemp Seeds • 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil • 1 Cup ice cubes (optional)

Instructions: ♥ Place walnuts in the bowl of a food processor; process until fine.

Instructions: ♥ Add ½ cup apple juice to blender

♥ Add cilantro, shallots, garlic, salt, lime juice, oil, honey and 1 tablespoon of water; blend to make a thick sauce, adding in water a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. ♥ Taste and correct seasoning with salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

♥ Add fresh berries and coconut oil first, and then add all 3 seeds. Blend at low speed first then medium speed. ♥ Add Frozen Banana and Strawberries last. Blend at low to medium speed, then high. Let all ingredients blend for 30 seconds.

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

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Dr. Dotson and Peggy Giarelli

Hearing Well at 96!

N

inety-six-year-old Peggy Giarelli served her country in World War II, though in an unexpected way. And she paid a price for that service – hearing loss in one ear. But it never got her down. She lived with it, never complaining. She managed, she said. So many others had lost so much more, including their lives. She was just grateful.

Peggy, on the home front with her baby daughter while her husband was away fighting in Europe, spent her nights as a telephone operator for Pacific Northwest Bell in rural Oregon.

Her infant daughter spent those nights with Peggy’s mother.

When Peggy finished her night shift, she would pick up her baby and head home. In the 1940s, Peggy said, some phone lines there were still ‘farmers lines’ -- ungrounded lengths of barbed wire fencing used to transmit electric signals and con-

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HearUSA | 1.855.885.3481 | Total Care

by Ellyn Santiago

nect phones in neighboring farms -- and as a result, whenever there was an electrical storm, especially ones rife with lightning, a sound or signal that at first hearing might appear as a phone call was actually a bolt of electricity being transmitted over the crude phone lines. And Peggy would not know if it was an actual call, or something else. “I had to answer … just in case.” The result was frequent electric shocks in her ear.

“My hearing started deteriorating in the one ear and just got worse and worse,” she explained, but she lived with it. For more than 50 years, Peggy lived with near-deafness in one ear. “I’d always turn my head to hear with my other ear.” And through all those years, sometimes her husband would help her out when she could not understand something that was said or something she had not fully heard.

At our nation’s call during emergencies, and in particular during World War II, telephone service, with mostly female operators, were one of the country’s greatest assets. Peggy Giarelli was one of those telephone operators who served her nation and sadly, lost some of her hearing because of it.

“When we went to a picture show, he’d be my ears,” she explained, because she was never really able to fully hear and understand what was being said. “He’d help me.”

Despite the hearing loss, she stayed with the phone company and worked her way up, studied hard and became an engineer. She retired in 1982 and sadly, her husband passed away in 1986. On her own in her retirement, she said she got involved in “fun things” including golf and swimming, and by the time she was in her mid-tolate 80s, she began having trouble hearing in her other ear. That is when her journey with hearing aids began. And the road was never smooth, until she met HearUSA audiologist Kimberley Dotson.

“I was so sick of not being able to hear, especially when I go swimming,” she said. Peggy takes swim classes and had tremendous difficulty hearing the instructor. She said she has gone through six or seven sets of hearing aids and none helped. Until she purchased the Motion 5BX hearing aids and met with Dr. Dotson.

“Every other pair was supposed to be the latest technology. I just can’t believe I finally found something that works,” she said.

Peggy said she’d tried to save money by purchasing other hearing aids from big box stores, but they “never worked right.”

But it was not just the advanced technology of the new hearing aid that made the difference for Peggy. It was HearUSA and audiologist Dotson. “Kim is so patient,” Peggy said. “I appreciate her so much.”

For her part, Dr. Dotson said working with her longtime patient Peggy has been a joy.

“She is a joy to work with and I am always glad to see her name on the schedule,” Dr. Dotson said. She explained that Peggy has been a longtime patient – she has been working with Dotson since 2001 – and has been fitted for a number of different hearing aids over the years. She added that Peggy is a patient who is committed to working well with her hearing care-givers.

“I have known Peggy since 2001 and this is her fourth set of hearing aids from us,” Dotson said. “Peggy is always interested in having the best technology that will help her in those difficult listening environments.”

"At age 96, Peggy is active," Dotson said. “And she’s involved with various activities.” Indeed, Peggy still swims several days a week.

She is just careful to “keep away from people in the pool who splash.” Her hearing aids are water resistant but not waterproof.

“I love these hearing aids, I really do,” she said. Now, Peggy said, she can hear without turning her head or reading lips, a skill she had developed in order to communicate over the course of 50 years being hearing impaired.

She has one daughter, two grandsons, seven granddaughters and three great-great grandchildren. And she can hear them all now.

“I could not understand any of the kids before. Now I can hear them,” Peggy said, the joy in her voice unmistakable.

And she can see a picture show now. And hear exactly what is going on. “I can go to the movies now!”

 Opening a Whole New World of Sound | HearUSA.com

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Stay Safe While You Sleep

Bedside Fire Alarm & Clock Low-Frequency Sounder with Bed Shaker • Recommended for awakening and alerting children, seniors, the hearing impaired, and others at high risk • Works with existing smoke detectors • AC powered with 7-day battery backup Model HLAC151 Studies have shown that the Lifetone HL Beside Fire Alarm and Clock with its special low frequency signal woke people in about one-third of the time on average (and many woke up much faster). The average time it took the standard smoke alarm signal to wake people up was three minutes – a full minute longer than the time experts say you have to already be out of the house!

www.HearingShop.com • (800) 432-7872

Take $10

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MSRP $164.95 Use coupon code ALERTCC Call HearUSA for a free hearing screening in your area

1-855-885-3481 or visit HearUSA.com

Matthew L. Christy, Au.D., Licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser #3501003413 Joan V.R. Hamill, Licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser #25MG00070100 Christopher Walton, Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist, #265