Listen!Up
APRIL, 2015
“AFTER HOURS” MEETING, TUESDAY, APRIL 14 AT 6PM
With Daylight Savings Time, the After Hours meetings are now in daylight!
The Chapter’s “After Hours” meetings are designed for members and visitors who work or otherwise unable to attend the daytime Chapter meetings.
It is a great opportunity to bring a friend or spouse who is interested in improving his or her hearing or in better understanding the issues a person with hearing loss deals with everyday.
In addition to the program, our peer mentors take your questions.
Adult refreshments are provided in an informal evening meeting get together.
The next meeting is April 14 at 6:00 PM
“After Hours” meets at the Center for Arts and Cultural Alliance at 1226 Tamiami Trail.
The topic in April will be “Ototoxicity and Hearing Loss”, a discussion on how certain medications affect our hearing and balance system.
SEE MORE
The presentation will be led by Tatiana Yero, PharmD, BCPP, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy.
The hosts are Trustee Dr. Lindsey Nalu and member Bob Leonard
FOURTH ANNUAL HEARING TECH EXPO IN PICTURES
A few of the many volunteers and exhibitors on the Expo
SEE MORE
Over 40 Exhibitors of the latest technology, innovation and devices to take back your life!
Five stimulating seminars on the latest in cochlear devices, improving communication, looping, tinnitus and hearing in noise.
Scene & Heard
HLAS COMMUNITY NEWS BITES
EVENT CALENDAR
APRIL EVENTS
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Chapter Meeting
“Protecting Yourself From Scams”
Sgt. Neil Scully, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office 3:00 PM – Refreshments and Social Time
North Sarasota Library Meeting Room 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM -- HLAS “After Hours”
“Ototoxicity and Hearing Loss”, A discussion on how certain medications affect our hearing and balance system.
Tatiana Yero, PharmD, BCPP Assistant Professor, LECOM Center for Arts and Cultural Alliance 1226 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
7:30 PM
Players Theatre “You Should Be So Lucky” 838 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Saturday, April 25, 2015
7:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market Free Hearing Screenings
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
4:30 PM—
Private Eyes Movie Club Hollywood 20 Theatre 1993 Main Street, Sarasota
MAY EVENTS
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Chapter Meeting
“Better Speech and Hearing Month”, Jennifer Dunbar, Speech, Language and Hearing Pathologist 3:00 PM – Refreshments and Social Time
North Sarasota Library Meeting Room 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota
Saturday, May 23, 2015
7:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market Free Hearing Screenings
1920 State Street, Sarasota
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
4:30 PM--
Private Eyes Movie Club Hollywood 20 Theatre 1993 Main Street, Sarasota
SAVE THE DATE June 24-28, 2015
HLAA National Convention Union Station
St. Louis, Missouri
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
At our recent Hearing Tech Expo we continued the process of building a collaborative partnership with like- minded organizations. Why is this important?
The mission of HLAA-Sarasota/Manatee is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, support and advocacy. By working with local organizations we better recognize opportunities for growth/change; mobilize larger groups of people and resources to create change; build trust among collaborators; and develop opportunities in ways for our organizations to work closer together to advance our mission.
Our HLAA founder Rocky Stone stated “Together means hearing impaired and hearing people, working to alleviate the plight of millions of others who suffer from hearing loss. Together means hearing impaired people and members of the hearing health delivery system working toward solutions to individual problems relating to hearing loss.”
Our collaboration with like-minded organizations continues to grow and our Hearing Tech Expo was a wonderful opportunity for HLAA-Sarasota/Manatee to build relationships with some of our local organizations. A few of the organizations that participated in the Expo and shared their mission were: CCDHH-Community Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing-who is generously donating office space for our organization (more info to follow soon on this!!); ALDA-Association of Late Deafened Adults; CCI–Canine for Independence; Florida Guide Dogs for the Deaf; Veteran Services; FCCDHH-Florida Coordinating Council of The Deaf and Hard of Hearing; FLAA-Florida Academy of Audiology; and the Sarasota Tinnitus Support Group (next meeting April 17 – 2-4PM at Silverstein Institute).
As founder Rocky Stone stated “Together. The word has a nice sound to it - and important implications.”
