Shortly after the pandemic began, we began collecting various types of face coverings (transparent and nontransparent) to study the sound quality using a broad noise presented through a styrofoam mannequin head with a speaker mounted in its mouth.
Keep It With You
Like many of you, this past 12 months have been an almost overwhelming avalanche of change, stress, and “new normals.” While COVID-19 has been a universal experience for all, it has also changed our individual needs and behaviors patterns in both large and small ways.
A Medical Mystery
I am an 87-year-old retired otolaryngologist–head & neck surgeon. I am writing this to present a medical mystery. In 2016 I began to experience several health issues at the same time. I developed double vision, which was corrected using glasses, and after an extensive trip across the country to visit family and friends, an old knee problem flared up. Since my knee failed to respond to a routine cortisone injection, it was recommended that my hip be replaced.
Don’t Miss a Word: Make the Most of Your Doctor Visits
When a physician or other health care professional verbally provides information that is essential to a patient’s health and wellbeing, every word is valuable. A conversation about a new diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up can be stressful, though, and it may be difficult for the patient to comprehend and process all of the new information.
Do the Best You Can Until You Know Better
There’s a quote I like by the writer, Maya Angelou: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” So I got up off the mat, brushed myself off, mask in place, and put one foot in front of the other. I then went back to that drugstore and simply, in silence, found what I needed.
New Connections
I am remaining social and engaged in the world from the safety and comfort of my home. This is so important to do when you have a hearing loss. For almost three decades—since I was in my early 50s working as a secretary in a bank—I’ve so appreciated the value of hearing aids to stay connected and to be able to function. Now, I’m feeling immensely grateful for electronic communication, too.
The Challenge of Communication During the Pandemic and Beyond
In New York City, we are required to wear face coverings in public and practice social distancing to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Non-essential work, like my own part-time job as an educational researcher for a university, must be completed remotely. With these vital public health measures emerge new challenges for people with hearing loss, and I’m advocating for myself and creating solutions when and where I am able.
Managing Hearing Loss in the Time of COVID-19
Frequent, proper handwashing, hand sanitizer use, and not touching your face were the early health and safety directives as the COVID-19 pandemic spread from country to country and then state to state. In the past few weeks, social distancing and face masks became the next tools in helping to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Both are particular challenges for those with and without hearing challenges.