leagues studied 26,917 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Their ages ranged from 40 to 75 at en-rollment in 1986. Every two years, the men filled out ques-tionnaires about their use of various drugs, as well as other life-style factors. They were also asked if hearing loss had been professionally docu-mented.

The researchers cau-tioned that the study group involved only men and that most of them were Caucasian. It is not clear how the results might extrapo-late to women and other racial groups.

From www.latimes.com/features/health

In a study, men who regularly use analgesics reported hear-ing Thomas H. Maugh II , Los Angeles Times/ Health

March 8, 2010

Perhaps it wasn't those years of listening to rock 'n' roll that damaged my hearing after all; regular use of aspirin, acetamino-phen and other anal-gesics appears to sub-stantially increase the risk of hearing loss, especially in men younger than 50.

Researchers reported recently in the Ameri-can Journal of Medi-cine that use of aceta-

minophen more than twice a week by such men doubles the risk of hearing loss, use of ibuprofen and related non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk by nearly two-thirds, and regular use of aspirin increases it by about a third.

Studies in animals and anecdotal reports in humans have indi-cated that high doses of the analgesics could interfere with hearing, but there have been few studies looking at regular use and none studying acetamino-phen (one brand name is Tylenol), according to the study authors.

Dr. Sharon G. Curhan of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and her col-

Painkillers may increase risk of hearing loss

H e a r i n g L o s s A s s o c i a t i o n o f C e n t r a l V A

January 2010

Volume 3, Issue 3

Say What?

Inside this issue:

April 2010

Painkillers may increase risk of hearing loss

1

Hearing aids alone won’t do the trick

2

One in Six Suffer-ing From Hearing Loss

Meeting Schedule

4

6

Hybrid Hearing Aid/Cochlear Im-plant

Communication Tips for People with Hearing Loss

6

6

3rd State Confer-ence—Cochlear Implants 2010 and Beyond

8

Communication Tips for People with Better Hear-ing

10

Hearing loss af-fecting psychoso-cial health, par-ticularly in young people

11

Hearing Aids Alone Won't Do the Trick

hearing aids to really

hear and understand in

some settings. Unlike

eyesight returned to

20/20 by glasses, hear-

ing aids don't return

hearing to "normal."

What's often needed is a

variety of products and

services beyond hearing

aids and, unfortunately,

they are not always dis-

cussed by hearing care

professionals when they

dispense hearing aids.

There are many very ca-

pable, caring hearing-

care providers but

a study found a substan-

tial number of them

don't follow guidelines of

the American Academy

of Audiology. The major-

ity don't tell clients

about the world of assis-

tive devices available to

supplement hearing aids.

Less than half even make

certain clients under-

stand how the telecoil in

hearing aids can help

them hear on the phone.

Many hearing aid wear-

ers aren't even told they

have telecoils.

This problem is so preva-

lent that one state, Ari-

zona, has a new law

mandating that provid-

ers instruct their clients

in the applications and

use of the telecoil.

So, what is this technol-

ogy that's so routinely

ignored by hearing care

providers? A telecoil

picks up electromagnetic

signals from an induc-

tion loop, which is con-

nected to an amplifier

and microphone, a TV

set, or some other elec-

tronic sound source. A

loop can circle a chair, a

room or an entire home,

and anyone with a tele-

coil equipped hearing aid

can pick up the signal

from anywhere within

that loop. Small neck

loops, operating on the

same principle, work

with cell phones, iPods

and other devices.

Because the micro-

phones in the hearing

aids are normally turned

off when using telecoils,

the only sound comes

Albuquerque Jour-

nal - Opinion (Op

Ed)

By Stephen O. Frazier

State Coordinator, Hearing Loss

Association of America

Othel Moore is hard of

hearing. When she

moved to Albuquerque,

she started attending

services at Christ United

Methodist Church but

says, "I never heard any-

thing in the service."

Even with hearing aids,

she could not under-

stand what was being

said.

Then Christ United in-

stalled an induction loop

system and, simply by

using the telecoils in her

hearing aids, she could

hear and she could un-

derstand. Moore said of

the loop/telecoil technol-

ogy, "It's fantastic— I can

hear everything going

on."