JoAnne DeVries, President HLAA-Sarasota/Manatee
Website - http://hlas.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Hearing.Loss.Association.of.Sarasota
MEMBERSHIP NOTES
RENEWALS AND NEW MEMBERSHIPS
Our memberships are dual memberships in both the HLAA and the HLAA Sarasota/Manatee Chapter. Veterans are free!
The cost is $35 for an Individual membership, $45 for a Couple. .
Among the many functions of HLAA National is the lobbying for people with hearing loss to have equal access in public venues. Note—your renewal notices will come from HLAA in Bethesda, if you do not get one, please let us know.
If you have any questions on Membership please feel free to contact Anne Taylor at . Membership applications can be found at the Chapter website, http://hlas.org.
Welcome new members:
Joe Buck, Sarasota
Don Engles, University Park
Robert Maynard, Sarasota
Ronnie Olson, Nokomis
Duane Pazyck, Bradenton George Robinson, Sarasota
:
HLAA-SARASOTA/MANATEE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Our Volunteers turned out “big-time” at the Expo
Our members have responded with the many volunteer hours needed to have a successful Expo, Thank You!
HLAA-Sarasota/Manatee hosts monthly meetings, organizes social events and participates in community outreach. We always have a need for volunteers for the Chapter meetings, such as membership assistance, 50/50 raffle and social hour. We have a special wish list for a Graphic Artist, a Grant Researcher/Writer and a Telephone Chair.
The Chapter is active in Outreach at the Farmers Market, Health Fairs, public events and knowledgeable members are encouraged to assist us. There are so many ways you can make a difference.
Please contact Anne Taylor at if you can pay it forward with your time to help educate and advocate for the 135,000 community members with hearing loss.
Meeting Update
UPCOMING MEETING PREVIEW, PRIOR MEETING RECAP
UPCOMING MEETING
APRIL CHAPTER MEETING
How not to set yourself up to be the next victim of a crime”
1. What is it that we do in our daily lives that makes us more vulnerable to criminal activity?
2. Learn the most up-to-date methods of keeping yourself safer from the Identity Thieves.
3. Find out what resources we have to strengthen our resistance to the way these criminals work.
Our presenter will be Sgt. Neil Scully of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. He has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1981, and is presently in command of the Crime Prevention Unit. Sergeant Scully is responsible for the Business Crime Prevention programs and the operation of the Citizen’s Patrol/ Neighborhood Watch Programs for the Sheriff’s Office as well as the Sheriff’s Volunteer program
. April 8 at 1:30 PM
North Sarasota Library Meeting Room 2801 Newtown Blvd. Sarasota
Meeting supported by hearing loop and CART
Refreshments will be served following the program.
MEETING RECAP
MARCH CHAPTER MEETING RECAP
Dr. Lesley Ericsson, AuD and Professional Education Manager at Widex presented an interactive session for help with hearing loss.
She spoke about the Widex Speech Enhancer Feature; the stress and annoyance of ringing in the ears: Widex Zen Therapy that can reduce the distress and distraction from tinnitus; and how wireless BiCROS hearing devices and Frequency Shifting technology are able to recapture these important sounds.
“AFTER HOURS” MEETING
Reminder! Our cover story featured After Hours for April 14 at 6 PM.
“After Hours” meets at the Center for Arts and Cultural Alliance at 1226 Tamiami Trail.
The topic in April is “Ototoxicity and Hearing Loss”, a discussion on how certain medications affect our hearing and balance system.
The presentation will be led by Tatiana Yero, PharmD, BCPP, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy.
The hosts are Trustee Dr. Lindsey Nalu and member Bob Leonard.
Loud & Clear
NEWS FROM HLAA & THE WORLD
HLAA FOUNDER’S BOOK -- THE “INVISIBLE CONDITION”
Join us in a yearlong celebration of Rocky Stone, HLAA’s Founder.
To celebrate Rocky and the 35th birthday of the Hearing Loss Association of America, our Chapter will be remembering Rocky and getting to know his legacy.
In the 1987 July/August HLAA Magazine, Rocky wrote:
“The degree of trust we place in one another continues to light our darkest days. Confidence. Reliance on each others’ integrity and friendship gives new hope to thousands in HLAA. And if, because of weakness in the human condition, that trust is violated occasionally, it should reinforce our own determination to become increasingly trustworthy - in our own eyes and in the eyes of others.”
