The ‘hearing loop’ is a remarkable advance, but all too hard to find in the U.S.
By DAVID G. MYERS
Updated Aug. 27, 2015 7:24 p.m. ET

The first time I clicked on my hearing aids’ telecoils, it seemed like magic. It was 1999 and my wife and I were sitting in a historic abbey on Scotland’s Isle of Iona. I had gradually become hard of hearing and had gotten my first hearing aid in my 40s, and the abbey wasn’t built with acoustics in mind. The amplified voice of the worship leader caromed off the stone walls, reverberating into a fog by the time it reached my ears.

From HealthyHearing

Ahhh, spring! That wonderful time of year when everything is new again — and we are mysteriously compelled to engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

Unfortunately, some of the equipment we use to clean inside and out this time of year is hard on our hearing. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), individuals who are exposed to noise levels over 85 decibels (dB) for more than eight hours daily run the risk of permanently damaging their hearing. That’s why employers with noisy job environments are required to provide hearing protection for their employees.

Noise, not age is the leading cause of hearing loss. Unless you take steps now to protect to your ears, sooner or later many of you — and your children — will have difficulty understanding even ordinary speech.

Tens of millions of Americans, including 12 percent to 15 percent of school-age children, already have permanent hearing loss caused by the everyday noise that we take for granted as a fact of life.

“The sad truth is that many of us are responsible for our own hearing loss,” writes Katherine Bouton in her new book, “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You.” The cause, she explains, is “the noise we blithely subject ourselves to day after day.”

Joyce Hill Cooley, Kyle Griffin and Cynthia Bradley were recognized in the December 2013 issue of the Hearing Review as being among the best Hearing Healthcare Professionals in the nation. The determination was made by some of the industry’s top hearing healthcare professionals; a review panel chosen by the Hearing Review. Mrs. Cooley is a registered nurse, national board certified hearing instrument specialist and certified occupational hearing conservationist, Mr. Griffin is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, and Mrs. Bradley is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist; they are all employed by Miracle-Ear Center located in the different branches including Jackson Medical Center, 2387 Jackson Blvd, Jackson, MO. 1465 N. Kings highway in Cape Girardeau, MO and in the Farmington Wal-Mart. They all have years of service  in the hearing health field were mentioned in the recommendation to review board.

Hearing loss has been around forever, but hearing aids only started to pop up in the late 1800s.  Take a look at these hearing aids and be thankful that we have evolved from using ear trumpets!

Did you know someone who used a hearing aid like these?  Tell us your story!