A recent survey conducted by the Committee for Communication Access in America sheds new light on who uses assistive listening systems and why. Read on to learn more about these findings, as well as the types of assistive listening systems available to improve your listening experience. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), assistive listening systems (ALS) have been mandated in many public venues, like theaters, lecture halls and churches. These systems provide users with a silent, wireless connection to a facility’s sound system, either through earphones or the tele ..read more

Button-sized disposable batteries are generally safe, but they can be dangerous if swallowed, especially by children and pets. Now a new law, called Reese’s Law, has been enacted, requiring child-resistant packaging for these batteries. Generally, button-sized disposable hearing aid batteries are safe, but according to the National Capital Poison Control Center, every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people of all ages swallow button batteries. Because of the potential danger, especially to children and pets, a new federal law called Reese’s Law now requires that zinc-air button and ..read more

Among an aging population, cognitive decline is probably one of the most dreaded diagnoses possible. After all, dementia not only impacts an individual’s ability to enjoy and participate in life, but it threatens one’s independence. Over the past few years, researchers have found more and more connections between hearing loss and cognitive decline, but the real question has been whether hearing aids could help prevent it? Now, a new study presented at the 2023 Academy of Doctors of Audiology conference showed game-changing results for those who wear professionally fitted hearing aids. This thr ..read more

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), injuries from falls cost $50 billion every year—a greater burden on the healthcare system than obesity or smoking. If this trend continues, the CDC estimates that approximately 50 million falls will occur annually in adults over age 65 by the year 2030. Like falls, hearing loss is also very common in individuals older than 60, with prevalence estimated between 33 and 40% in this population. Data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) demonstrated that adults 40-69 years old with hearing loss were at greater risk ..read more

It’s almost spring. You used to love the sound of the robins singing, the wind gently whistling through the trees, and the crunch of the gravel under your feet during a walk. But gradually, those sounds have slipped away from you—not all at once. It’s been a barely perceptible change. But when someone recently commented on the birds singing, you thought, “I can’t recall the last time I heard the birds singing. When did that happen?” The answer for most people is that their hearing loss doesn’t happen at a single point in time. It happens gradually, unnoticed until…well, they can’t hear the sub ..read more

You’ve just gone to a concert where the volume seemed over-the-top. When you returned home, you noticed a constant high-pitched hissing noise that didn’t stop. A few days later, you continued to notice the annoying hissing, especially when it’s quiet, like when you would lie down to go to sleep at night. You could live with it, but you hadn’t noticed it before the concert. What is that sound and why hasn’t it gone away? What you’re hearing is likely tinnitus. Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound source is present. Tinnitus can take on any number of characteristics and is ..read more

So maybe, after learning about blue zones, you’ve decided you’d like to live a healthier, longer life, too. But you don’t live in Ikaria, Greece or Sardinia, Italy. You live in Kansas City, a community known less for healthy lifestyles and more for barbeque. That’s no excuse though. One of Dan Buettner’s goals when he began studying the blue zones was to learn what people in these communities did to help them live longer, more active lives, and share that information with the rest of us so we can apply it to our own lives. In fact, as part of his research, Albert Lea, Minnesota was selected fr ..read more

When studying the five communities originally associated with the blue zones, diet quickly emerged as an important connection to a longer, healthier life. Surprisingly, diet also can play a key role for someone with hearing loss. How is it possible that what you eat is connected to how well you hear? One answer is diabetes. This is probably one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States that can impact the ability to hear. In fact, diabetes and hearing loss are two of the most common health problems that affect the American population. According to the National Institute on Deafn ..read more

Central to the blue zones concept is the fact that in each of the communities where people age so well, these individuals don’t live in isolation. Instead, they stay connected—connected to their spouse, children and extended family, friends and community. But in the United States and other industrialized countries where older adults are more isolated, depression, loneliness and even dementia all seem to be accelerating to epidemic levels. Depression According to the World Health Organization, depression affects more than 120 million people worldwide. Depression is known to have profound effect ..read more

Just 100 years ago, it was considered a remarkable milestone for someone to celebrate their 100th birthday. Today, thanks to advancing medical technology and better health care, there are more centenarians than ever. But what’s their secret to a long life, and even more important, how can they not just add years to their life, but life to their years? That’s at the heart of what Dan Buettner, founder of the concept of the blue zones, was seeking to define. Thanks to previous research, he knew about 80% of how long the average person lives is dictated by lifestyle and environment. So, in associ ..read more