Hearing Loss Association of America - Pennsylvania State Office

08/16/2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/16/well/live/headphones-hearing-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DFDm8ciPsYB4zH_0bTaO1jatI_xzScQtJadb8iTeZzyOAaO0t2UE-ovp6A0twjEhkClLiSDCkwzo6fGvcx6yPrZW20b7YgzuDgtErbdTHvC_TA1XElIRI29JNvaQqvjiRZzqfHEuFz2cJsnqt0XuAMTj8CZySJuvXiAgwve4nVK0GBtXRlHr1RSjrRntWD6rMfcAo0CVjOSH535GtU-8oLcZpMf_65d0h8DZK41bYBCWVoL5OrD4kyQ-XXlbZttL3LrH-c2Vse6BkngM-9r3I11O0H6oc&smid=url-share

And if so, are they more harmful than other headphone styles?

01/25/2022

HLAA-PA Awards

Marcia Finisdore Award for Advocacy

The Marcia Finisdore Award for Advocacy was established by HLAA-PA in 2004 to honor our first state director. Marcia was a tireless advocate for people with hearing loss throughout her life. This award is presented to an individual in recognition of excellence in improving communication access for hard of hearing people. The criteria for selection are:
• A positive vision for the hard of hearing community and a continuing commitment to leadership.
• A demonstrated record of advocacy work for the rights and needs of hard of hearing people in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Nominations should include a written statement about the nominee and why this individual deserves the award. Please include contact information for yourself, as well as for the nominee.
Download an nomination form here in PDF or DOCX form

Nominations should be received by March 1, 2022 to Diana Bender, Bender@hlaa-pa.org or 101 Oakwood Lane, Phoenixville, PA 19460.

Joe Meyer Memorial Grant

The Joe Meyer Memorial Grant was established by HLAA-PA to assist Pennsylvania residents with hearing loss for one or more of the following purposes:
* To purchase hearing assistive technology, including hearing aids
* To cover expenses for cochlear implant surgery
* To participate in educational programs on coping with hearing loss for personal benefit and/or to help others
* To attend a college or technical institute
One grant will be available per year. The HLAA-PA Advisory Council’s Joe Meyer Memorial Grant Committee will select the qualifying applicant. Applicants may be of any age and must meet the following requirements:
* Be a Pennsylvania resident
* Have a documented hearing loss
* Use residual hearing (can utilize hearing aid(s) and/or cochlear implants) to communicate
* Indicate how the funds will be spent and provide a receipt for the purchase or evidence of college/technical institute enrollment
Grant amount: The recipient will be awarded up to $500.
Download an application form here in PDF or DOCX form

Submission date: Application forms may be emailed or mailed (email preferred if possible). Deadline for receipt is March 1, 2022. For more information, contact Carolyn Meyer, Joe Meyer Memorial Grant Chair, at Meyer@hlaa-pa.org or 1250 Greenwood Ave., Apt. 807, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Diana Bender HLAA National Convention Scholarship

The Hearing Loss Association of Pennsylvania (HLAA-PA) has established the Diana Bender HLAA National Convention Scholarship to assist Pennsylvania residents who are members of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) to attend the HLAA convention. One scholarship will be available for a deserving person who is currently involved with hearing loss issues. The HLAA-PA Advisory Council’s Scholarship Committee will select the qualifying applicant.
When and where is the 2022 HLAA convention? The convention will be June 23-25 (three days, two nights) at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street in Tampa, Florida.
Who is eligible as a scholarship candidate? Any Pennsylvania resident with hearing loss, regardless of age, is eligible as long as he or she meets the following qualifications: The applicant must be a current HLAA member, must have demonstrated an interest in being actively involved with hearing loss issues, and must indicate that a scholarship would enable attending the convention. Preference will be given to those who have never attended an HLAA convention.
Scholarship amount: The recipient will be awarded $500 (to be applied to transportation, lodging, and meals) plus the cost of registration for the full-activity convention package (includes banquet). Any amount exceeding $500 will be the recipient’s responsibility. The recipient must attend the convention or return the $500.
Download an application form here in PDF or DOCX form
Submission date: Application forms may be emailed or mailed (email preferred if possible). Deadline for receipt is March 1, 2022. For more information, contact Mitch Bilker, HLAA-PA Scholarship Chair, at scholarship@hlaa-pa.org or 821 Rosehill Drive, King of Prussia, PA 19406.

07/17/2021

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/16/arts/kamala-harris-name-sign-language.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

We look at the origins of name signs in deaf culture, including one recently assigned to Vice President Harris.

12/15/2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/14/health/elderly-hearing-aids.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

The vital medical devices could be inexpensive and available over the counter. But efforts have stalled under the F.D.A.

11/29/2020

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/12/tinnitus/616933/

A poem by W. S. Di Piero

11/08/2020

The Joe Meyer Memorial Grant of $500.00 is now offered to assist Pennsylvania residents with hearing loss. It includes hearing aids, cochlear implant devices, assistive technology, and more. For information and the application click herehttp://hlaa-pa.org/docs/JoeMeyer2021.pdf (pdf) or here http://hlaa-pa.org/docs/JoeMeyer2021.docx (docx)

2020110

08/11/2020

WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

HEARING EVALUATIONS FALL 2020

The West Chester University Speech and Hearing Clinic is excited to announce that we are currently accepting appointments for the 2020 Fall program. The Clinic is offering hearing evaluation services free of charge for children and adults.
The evaluations take place during the fall semester, August 31, 2020 through November 19, 2020.

In response to the ongoing COVID pandemic, we will be taking the following precautions to optimize your safety and the safety of our student clinicians:

- All clinicians responsible for your care will be equipped with a mask, gloves, and face shield
- We will conduct temperature checks using a no-contact thermometer for all clinicians and patients prior to entering the building
- All surfaces will be rigorously cleaned and disinfected following each appointment
- We will use disposable equipment.
- For the safety of all members of the clinical team, an ear-looped mask is required at all times throughout your appointment.

Appointments may be made by contacting the clinic Administrative Assistant, Jacqueline Johnson, at 610-436-3402 or jjohnson@wcupa.edu . You may also contact the Clinic Director, Dr. Jennifer Means, (610-436-3447) or jmeans@wcupa.edu for additional information or visit the website at:

Mary Kay Gormley, CSD Secretary201 Carter Drive, Suite 400West Chester, PA 19383Phone: 610-436-3401Fax: 610.436.3388MGormley@wcupa.edu

04/04/2020

Message from Nancy
By Nancy Kingsley, State Director

We are in uncharted times with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is making it necessary for many events to be cancelled or postponed. HLAA-PA's Lunch and Learn, which had been slated for this May 3, has been rescheduled to May 2, 2021, and we hope you will attend on the new date.

Likewise, this year's HLAA Convention, which was scheduled for June 18-21 in New Orleans, has been cancelled due to the pandemic. The 2021 convention will be in San Diego from June 24-26, and the 2022 one will be in Tampa from June 23-25. Those who had been looking forward to seeing the sights in New Orleans will get another chance to do so at the 2023 convention.

The keynote speaker at the cancelled HLAA Convention was going to be David Owen, author of the recently published Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, which I happened to have borrowed from my library just before libraries closed due to the pandemic. This snippet from Kirkus Reviews gives an overview of the book:

Himself a mid-60-ish tinnitus sufferer, Owen discusses his talks with numerous experts and patients and describes revealing visits to Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Connecticut’s American School for the Deaf, Bose Corporation, Starkey Hearing Technologies, and other research centers and companies. His highly anecdotal narrative explores every aspect of hearing, including its “Rube Goldberg machine” complexity, why most people wait more than 10 years to do anything about hearing problems, and the terrible effects of the noise of battle—one-fifth of all hearing aids sold in the U.S. are bought by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

While we are currently restricted from attending in-person gatherings, we are fortunately able to remain connected via the Internet. In the meantime, stay well, everyone!

01/03/2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/well/live/brain-health-hearing-dementia-alzheimers.html?algo=identity&fellback=false&imp_id=965959179&imp_id=708110325&action=click&module=Science%20%20Technology&pgtype=Homepage

Hearing loss is the largest modifiable risk factor for developing dementia, exceeding that of smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and social isolation.

01/02/2020

HLAA-PA will be at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This is the 11th time that we have participated.

01/02/2020

HLAA-PA will again have a booth at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This will be the 11th time that we have participated.

10/29/2019

The National Institute of Aging is now recruiting participants for a multiyear trial called Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Seniors (ACHIEVE) in order to determine the role of hearing aids. Participants must be between 70 and 84, live in the community, be fluent in English, be free from dementia, have a hearing loss, not have used a hearing aid during the past year, and be willing to follow study procedures and return for study visits (the local site is the George Comstock Center in Hagerstown, Maryland). Information is at www.achievestudy.org. Please share this with any eligible people you know!

ACHIEVE stands for A ging and C ognitive H ealth Ev aluation in E lders This study is being done to learn more about two different treatments that may promote healthy aging and cognitive health in...