Like Moore, many of the

hard of hearing— 10 per-

cent of the public and

increasing at a faster rate

than the general popula-

tion— need more than

Page 2

Say What?

Page 3

Volume 3, Issue 3

Tao Blake and Lou Gibb

from the loop's signal.

Background noises are

not amplified, intelligi-

bility of spoken words

is enhanced and the

hearing aids correct the

sound for that

particular person's

hearing loss.

Induction loop technol-

ogy is the sound system

of choice for many

hard-of-hearing people.

With such a system, all

they have to do is flip a

switch. They don't need

to be near the sound

source or facing it.

When used with a TV

set in the home, the

devices allow the

wearer to hear and un-

derstand programming

while leaving the vol-

ume low enough that

others don't complain.

Loop systems are rela-

tively inexpensive, easily

installed, and require

little or no maintenance.

If loops and telecoils are

so great, why don't hear-

ing care providers tell

clients about them?

Why don't they tell cli-

ents they could hear in

church, at Popejoy Hall,

at the Hispanic Cultural

Center and many other

venues without the has-

sle of borrowing an in-

frared headset (probably

with dead batteries) that

doesn't correct sound

like hearing aids do? As

stated earlier, there are

many very capable, car-

ing hearing care provid-

ers but there are also

many who may be capa-

ble but possibly not as

caring and conscien-

tious as they could be.

Short of a law requiring

negligent hearing care

providers to really pro-

vide hearing care (as is

the case in different pro-

vider.

For more information

on living with hearing

loss, visit or call the

Hearing Loss Associa-

tion of America in

New Mexico,

www.HLAAnm.homeste

ad.com, or call (505)

401-4195.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Your support is very important to us. We use your dues and

donations for printing and mailing notices for each monthly

meeting, quarterly newsletter mailings, and for the June and

December get togethers. We also use it for equipment if abso-

lutely necessary.

We need your support to continue our mission. Please Help.

Send Dues and Donations to HLACVA, c/o Keeney & Co. Ar-

chitects, 1413 Sachem Pl, Suite One, Charlottesville, VA

22901-2497. Application on cover.

Board of

Directors

Ron Keeney, Pres Keeney & Co, Architects, PLC 434-978-2000 Ron@KeeneyArchitecture.com

Poppy Lesti, News. Editor, Coord. 3875 Whitetail Ln. Keswick VA 22947 434-923-0378 PoppyL@aol.com

Frank Shiflett, Treas. 434-985-2060

Larry Herbert, Tech.Advi. 434-981-3004

Betty Bonvillian, Dir 434-244-0461

Marjorie Boone, Dir 434-244-0461

Lou Gibb, Dir 434-293-8437

Dot Clark, Dir 434-973-3667

Carolyn Newsome, Dir 434-295-9094

Page 4

Say What?

One in six suffering from hearing loss

Just a small minority of people needing hearing aids use them even though hearing aids can be vital for holding employment and improve quality of life.

Sixteen percent of adult Europeans suffer from hearing loss great enough to adversely affect their daily life. This is much higher than the previously generally assumed prevalence of 10 per-cent. In Europe, about 71 million adults aged 18 to 80 years have a hearing loss greater than 25 dB, the defini-tion of hearing impair-ment recognized by the World Health Organi-zation, WHO. In the EU alone, the number of people with hearing loss is more than 55 million. The data on hearing loss in Europe is re-ported in the scientific Survey, “Evaluation of the Social and Eco-nomic Costs of Hearing Impairment”.

“Hearing loss affects

every family. It has now been documented that one in six adults suffers from hearing loss and that only a fraction of those with hearing impairment actually use hearing aids. This is sad, be-cause hearing loss is inexpensive to treat, and surveys have dem-onstrated that modern hearing aids promote general well-being and improve the quality of life of those who use them,” says Kim Ru-berg, Secretary Gen-eral, Hear-it AISBL.

One in six use hear-ing aids

According to the re-port, just one in six of those who could bene-fit from using hearing aids is being treated with hearing aids. Numerous scientific surveys show that the satisfaction among hearing aid users is high, and several stud-ies have concluded that the use of hearing aids causes significant im-provement in the qual-ity of life.

