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This year's World Hearing Day theme was "Ear and Hearing Care for All. Let's Make It A Reality." World Hearing Day 2023 highlighted the importance of integrating ear and hearing care within primary care.

Our World Hearing Day Guests:

- Dr. Abram Bailey and Dr. Steve Taddei | HearingTracker
- Dr. Douglas L. Beck Au.D.| Cognivue, Inc.
- Dr. Mark Campbell-Foster | Redux
- Gael Hannan and Shari Eberts | Hear & Beyond
- Dr. Dave Fabry | Starkey Hearing
Dr. Amit Gosalia, AuD, FNAP | AudBoss

In this episode, we discuss:

1. How primary care physicians play an integral role in the hearing healthcare industry.

2. The importance of getting your hearing checked.

3. The comorbidities linked to untreated hearing loss.

4. What companies and providers are doing to create greater access and affordability to hearing healthcare.

With this theme, the communication objectives were to:

• Draw attention of decision makers in governments and civil society groups towards the WHO’s recommendations regarding integration of ear and hearing care into PHC.
• Encourage governments to integrate primary ear and hearing care into training programmes for health care providers at primary level.
• Call attention of primary level health care providers (health workers and physicians) towards the needs of people with hearing loss and ear disease.
• Inform people about the importance of ear and hearing care and encourage them to seek services.

While we know all hearing aids amplify sounds to help you hear them, Starkey Genesis AI uses cutting-edge technology designed to help you understand them, too.

Click here to find a provider near you and test drive Starkey Genesis AI!

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Nicole is an expert in creating workplace solutions for people in business who are hard of hearing.  

As a marketing executive with a significant hearing loss, she has learned how to adapt to challenging situations in many corporate environments utilizing technology, spatial awareness and educating her peer group on best practices for engaging with her.  Nicole is passionate about generating awareness and providing practical solutions to the ever-growing class of business professionals with hearing loss. 

Nicole Behne creates workplace solutions for people who are hard of hearing (HOH). Her work transforms an invisible challenge negatively impacting 12% of America’s workforce into environments where employees are more engaged, included, and productive.  

It is not easy to navigate the business world with hearing loss. Studies prove hearing loss can often cause reduced productivity due to depression, social isolation, and listening fatigue in the workplace. As a Fortune 300 marketing executive with a significant hearing loss, Nicole has learned how to adapt to challenging situations in many workplace environments. From board rooms to manufacturing floors, Nicole has learned how to utilize technology, spatial awareness and education to help her peer group achieve best practices when engaging employees who are HOH. 

Nicole is passionate about advocating for and providing practical solutions to the ever-growing class of business professionals with a hearing loss disability. Each space and situation present unique opportunities to find efficient and effective ways to navigate the hurdles that affect individuals with hearing loss. She understands the value of a company’s diverse workforce and leads the charge to make sure everyone is “heard.” She has launched Hearing Inclusion to help DEI leaders and HR teams conduct environmental assessments, develop customized plans of action, and produce individualized coaching programs.

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Prior to founding AuraFuturity, Andrew had previous experience in international sales, marketing, product management, and general management. Audio has been both of abiding interest and a market he served professionally in these roles. Andrew has been deeply embedded in the hearables space since the beginning and is recognized as a thought leader in the convergence of hearables and hearing health. He has been a strong advocate for hearing care innovation and accessibility, work made more personal when he faced his own hearing loss and sought treatment All these skills and experiences are brought to bear at AuraFuturity, providing go-to-market, branding, and content services to the dynamic and growing hearables, hearing health, and broader communication spaces.

Andrew joins us on the Hearing Matters Podcast to celebrate World Hearing Day. This year's theme is "Ear and Hearing Care for All. Let's Make It a Reality." With this theme, the communication objectives are to:

• Draw attention of decision makers in governments and civil society groups towards the WHO’s recommendations regarding integration of ear and hearing care into PHC.
• Encourage governments to integrate primary ear and hearing care into training programmes for health care providers at primary level.
• Call attention of primary level health care providers (health workers and physicians) towards the needs of people with hearing loss and ear disease.
• Inform people about the importance of ear and hearing care and encourage them to seek services.

