The Future Is Sound

What if a migraine could change your life forever? In today’s episode featuring Amber Darragh, an educational audiologist navigating life with Usher 2A syndrome, you’ll hear about Amber’s journey from discovering her diagnosis at a genetic hearing loss conference to the emotional impact it had on her family. She also shares the fears and challenges of facing potential vision loss while maintaining her resilience and determination. You'll also hear a surprising tale about how accidentally microwaving a hearing aid expedited the path to cochlear implants. Amber discusses the importance of regular hearing tests and the unexpected twists that can lead to significant medical advancements. We explore the practical hurdles and triumphs of adapting to cochlear implants and offer valuable advice for new and prospective users. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Amber’s background as an educational audiologist, and her diagnosis with Usher 2A syndrome Amber's discovery of her Usher syndrome at a conference on genetic hearing losses and the emotional impact on her family The process of genetic testing and the challenges Amber faced in coming to terms with her diagnosis Amber's personal story of accidentally microwaving her hearing aid during a migraine and how it expedited her decision to get a cochlear implant The importance of regular hearing tests and how unforeseen events can lead to significant medical advancements Amber's experience with the practical challenges post-cochlear implant surgery, including discomfort from sunglasses and the need for specialized retention devices The decision-making process in choosing a cochlear implant manufacturer and considerations for future upgrades and compatibility with personal DM systems Initial struggles with facial stimulation caused by certain sound frequencies and the eventual adjustment to a different processing strategy Positive experiences and functional benefits of the cochlear implant, such as hearing environmental sounds that aid in daily life Advice and encouragement for new and prospective cochlear implant users, emphasizing perseverance and realistic expectations Resources: Amber Darragh  

In today’s episode, we are joined by Carrie Spangler, a dedicated professional in the field of education audiology with over 25 years of experience. She also has a passionate personal journey of living successfully with hearing loss. The episode serves as an insightful behind-the-scenes look at her EmpowEar Audiology podcast, highlighting its impact on listeners ranging from professionals and educators to parents and students. Carrie discusses the planning that goes into crafting each episode, her approach to guest selection, and how the podcast bridges the gap between diverse auditory experiences. She also offers a glimpse into her engaging conversations with notable guests who share their powerful stories and expertise, contributing to the wealth of knowledge this podcast provides to its audience.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:   Carrie’s background and how she got into audiology What Carrie’s podcast is all about and the demographic of her listeners What inspired Carrie’s podcast EmpowEAR How often Carrie releases podcasts Other audiology-focused podcasts Carrie’s notable guests Carrie’s research process The biggest challenges during recordings Whether Carrie listens to all her episodes Trends and advice in podcasting Whether anything from the podcast has changed Carrie’s perspective as a practicing audiologist   Resources:   Carrie Spangler, Au.D, CCC-A EmpowEAR Audiology Podcast Hearing Spanglish Blog Partnership in Hearing | Oticon Oticon PIH LinkedIn Group  

What’s happening in the world of pediatric audiology research, and how is it changing as technology changes? You’ll learn more about the research progress being made and how that works while listening to today’s guest. Today we chat with Ryan McCreery, the Vice President of Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital, about various aspects of his research in hearing loss, amplification, and outcomes for children who wear hearing aids. Listen to the episode to hear how things have changed with hearing aid technology changes, where the future of hearing aid research is going, and looking beyond the pure-tone audiogram. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Where Ryan started and how he ended up in audiology How long Ryan has been working in research at Boys Town Overlap between studies Whether goals change as the technology changes Whether test set-ups have changed Study on the outcomes for children with hearing loss Studies that branch off from the original study Ryan’s involvement in early hearing aid programs and changes to protocols The SII for mild hearing loss Vestibular things happening with kids Projects Ryan has coming up Final thoughts Resources: Ryan McCreery Boys Town National Research Lab on Instagram

What do you know about the vestibular system? It’s often overlooked, but disorders in the vestibular system are a frequent comorbidity with hearing loss. Today’s episode will focus on the vestibular system and how it presents in the pediatric population.    Today’s conversation is with Erica Zaia, an audiologist in BC with over 25 years of experience in vestibular assessment and management and the owner of an audio-vestibular clinic in Vancouver. Listen to the episode to hear what Erica has to share about the relationship between the vestibular and hearing systems,  how vestibular loss might present differently in kids versus adults, and the negative impacts these disorders can have if left undiagnosed.    Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:   How long since Erica started her clinic in Vancouver The relationship between the vestibular and hearing system Vestibular loss in kids with CMV Ways that vestibular loss presents Things to screen for in a clinic Where kids go when there’s a vestibular concern The negative implications of going undiagnosed Big facilities looking at vestibular in kids The rehabilitation process How to learn more about vestibular disorders  Balance and vestibular What’s next for Erica Resources: Erica Zaia

What does an educational audiologist do? We'll explore this topic in today's interview with Melanie Monaghan. Melanie is an educational audiologist from Edmonton, Alberta who has had hearing loss from a young age. She's worked extensively with adult and pediatric amplification and diagnostics and has research expertise in cochlear implants. She also promotes hearing health awareness and self-advocacy in school-aged Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Listen to this episode of The Future is Sound to learn about Melanie's role as an Educational Audiologist and what that entails, Melanie's own experiences with hearing loss growing up, and the positive changes she has seen for kids with hearing loss in recent years. What educational audiology is and Melanie's role in the field What Melanie's work looks like New technology for the deaf in the classrooms Melanie's experience with her own hearing loss growing up The effects of social media on information and acceptance What the industry can do to be better advocates and encourage people to advocate for themselves The effects of COVID on the population of people with hearing loss Positive changes for kids with hearing loss in recent times Melanie's takeaways on being a good clinician Melanie's hopes and dreams for educational audiology Resources: Melanie Monaghan  