Hearing loss in different coun-tries

The report findings make it possible to calculate the num-bers of people with hearing impairment in any given region or area in Europe and other industri-alized nations. Some examples:

• Germany 10.2 million

• France 7.6 mil-lion

• United Kingdom 7.5 million

• Italy 7.2 million

• Spain 5.5 mil-lion

• Poland 4.7 mil-lion

The Netherlands 2 million

Source: Evaluation of the Social and Economic Costs of Hearing Impair-ment”, October 2006, by Bridget Shield for Hear-it AISBL. From www.hear-it.org

Page 5

Volume 3, Issue 3

Ivy Commons Family Chiropractic

Meghan Custer, D.C. 434-293-2779

4422 Ivy Commons fax: 434-293-0712 Charlottesville, VA 22903 megsdc@hotmail.com

We are dedicated to helping people reach their optimum potential by releasing interference in the body’s innate healing ability. Offering safe, effective, affordable chiropractic care for the whole family. Let’s see if we can help

you. Now accepting new patients. Spinal adjustments and massage therapy.

. March 30, 2010

Hybrid hearing aid/cochlear implant

tional cochlear implant, but who cannot use a conventional hearing aid.

“The processor is actu-ally two processors in one, with one processing the electrical impulses and the other processing the acoustical impulses. The device is slightly lar-ger than a conventional CI, but similar in its op-eration," stated Helge Rask-Andersen, profes-sor at the Uppsala Uni-versity Hospital in Up-sala, Sweden.

Rask-Andersen per-formed the first Scandi-navian EAS implantation together with Wolf-Dieter Baugarten, a sur-geon from Austria, where the new device and procedure were de-veloped. So far, EAS implants are made by few manufac-turers. If you think you may be a candidate for EAS treatment you should contact your hearing health specialist. Source: Auris From. www.hear-it.org

Electric Acoustic Stimu-lation is a hybrid treat-ment solution for indi-viduals who have some hearing left in the low frequencies but who can-not hear all of the higher frequency sounds.

The EAS-implant is a combination of a hearing aid that acoustically am-plifies low frequencies and a cochlear implant that electrically stimu-lates the higher frequen-cies. This is the solution for those who hear too well to receive a conven-

Meeting

Schedule

We meet most months on the first Wednesday from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, 1180 Pepsi Pl, Charlottesville, VA, 434-974-7756. ALL PEOPLES AND AGES WELCOME

May 5, 2010—Karla Lesher from the Dept of Rehabilitation - “Safety Practices for People With Hearing Loss”

June 2, 2010— Elizabeth LeBarron of HLAA National Headquarters—sandwiches served.

July & Aug no

meetings

Sept 1. 2010— Linda

Swinson, Audiologist

from Wagner Hearing

Oct 6, 2010— TBA

Nov 3, 2010—Brenda M. Ryals, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized researcher in the areas of auditory plasticity and hair cell regeneration. She will be talking on "A look to the future: Will we be able to make new ears?"

Page 6

Say What?

Communication Tips for People With

Hearing Loss

1. Avoid noisy backgrounds. If noise

cannot be avoided, choose the quiet-

est place possible, i.e. the kitchen, a

corner table in a restaurant, even out-

doors if feasible.

2. In restaurants, choose your seat

first. Sit where you can see well. Ask

people to move if you need to.

3. Remove all visual obstacles from

tables or desks (flowers, photos, tro-

phies, etc.).

4. Round table or seating in a square

makes for better visual communica-

tion. People who don’t hear well need

enough space to see body language

and interaction between people.

5. If a radio or television is making it

impossible to hear at a restaurant or

at home, ask politely that it be turned

down.

6. If you want to watch television at a

restaurant ask that the captions be

turned on– it’s your right.

7. The light should not be in your eyes

or from behind the speaker. You need

to see their face.

8. Let your communication partner

know which side is your “better” ear.

Cont.

9. 5-10 ft. is the best dis-

tance for sound reception

(with or without a hearing

aid) and speech reading.

More than 6 ft reduces

effectiveness of hearing

aids by 50%.

10. Give feedback: let the

speaker know if you are

not able to hear or under-

stand.

11. Encourage success.

Compliment the speaker if

communication is going

well.

12. Don’t pretend to un-

derstand if you can’t. Post-

pone the conversation for

a better time.

13. You may need t0 be

ASSERTIVE in reminding

the person that you have a

hearing loss.

14. A positive attitude is

the most important factor.

Empathy and a sense of

humor on the part of both

communication partners

helps communication flow

both ways. The belief that

the problem can be solved

together will provide help

in even the hardest situa-

tion.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

go to the Hearing Loss of

America website

(www.HLAA.org) for help-

ful tips for hard of hearing

people and their family

members.

Thank you both for the generous use of your time and incredible knowledge.

Dr John Mason

March Meeting – Mike Ernest gave us a great talk on communication. He started out with a surmise as to whether JD Salinger was just a recluse or was Hard of Hearing. Mike also has provided us with the “Communication Tips” in this newsletter.

April Meeting— Dr. John Mason gave a won-derful talk and answered a lot of questions about co-chlear implants, tinnitus, telecoils and the new surgi-cal technology being devel-oped for the Hard of Hear-ing.

Thank You

Page 7

Volume 3, Issue 3

FROM THE EDITOR

I want to thank everybody for this opportunity to get out our news. If you have any questions, comments, or articles for future newsletters, please call me at 434-923-0378, email me at PoppyL@aol.com, or write me at Poppy Lesti, 3875 Whitetail Ln, Keswick, VA 22947

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT

Communication—cont.

PUNS

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption. 5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work. 6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. 7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie. 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

Page 8

Say What?

The 3rd State Conference

“Cochlear Implants: 2010 and Beyond”

May 22, 2010 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Purpose of the Conference

This conference has been developed in response to needs expressed by co-

chlear implant users in Virginia, as well as individuals considering a cochlear

implant for themselves or a family member.

Cochlear Implant Surgeon Dr. David Coelho will present an overview of co-

chlear implants, including reports on the benefits of bilateral implants and

the future direction of implant technology. Other professionals in the field

will discuss the latest information and available research regarding cochlear

implants so consumers can made an informed decision.

Cochlear implant users will be able to meet and interact with each other, and

also to discuss coping skills for adapting to this new world of hearing tech-

nology.

Representatives from cochlear implant and cell phone companies will be

available during breaks to demonstrate their devices and can answer your

individual questions.

Representatives of the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

and Virginia Relay will present new communication services and devices, in-

cluding the CapTel 800i and Web CapTel. There will also be an opportunity

for attendees to comment on relay services.

This is a great opportunity to learn about cochlear implants and its related

technology from the experts in the field as well as current implant users

themselves.

Seminar Agenda:8:30 a.m.

Registration 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks by Senator Ed Houck 9:15 – 10:45

a.m.

An Overview of Cochlear Implants Presented by Keynote Speaker Dr.

Daniel Coelho, Cochlear, Implant Surgeon from Virginia Commonwealth Uni-

versity 10:45 – 11:05 a.m.

Break 11:05 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Cochlear Implant User PanelModerated by Dr. Amber Gardner, Audiolo-

gist from the University of Virginia Medical Center 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch provided by Virginia Relay 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Cochlear Implants and Cell Phone Usage Presented by Joe Duarte,

President of Duartek, Inc. and a Cochlear Implant User 2:30 – 3:30 p.m

Page 9

Volume 3, Issue 3 S

3rd State Conference cont.

Update on Captioning Telephone Relay (CapTel®) for Cochlear Implant

Users Presented by Trish Banks, Captioning Telephone Specialist for the Vir-

ginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) 3:30 – 3:45

p.m.

Break 3:45 – 4:30 p.m.

Town Hall Meeting Led by Clay Bowen, Relay and Technology Programs

Manager for VDDHH, an Open Forum to Discuss Virginia Relay, CapTel, and

other Relay Services

For more information or to register – http://drcfredericksburg.org/DRCPages/CI/CI2010.htm

Cost is $20 per person and you must register by May 6, 2010

Specializing in Audiometric Hearing Tests, Personal-ized Selection and Adjustment of Hearing Aids

and Ancillary Products

FREE HEARING TEST & 15% 0FF PURCHASE

WITH THIS COUPON!

Toll Free: 866-341-HEAR (4327) www.hearvirginia.com

Communication Tips for People with Better Hearing 1. Do you have personal amplification devices or a loop system available?

2. Remove all visual obstacles from tables or desks ( flowers, trophies, photos, etc.)

3. Round table or seating in a square makes for better visual communication.

4. Face the listener directly and be sure you have his/her attention. Use discreet gestures if necessary to get their attention.

5. Arrange seating so that the light falls on your face.

6. Be sure your mouth is not hidden by hands, newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, or facial hair.

7. Don’t talk with food or chewing gum in your mouth.

8. Don’t shout. Speak clearly at a natural tone and pace.

9. Don’t correct pronunciation, anticipate or speak for the Hard of Hearing person.

10. Use gestures to identify people or objects in the room.

11. Use writing when necessary.

12. Establish the topic before continuing. Example: “I wanted to talk about your daughter’s wedding.”

13. Don’t change topics without warning. Name the new topic. Don’t skip around.

14. Place important details such as date and time at the beginning of the sentence.

15. If a word is missed, try a synonym or give an example.

16. Don’t repeat the same word over and over: Missed once is often missed twice.

17. Use the missed word in a reorganized or rephrased sentence.

A positive attitude is the most important factor. Empathy and a sense of humor on the part of everybody.

Hearing loss affecting psychosocial health, particularly in young people

March 12, 2010

An extensive survey found clear associations be-tween hearing loss and feelings of loneliness, dis-tress, depression, anxiety and somatization. Young people are more deeply affected than older people.

Young people with hearing loss are more prone to a decline in psychosocial health than older hearing impaired people, according to a so-called National Hearing Test conducted in Holland among 1511 in-dividuals aged 18-70 years. The respondents an-swered a series of online speech-in-noise screening questions relating to hearing and self-reported psy-chosocial functioning.

The participants were divided into age groups from 18-29, 30-39, etc. The test indicated that the young-est group experienced a clear association between decreased hearing and increased loneliness. In the 30-39 years of age group, the emphasis was on dis-tress and somatization. 40-49 year-olds talked mostly about distress, self-efficacy, depression and anxiety, somatization was the main characteristic among the 50-59 year-olds, whereas no specific characteristic stood out in the 60-70 year age group.

Bigger hearing loss, worse health In all of the age groups more hearing loss equalled worse general health. As an example, the risk of se-vere depression increased by five percent per dB of individual hearing loss. Similarly, the likelihood of somatization and distress increased by two percent for each dB of hearing loss. The likelihood of feeling lonely was found to increase by seven percent per dB of hearing loss..

Younger people more severely affected Mild distress states are considered part of normal life and do not interfere with normal social func-tioning. However, elevated levels of distress with symptoms such as worry, irritability, tension, poor concentration and insomnia may force a person to give up and withdraw from major social roles, espe-

cially the occupational role. Therefore, the impact of hearing impairment in adults younger than 70 years may be greater than the impact in elderly people.

Of the 1,511 respondents 546 were males and 965 were females, with a total of 355 reporting that they used hearing aids. No significant differences were found in the responses by females or males within the age groups.

Source: Ear and Hearing 2009, 30, 302-312, Lip-pincott Williams & Wilkins

From www.hear-it.org

Hearing Loss Association

Of Central VA

Membership Form Send to: HLACVA

c/o Keeney & Co Architects, PLC 1413 Sachem Pl, Ste One

Charlottesville, VA 22901-2497 NAME_______________________________ Address_______________________________ _____________________________________ Phone/TTY:___________________________ $10 dues for membership to offset cost of news- letter, meeting notices, and 2 get togethers. Background, experience, skills, interests: _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________

HLAA opens the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, advocacy, and support. Membership is $35 per year and includes a Subscription: The Hearing Loss Journal

www.hearingloss.org

7915 Woodmont Ave.

Bethesda MD 20814

(301) 657-2248 (Voice)

(301) 657-2249 (TTY)

Invite a friend to join the local chapter

as well as national!

Hearing Loss Association of Central Virginia c/o Keeney & Co., Architects 1413 Sachem Pl., Suite One Charlottesville, VA 22901-2497 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED PLEASE confirm your address… and if this mailing is not of interest, Tell us at (434) 978-2000… or fax us at (434) 978-7438.

YES, keep mailing. NO, remove this name from mailing list.

YES, BUT change the name or address to…