Buying a Hearing Aid? You’ve Got a Lot to Learn
Bob Buckwalter, of Williamstown, Mass., was surprised by the high price of his hearing aids – $4,600 – and the fact that insurance did not cover them.
By WALECIA KONRAD
Published: July 24, 2009
BOB BUCKWALTER, a retired pastor in Williamstown, Mass., bought his first pair of hearing aids in January.
Like most people suffering from gradual hearing loss, he had resisted the idea for years. But, after talking with people who have benefited from aids and doing research to find a nearby audiologist, Mr. Buckwalter was ready to take the plunge.
But there was one thing he was not ready for: the $4,600 price tag.
“It’s a monumental amount,” Mr. Buckwalter said. “The technology is impressive, and they’ve certainly made a difference in my life. But the fact is, they’re extremely expensive. And what I’m really surprised by is the fact that insurance doesn’t pay for them.”
Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/health/25patient.html?_r=2
- Thanks to New York Times
Caution! Avoid Potential Hearing Loss
From the Verizon Wireless website
http://aboutus.vzw.com/wirelessissues/avoidpotentialhearingloss.html
Prolonged exposure to loud sounds (including music) is the most common cause of preventable hearing loss. Some scientific research suggests that using portable audio devices, such as portable music players and cellular telephones, at high volume settings for long durations may lead to permanent noise-induced hearing loss. This includes the use of headphones (including headsets, earbuds and Bluetooth or other wireless devices). Exposure to very loud sound has also been associated in some studies with tinnitus (a ringing in the ear), hypersensitivity to sound and distorted hearing. Individual susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss and other potential hearing problems varies.
The amount of sound produced by a portable audio device varies depending on the nature of the sound, the device, the device settings and the headphones. You should follow some common-sense recommendations when using any portable audio device:
- Set the volume in a quiet environment and select the lowest volume at which you can hear adequately.
- When using headphones, turn the volume down if you cannot hear the people speaking near you or if the person sitting next to you can hear what you are listening to.
- Do not turn the volume up to block out noisy surroundings. If you choose to listen to your portable device in a noisy environment, use noise-canceling headphones to block out background environmental noise.
- Limit the amount of time you listen. As the volume increases, less time is required before your hearing could be affected.
- Avoid using headphones after exposure to extremely loud noises such as rock concerts that might cause temporary hearing loss. Temporary hearing loss might cause unsafe volumes to sound normal.
- Do not listen at any volume that causes you discomfort. If you experience ringing in your ears, hear muffled speech or experience any temporary hearing difficulty after listening to your portable audio device, discontinue use and consult your doctor.
You can obtain additional information on this subject from the following sources:
American Academy of Audiology
11730 Plaza American Drive, Suite 300
Reston, VA 20190
Toll-Free Voice: (800) 222-2336
E-mail: info@audiology.org
Internet: www.audiology.org
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive, MSC 2320
Bethesda, MD USA 20892-2320
Voice: (301) 496-7243
E-Mail: nidcdinfo@nih.gov
Internet: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Hubert H. Humphrey Bldg.
200 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
Voice: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/default.html
Deaf Richard “Dick” Sipek played for Cincinnati Reds
Richard “Dick” Sipek (Jan. 16, 1923 – Jul. 17, 2005) was a Major League baseball outfielder. He was the first not to have the nickname ‘Dummy.’ The 5-foot-9, 170-pound outfielder was only the third deaf player to see extensive playing time in the big leagues when he appeared in 82 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1945. The previous ones were William “Dummy” Hoy, an outfielder who hit .292 for 15 big-league seasons from 1888 to 1902, and Luther “Dummy” Taylor, who won 115 games during a nine-year career from 1900 to 1908. Sipek lost his hearing in an accident around the time he was 5 years old. He was sent to the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville, where his home-father was none other than Taylor, who was a 21-game winner for the New York Giants in 1904. The older man took him under his wing and encouraged the youngster to develop his athletic abilities. Sipek was an all-state back in football, then the Reds had him at Birmingham of the Southern Association, where he hit .336 in 74 games in 1943 and .319 in 134 games in 1944. The left-handed batter hit .244 for Cincinnati with six doubles, two triples and 13 runs batted in. He was 10 for 45 as a pinch hitter (.222). Click this link to view his official stats from Baseball Almanac website.