What skills does a person need to live successfully with hearing loss?Today's guests are Shari Eberts and Gael Hannen. Shari is the founder of Living With Hearing Loss, a hearing loss blog, and an executive producer of the award-winning documentary, We Hear You, about the hearing loss experience. Gael Hannen is a hearing health advocate, writer, and speaker/performer who lives with profound hearing. She wrote a memoir called The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss and is a regular contributor for the Hearing Health Matters blog. They join the podcast today to talk about Hear and Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, the book they recently co-authored.Listen to the episode to learn more about what they have to say about looking at hearing loss from a new perspective. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Gael’s 2015 book Looking at hearing loss from a new perspective Where to practice advocating for yourself The three-legged stool model Vulnerability when writing a book The stages of the hearing loss journey What hearing care professionals can say and do to help with the journey Hearing hacks from the book How to promote hearing loss organizations Final thoughts and where to hear more from Gael and Shari Resources: LivingWithHearingLoss.com HearingHealthMatters.org hearandbeyond.com  

The purpose of research and development in understanding hearing loss and creating hearing technology and strategies is to help people who are living with hearing loss. It’s important to hear from the people who ultimately benefit from hearing strategies. In today’s episode, you’ll hear a child's and parent's perspectives on hearing loss and hearing strategies.  Today’s guests are Fern, who has hearing loss and wears hearing aids, and her mother Leah. During the episode, they’ll discuss what it was like to notice that Fern wasn’t hearing correctly, why tubes weren’t the ultimate solution for Fern, and what it was like for her to get hearing aids. This episode helps explain what hearing loss and hearing solutions are like from the perspective of a child with hearing loss and their parent.  Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Introduction to Fern and Leah When Leah started to notice that Fern had hearing loss What in-person hearing testing was like Why tubes weren’t the solution Finding out that Fern was going to need hearing aids How often Fern needs to get her hearing tested What they called the hearing aids to get Fern excited about them What Fern started to notice when she got her hearing aids What Leah noticed about her speech after fern got hearing aids How Fern overheard her teacher on speakerphone How it feels when Fern takes the hearing aids out Fern’s favorite sounds

Research into hearing technology is an important subject, and today’s guest has a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Rr. Dave Gordey AUD (C), Ph.D. is the Director of Research, Education, Audiology, Program Development, and Professional Relations at Oticon A/S. In today’s podcast episode, we discuss different aspects of conducting research in the hearing aid industry, including its challenges, what Dr. Gordey enjoys about the process, and what’s coming in the future. Listen to what he has to say about his Ph.D. research and how it’s fueling his studies today, the steps involved in publishing a peer-reviewed paper, and the challenges of getting children participants.    Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Dr. Gordey’s experience and time at Oticon Dr. Gordey’s Ph.D. research Whether the things Dr. Gordey discovered during his Ph.D. research are fueling his studies today Where to find Dr. Gordey’s studies The steps of a peer-reviewed paper Parts of the research process that Dr. Gordey enjoys The challenge of getting children participants in Oticon research Why there aren’t many side-by-side hearing aid manufacturer comparisons Climatization for children with hearing aids Research coming from Oticon   Resources: Dave Gordey Register for the PIH Community page

Dive into the importance of public health awareness around hearing loss. Jessica Niemela is a pediatric Audiologist living in Vernon, BC. She is currently promoting an exhibit at the Okanagan Science Centre for Speech and Hearing Month. The event itself is very timely for several reasons, which we explore together in this episode. The event will run for the entire month of May and has been designed for all ages.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: The exhibit Jessica is involved in organizing How the exhibit came about Jessica’s background Why public health awareness about hearing is so important Why May is such an important month BC’s accessibility act   Resources: Jessica Niemela Okanagan Science Centre  Register for the PIH Community page

Olivia Meriano – or Liv – is a middle child.  Liv is dyslexic, one of her older sisters was born with Cerebral Palsy, and her two younger brothers have hearing loss. Olivia’s grandparents were born Deaf, so her mother grew up using American Sign Language as her first language, a skill that she brought into her own family as an adult. In today’s conversation, you’ll learn more about Olivia’s home and family life, her experience growing up in the Deaf community, and how this helped shaped her work as a speech pathologist.   Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: Who Olivia Meriano is and what she does  The gene that Olivia may carry that causes hearing loss  How the gene affects boys and girls  What it was like for Olivia to grow up in the Deaf community  The differences between Olivia’s experience and her mother’s experience  Olivia’s sister and how she shaped Olivia’s choice to be a speech therapist  How Olivia’s family talked about disabilities  Olivia’s mother’s reaction to being told two of her children suffered from hearing loss  What looking at disability through a medical lens can be like  Olivia’s work with the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation  Improv as a therapy tool  A lesson learned from Olivia’s improv program  Language to use and avoid around disabilities      Resources: Register for the Partnership in Hearing community page here Olivia Meriano at the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation The Down Syndrome Resource Foundation   Five Moore Minutes with Shelley Moore  Instagram accounts:   @MsDeafQueen  @Shayleemansfield  @AdventuresInDeafEd  @Fidgets.and.Fries  @TheAutisticats  @crutches\_and\_spice   @AndrewGurza   @Zach.Anner  @disabilityreframed    The views, information or opinions expressed in this Podcast are solely the views of those guests and not those of Oticon Canada. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge that they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests.