Welcome to our e-news!
We’ll be celebrating Labor Day, September 6, but our e-news will be back September 13, 2022. We’ll have more news about our annual picnic and more tips for living well with hearing loss.
Washington State Hearing Loss News
Our Annual Hearing Loss Community Picnic Is September 17, 2022
You and your friends and family are invited to our annual picnic at Lake Boren Park in Newcastle, Washington, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, with lunch at noon.
We’ll provide hot dogs, condiments, water, coffee, cutlery, plates, and napkins. Window masks and hand sanitizers will be available. If you’d feel more comfortable, we don’t mind if you bring your own food or utensils. If you’d like to bring something to share, please bring dessesrt if your last name begins with A-L, or a salad if you’re in the M-Z group.
A hearing loop will be provided at the picnic shelter, and other technologies will be available for you to try.
Get Involved: Volunteer with HLAA-WA
Do you have a drive to help your neighbors? Care deeply about people with hearing loss?
Bring your skills, talents, energy, and heart to our growing organization. Check out our volunteer opportunities and contact us to find out more information: info@hearingloss-wa.org.
Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Are Coming, But Be Informed
The FDA finally issued rules for over-the-counter hearing aids. Available without a prescription, these are designed to be much less expensive than prescription hearing aids.
Our President Cheri Perazzoli shares her thoughts on the new OTC hearing aids and the continued need for consumers to educate themselves.
An Audiologist Weighs in on the New OTC Hearing Aids
Over-the-counter hearing aids may help some folks, but on our blog this week, local audiologist Dr. Nichole Kingham points out the ways an audiologist can still benefit people with hearing loss.
Next HOPE Meeting September 7, 2022
Is paying for ear molds normal? Do PocketTalkers work in crowds or in noisy spaces? We discussed these questions and several others in our last HOPE meeting.
Our virtual (online) HOPE meetings provide caring, encouraging support to people with hearing loss and their loved ones. We empower one another by sharing information, self-advocacy skills, technologies, and techniques.
You’re warmly invited to attend and find hope. HOPE meetings are always free, captioned, and open to everyone.
National Hearing Loss News
Bluetooth Holds Promise, But We Still Need Telecoils and Hearing Loops
You may have heard about emerging Bluetooth LE Audio systems that aim to provide hearing access in public spaces. While those systems promise much, hearing loops are still the best system for access today, says loop advocate and audiologist Juliette Sterkens in this Hearing Tracker article.
A Hearing Aid To Keep You Fit?
The Phonak Audeo Fit hearing aids track your heart rate, steps, distance, and activity levels. Read a review from Melanie Jayne Ashford in Hearing Like Me. Remember to make sure your Audeo Fit comes with an activated, programmed telecoil so you can connect to public hearing loops.
Travel Well with Your Hearing Loss
If you’re taking a summer trip before school starts in the fall, here are some tips for traveling safely and confidently with your hearing loss. This article is geared toward women with hearing loss, and this one offers you air travel tips (hint: look for hearing loops!)
Join HLAA and HLAA-WA
Member benefits include product discounts, reduced convention registration fees, help with the latest hearing loss tech, and HLAA’s award-winning quarterly magazine, Hearing Life. Your HLAA membership automatically includes HLAA-Washington. Dues start at $45 a year.
HLAA-WA does not endorse any technology, nor does exclusion suggest disapproval. We support the full spectrum of hearing technologies for everyone.