On this day, WHO will launch a new training manual - Primary ear and hearing care training manual. The manual will be accompanied with trainer’s handbook and other community resources.

• Ear and hearing problems are among the most common problems encountered in the community.
• Over 60% of these can be identified and addressed at the primary level of care.
• Integration of ear and hearing care into primary care services is possible through training and capacity building at this level.
• Such integration will benefit people and help countries move towards the goal of universal health coverage.

While we know all hearing aids amplify sounds to help you hear them, Starkey Genesis AI uses cutting-edge technology designed to help you understand them, too.

Click here to find a provider near you and test drive Starkey Genesis AI!

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

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Mark Campbell-Foster is the Director of Audiology Sales and Marketing. He joins Redux with more than 13 years of experience as an audiologist who has worked in both the clinical setting and in the hearing healthcare industry.  

Mark has a lifelong history of hearing loss and uses bilateral cochlear implants. As a child, he grew-up with hearing loss and worked with many wonderful audiologists and hearing healthcare professionals that influenced his life for the better. This fueled Mark’s desire to be an audiologist so that he could continue to be a voice and advocate for those with hearing loss. Mark joins Redux with the excitement of being able to bring better hearing care to thousands of patients every day, around the world.  

Mark holds a doctoral degree in Audiology from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a concentration in American Sign Language/Deaf Studies from the College of the Holy Cross.

What is Redux?

Redux is an ultra-efficient evaporation system that leaves hearing instruments sounding their best through complete and verified moisture removal.

Redux Launches NEW @Home Dryer

Redux @Home will achieve complete moisture removal like the Pro models, only in ~2 hours' time @Home where the patient can be most proactive in maintaining their hearing instruments' performance and reliability. Redux has done it again, developed and patented a completely new way of drying to achieve verified complete moisture removal, now @Home for the first time ever.

Redux Launches NEW ProLite for Hearing Care Professionals

The new Redux Pro Lite is the same professional dryer as the Pro with a new place to view data via free Redux app. The Pro Lite Bundle will include a preorder of four Redux @Home dryers to ship in June for the same price as the Redux Pro. The @Home dryer will resell for $399.99.

How does Redux remove all moisture?

1. First, Redux pulls a vacuum on the device to reduce the evaporation point of water.
2. Liquid turns to gas and is pulled out of the device.
3. A valve is opened to introduce fresh dry air into the chamber that pushes the vapors outside the system across a humidity sensor.
4. The process repeats until the humidity sensor confirms all moisture is removed.
5. The process stops and the amount of moisture removed is displayed on the screen.

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Audiology Services Summer Internship

In January 2020, Audiology Services received an inquiry from Meghan Okken, an undergraduate student from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania studying communication sciences and disorders, most commonly known as speech-language pathology. Meghan was in need of audiology observation hours for her clinical observations course. Observation hours allow students to observe professionals in the communication sciences and disorders field, which assists in their clinical setting decision making process.

When Meghan visited our office for the day, we were impressed with her professionalism and how she interacted with our patients. Following Meghan's visit to our office in January, we held a team meeting to discuss offering Meghan a full-time summer internship position. When we held the summer internship interview in early March, Meghan accepted the position with enthusiasm.

The Importance of the Summer Internship

A few years ago, I (Blaise) was an undergraduate student studying speech-language pathology at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. It was a requirement to obtain clinical observation hours before graduation. My classmates and I needed 25 speech hours and 5 audiology hours. I was grateful for the supervisors who donated their time and allowed me and my fellow classmates to schedule observation hours in various clinical settings. 

Encompassing an understanding of the observation process, I personally wanted to open an internship position for an undergraduate student studying communication sciences and disorders. In addition, I've personally had mentors throughout and following my undergraduate and graduate studies. That being said, paying it forward was important to me. The purpose behind the summer internship position was to provide the opportunity for a student to observe first-hand, the processes and procedures in the private practice setting. These processes and procedures include but are not limited to: 

•Scheduling patients 
•Rescheduling patients 
•Greeting patients 
•Otoscopy 
•Tympanometry 
•Comprehensive audiological evaluations 
•Hearing aid clean and checks 
•Real ear measurement 
•Scheduling/hosting effective team meetings 

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If anyone knows how to build a mobile audiology practice, it's Dr. Brad Stewart!

The buzz word in audiology today is "access." But, what does that mean and how does mobile audiology address this problem? Simple. Hearing care providers are hitting the road and bringing their services to patients in nursing homes, independent living centers, and the like.

Gearing Up to Hit the Road   

When Brad graduated with his Doctorate of Audiology, he knew he wanted to build a business model that implemented best practices and resulted in positive patient outcomes. What attracted Brad to mobile audiology was the low overheard costs and the ability to make a difference in the lives of the hearing impaired on a personal level.

Brad talks about the importance of letting go of the ego and practicing empathy. When he first started his mobile audiology practice, he reported that he was calling bingo at a few of the nursing homes. You see, Brad didn't care about his title. He cared about reconnecting his patients to their family members and friends.

Making Adjustments in Real Time to the Patient's Hearing Aids
 
Brad had a patient who had a really challenging hearing loss. She wanted to be able to go to different social hours at her senior living community,  hang out with her friends, and have conversations while live music was going on, which is a tough situation. The environment she wanted to be in had high ceilings, echo, overall, the room had poor acoustics. Brad visited her community after hours one evening when one of the social gatherings were being hosted. He brought his laptop, connected to her hearing aids, and made adjustments to her hearing aids in real time!

During this "appointment," they had a little audience - a little crowd of people that were all curious what they were doing. They were all gathered around watching Brad make adjustments to this woman's hearing aids, and then seeing her reaction in real time as she was hearing better! The residents that were watching them made statements line, "Oh my goodness, this is incredible!" Brad reports this was a very powerful experience for him and his patient.

The Mobile Practice

You're a skilled hearing care expert who gets great results for your patients.

BUT you're understandably concerned about third party "insurance" companies who don't pay even close to what you're worth, media that portrays you as the greedy middleman, and ongoing disruption and commoditization from outside forces.

You entered this profession to provide patient care at the highest level, but now you're feeling the pressure to make compromises.

You're looking for something different. Something that lets you provide that extravagant, world-class, ear-to-ear grin level of care...and get paid accordingly.

A good mobile audiology practice with a steady stream of patients consists of 5 simple business systems: Marketing, Education, Conversion, Treatment, and Follow-Up System.

Ready to hit the road and become that hearing care rockstar you know you can be? Apply now and c

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Shari first noticed her hearing loss in her mid-twenties. It has gotten progressively worse since then and she now wears hearing aids every day to hear better. She is lucky to have only mild tinnitus so far.

Shari doesn’t want her hearing loss to define her, but she finds that being open about it can help relieve the pressure of always having to hear everything perfectly. She hopes this blog will serve as an outlet for her experiences and a community for those dealing with similar issues.

She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from Duke University.

Passionate Advocate, Author & Speaker

Shari is a passionate hearing health advocate and writes and speaks frequently on hearing loss topics.

The hearing loss journey doesn’t come with an operating manual—until now. Shari’s book Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, co-authored with Gael Hannan, is the ultimate survival guide for living well with hearing loss. Available wherever books are sold.

Documentary Film Producer

Shari is an Executive Producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary that shines a light on the hearing loss experience. Created during the pandemic, the film strives to build awareness, community and a more inclusive world for all. Watch the trailer here.

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Dr. Jason believes that great service comes with great knowledge. He prides himself with staying up to date on all of the latest technology and treatments to best serve his patients. He also has a specialty in tinnitus management. He is here to help find solutions to your hearing, tinnitus and sound sensitivity needs.

“There is not one perfect technology for everyone. It is our job to find the best technology to compliment your lifestyle and your hearing profile.  Through our process, I am confident we can come to that solution.”