For more on the founder, see http://www.hearingloss.org/about-us/founder
In his book, “An Invisible Condition, The Human Side of Hearing Loss”, Rocky wrote: “the most pervasive physical handicap in America today is an invisible condition – hearing loss”.
LEGAL NEWS—HLAA ADVOCACY WITH THE FCC
HLAA is advocating for our rights every day. Two recent activities are outlined below:
· HLAA is working to see the day when all hearing aids and cochlear implants link to any cell phone so well that consumers never hear the sound of annoying interference ever again. In fact, HLAA has long sought rules that would mean that all cell phones would be hearing aid compatible. The FCC asked for comments in their latest Public Notice. HLAA responded, with the help of other consumer groups, ALDA, TDI, NAD and DHHCAN. In these comments, HLAA urged the FCC to require all wireless mobile phones to be hearing aid compatible. At a time when consumers are abandoning landline phones at record rates, it simply makes sense that the FCC act to ensure that consumers with hearing loss do not have to struggle to find a phone that works well with their hearing aid or cochlear implant.
· The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held its first meeting of its newly-formed Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) on March 17, 2015. HLAA is a charter member, serving as co-chair of the Video Programming subcommittee, and as a member of the Communications subcommittee. These meetings are open to the public and streamed with captions at: http://www.fcc.gov/live
MEDICAL NEWS –THE EFFECT OF HEARING LOSS ON THE COMMUNICATION PARTNER
HLAA Board Trustee, Dr. Frank Lin, published a study that confirms what we all know, hearing loss affects the quality of life of the communication partner as well as the person with hearing loss.
In a paper published in the February 2015 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of
Audiology (JAAA), Rebecca Kamil and Frank Lin, MD, PhD, provide a systematic review of the literature about how hearing loss in older adults affects their Communication Partners (CPs). Although not surprising to HLAA members, what emerges is evidence of restricted social life, burden in communication, and poorer quality of life and relationship satisfaction.
Most of this information is taken from “Hearing Review”. A summary of the study follows.
SEE MORE
Kamil and Lin conducted a series of database searches for articles using keywords that might provide insight into the effects of hearing loss on the CPs of older adults who have hearing impairment. They also included hand-selected studies, as well as studies obtained from the references of the identified articles. Of the 1047 articles initially identified, and after culling for duplicates and outlying subject matter, they found 24 papers to include in their systematic review on this topic. All of these papers appeared in peer-reviewed journals, dealt with subjects 50+ years old, and contained specific data related to the hard-of-hearing (HOH) person and the CP that was deemed crucial by the reviewers (eg, hearing assessments, outcome metrics, etc).
A total of 16 of the studies in the systematic review found that hearing loss in an individual led to reduced Quality of Life (QOL) for the CP. Seven of the studies cited communication difficulties as a source of stress and lower satisfaction levels with the relationship, and 4 studies indicated that the CPs experienced decreased social interactions due to the challenges related to the person with hearing loss.
The systematic review revealed areas that may warrant further investigation. Two studies looked at the emotional impact of the individual’s hearing loss on the CP: one showed poorer CP emotional health while the other concluded there was no effect. Similarly, one study concluded that hearing impairment negatively impacted the CPs’ physical health and that more research in this area is needed.
Several studies included in Kamil & Lin’s review looked at how treatment of hearing loss via hearing aids, cochlear implants, and/or aural rehabilitation impacted the CP. They said “Overall, these interventions were associated with improvements in QOL, relationship satisfaction, communication, and social functioning for the CP.” Some areas of improvement included the ability to enjoy life, conversations, TV, group activities, and feelings toward the HOH person.
The studies also point out that hearing loss in an individual can initiate a cascading effect that may be borne more heavily by the spouse of the hearing-impaired individual (eg, becoming their spouse’s “ears” or taking on increased stressful responsibilities). Feelings of social isolation, embarrassment, and frustration can naturally carry over to the dyadic partner.
Kamil & Lin were careful to emphasize that there was a lack of homogeneity across the 24 studies’ designs, quality, methods, and outcome measures, and this precluded any opportunity for a quantitative meta-analysis. Among the most important findings is that “Studies broadly support the conclusion that hearing impairment in a person who is HOH detrimentally affects the QOL of the CP across a wide variety of metrics…and improvements are generally observed after treatment of hearing loss in the person who is HOH.”