Read more:
http://fookembug.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/deaf-richard-dick-sipek-played-for-cincinnati-reds/
- Thanks to Fookem and Bug, GV and T
Hearing-impaired football fan sues Ohio State
By Rick Armon, Beacon Journal, 7/16/09
Article and comments at http://www.ohio.com/news/50972022.html
A hearing-impaired Ohio State University football fan has sued the school, arguing that the university should offer captioning on the scoreboard and stadium televisions because he can’t hear the announcers.
”When I go to a game, I’m never able to follow the game,” said Vincent Sabino, 32, of Hilliard. ”It takes away from being a fan. It’s a game experience thing.”
The lawsuit was filed late last month in federal court in Columbus by the National Association of the Deaf in Silver Spring, Md.
The suit says the university is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by not providing captioning at all its venues, including Ohio Stadium, Schottenstein Center and St. John Arena.
”It has been almost 20 years, and many places such as sports stadiums still do not take seriously their obligations to make sports events fully accessible in compliance with the ADA,” association attorney Michael Stein said Thursday.
Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch said the university is working with Sabino’s attorney and understands its legal obligations under the ADA.
”We’re hopeful we can reach an acceptable resolution for both parties that will cause the lawsuit to be dismissed,” he said. ”We are considering a host of options including captioning on the scoreboards.”
The suit seeks captioning for everything from referee calls to song lyrics. It also seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory damages.
”We hope and expect that we will be able to work together to make OSU games fully accessible for deaf and hard of hearing people,” said Stein, whose group also successfully sued the Washington Redskins in 2006 over the same issue. ”We expect that sports stadiums around the country will take notice of these cases and begin making their sports events fully accessible without the need for a lawsuit.”
It’s unclear if other universities and colleges provide captioning at sporting events. A telephone message left with the National Collegiate Athletic Association was not returned.
Sabino, who grew up in Hudson, said some of his earliest and happiest memories are attending Ohio State football games with his father. His wife, father and two sisters attended Ohio State. He graduated from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y.
He now goes to at least three, and as many as five games a year with his own children.
He said he has difficulty following the game, especially when leaving his seat to go to the concession stand or bathroom. Others can listen to the action on monitors, he noted.
Sabino said he can hear with the help of hearing aids, but has trouble understanding words when there is background noise.
He conducted a telephone interview with the Beacon Journal with an interpreter at his side.
Sabino, who works for a private company that provides services for disabled individuals, said he doesn’t know how Ohio State will respond.
”I hope this will work out,” he said. ”In my mind, it’s very easy and it’s an accommodation for everybody. If you get closed captioning, everybody can see it. Hopefully, they will see it that way.”
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
- Thanks to NVRC, Fairfax
Men ‘go deaf’ when asked to do chores
Six out of ten men admitted that they pretend not to hear when a wife or girlfriend asks them to muck in with household chores.
By Nick Allen, The Telegraph (London), 7/20/09
The research suggested that men will try anything to avoid scrubbing floors or washing dishes and one third of them proudly admitted to never having cleaned a toilet in their life.
Ingenious excuses for avoiding housework included pretending to be ill, having some extra work to do for the office, making an important – and very long – phone call, or simply running for the door when the cleaning products come out of the cupboard.
Of the men surveyed 59 per cent said they just pretended not to hear when a fastidious partner asked for help, and 39 per cent said they “try to hide”.
More than seven in ten adopted the tactic of flattery, telling their partner how good they are at cleaning in order to get out of doing it themselves.
Others admitted lying about their contribution around the house, saying they mucked in when in fact they sit on the sofa.
Scott Coltrane, a sociology professor, said: “Clearly we have a long way to go to achieve gender equality in the home but we should recognise there has been progress.
“I don’t buy the idea that men avoid housework because they are no good at it. Incompetence is an excuse, not an explanation.
“The truth is that men probably find housework as boring as women do. Chores are, well, a chore. The interesting fact coming out is not that men avoid housework, but that so many brag about doing any at all.’
The survey by Spontex, a cleaning company, indicated that most men lie about how much housework they do.
When asked about their attitude to nine domestic tasks they claimed to do most of them without grumbling.
Forty-eight per cent of men claimed to do the laundry without making a fuss up but 69 per cent of their partners said they were lying.
- Thanks to Bob MacPherson and NVRC, Fairfax
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