Dr. Jason graduated from A.T. Still University in 2010. He started with Audiology Concepts as a student under Dr. Paula Schwartz in 2008. In 2017, he bought the practice and plans to continue the legacy Dr. Schwartz created. You can expect the best experience with friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Jason served as an adjunct assistant professor for A.T. Still University from 2016 to 2019 teaching the tinnitus management course. He has served on several committees, is a Minnesota Sight and Hearing Association board member, was recently elected to The Academy of Doctors of Audiology Board, and serves as president-elect of the Minnesota Academy of Audiology.

When not in the office, you can find Dr. Jason outdoors and spending time with his family and friends.

The full transcript will be available by 3 pm EST on January 31, 2023. We appreciate your patience with the delayed upload. 

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Gael Hannan is a renowned humorist, author, and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is a leading international hearing health advocate whose work, which includes awareness programs, dramedy performances and writing, helps people better understand the life with hearing loss – both its impact and to live more successfully.

She regularly writes for hearing-related publications such as Hearing Health & Technology Matters and Canadian Audiologist. Gael’s critically acclaimed first book, The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss, part memoir and part survival guide, has helped readers around the world to embrace their own hearing challenges. Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully With Hearing Loss, her second book, is the how-to guide that she and co-author Shari Eberts wish they’d had earlier in their lives.

Gael has profound hearing loss and is bimodal, using both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. She and her husband, Doug, aka the Hearing Husband, make their home on Vancouver Island, where they live in hope of visits from their children and grandchildren.

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Dr. Michelle Hu was diagnosed with mild hearing loss secondary to Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome/Pendred Syndrome and fit with bilateral hearing aids shortly after. Her mom was told that she would probably never read beyond a third-grade reading level.  

As a result of EVAS, her hearing loss progressed each time she hit her head. This happened in 1st, 3rd and 5th grade, and by age 10 she had profound sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally.

During her senior year of college, she had another sudden drop in hearing. She was sitting in the lobby waiting to have her hearing tested when her mom suggested that perhaps she'd make a good audiologist since she had firsthand experience with hearing loss and hearing aids. She was still unsure of what direction she wanted to go after graduation and this suggestion floored her. Yes, she wanted to help others in a healthcare setting, but she just didn’t have a pull to a specific field. That year, her hearing came back with the help of intratympanic steroid injections, but she was already filling out applications with the goal to attend the Northeast Ohio Audiology Consortium.

It was during her third year in graduate school that she and her classmates started to learn about cochlear implants. One night she was excitedly chatting about CI's with her parents, and they told her that she has been a CI candidate since she was young. They had chosen not to move forward since they were wary of the technology at the time and told Michelle she had adapted and learned how to thrive academically, that they did not feel it was a necessity. Michelle decided to undergo pre-CI evaluations and was implanted later that year. For the first time in a very long time, she could hear her feet shuffle on the carpet, the turn signal of her car, utensils tapping on dishes and leaves rustling with the wind. She could hear and understand conversation in a dark car, on the telephone; her confidence soared. She no longer avoided birthday parties, movie theaters or other social gatherings.

She's since moved across the country from Kent, Ohio to San Diego, California to work as a pediatric audiologist. She doesn't think she would have made such a big move had she not received her first cochlear implant. She did not have the confidence to feel safe walking alone at night or talking on the phone with anyone other than her parents.

About 5 years ago, Michelle had the opportunity to scratch culinary school off of her bucket list. It was THE most difficult listening situation that she chose to subject herself to for a long time (eight months exactly). The tiled floors, stainless steel equipment, appliances, high ceilings, exhaust fans, walls of refrigerators and water constantly running were an educational audiologist's acoustic nightmare! Not to mention, her chef/professor had a heavy French accent! She had him wear her FM system, constantly asked for repetition, asked her station buddy for clarification, and took copious notes. She spilled things, broke dishes, lost fingertips, burned herself - but despite the difficult learning environment, she mastered sauces, broke down poultry and seafood, created menus, plated, garnished, and in her own words, "It was WORTH it!"

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