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got my second cochlear implant (CI) several years ago, my audiologist enthusiastically suggested getting one made by a different manufacturer than the one in my other ear. Twenty years ago, I would have been game to try a new company. Back then I was keen on learning all about the technology and trying all the latest bells and whistles. But I was getting [...] simplicity and avoid complexity, and I think many older CI users feel the same way. And with my long experience with CIs (almost 30 years), I realize that although biology and technology might set the groundwork for success with the devices, it is elapsed time using them that can move the ceiling up and up. With time, my hearing with my CI has become so [...] deafness. My aging cohort complains about all the things I used to: tinnitus, people talking too fast, social exclusion, difficulty on the telephone. And in some cases, they also have to deal with something I never did: the dread feeling that wearing a hearing aid is a sign of old age. I try to talk them through those feelings if they have them, and many

launching the group and some of the hurdles they and the students have faced. So, what was your reaction when the pandemic shut down in-person meetings? Nicholson: Well, we just had to change to an online Zoom group, which has really been a blessing. I mean, it's wonderful, because we can offer it to anybody. We’ve had people from all over the United States [...] say, a big strength that Nannette brought to the table was recruitment. Without the recruitment of the clients, you don't have a group. So initially, really plan out how you are going to get those clients. Nicholson: Another thing we did that was Erin's idea was to make a Facebook group of the same name as the group and invite all our participants from [...] with AR groups and were eager to join forces for the new project. It would be an on-site group, facilitated by students, which Nicholson and Beasley would supervise. The Ida Institute’s Group AR resource with seven pre-planned sessions was their guide for structuring the sessions and by February 2020, the group, Hearing Loss Strategies for Success, was

economy, as well as the support of family members. With the adapted tool, Liping has seen great results, “The Box enables people to weigh the pros and cons and accelerate the decision-making process. I recently used the tool with an elderly client who had previously denied his hearing loss. By using the tool, the client now recognized the communication barrier [...] demonstrate, the PCC approach is gaining traction because it works. Not only are the results appealing at a client and practitioner level – but the benefits are tangible for business owners as well. As such, it’s hardly surprising that the Year of the Tiger seems to bode well for the blooming PCC community. Looking back upon an eventful year and a series [...] to have a hearing disability, the task of driving change is no small endeavor. Like in many other parts of the world, it’s been a common default in hearing healthcare in China to focus mainly on technology and pay less attention to the person with hearing loss. However, as we’ve entered the Year of the Tiger, a growing group of hearing care professionals

decided that the benefits far outweighed the risks and that I didn’t have much to lose, considering where my hearing loss was headed. So, I embarked on my CI journey wholeheartedly. I was 16 at the time and initially I wanted to wait until I’d finished school and exams, but I was advised that the sooner I had the operation, the better the outcome was [...] A year ago, I got the news I had long been dreading: I met the criteria for cochlear implants (CIs). When I was first assessed five years ago, at 12 years old, I was so relieved when they said I wasn’t a suitable candidate. I hated the thought of CIs mainly because of their appearance. After all, my small, neat hearing aids had given me so much benefit [...] this was the right decision for me, as the changes I’ve experienced have exceeded all my original expectations. If you’re in the same situation I was in a year ago, my advice would be to stay open-minded. If you’re a suitable candidate for a CI, it could massively improve your quality of life so don’t be afraid of the change. Check out the Ida Institute's

experienced auditory hallucinations – extraordinary things that simply weren’t there – for about the first six months.” Shari: “It started off very mild, like the sound of a fluorescent light when you turn it on, with the sound growing and growing. At the start, I thought it was an actual noise. I was looking around and I’d ask my husband if he was hearing [...] went through the roof.” Shari: “It really flares up for me in the cold weather, around when the season changes. I still get the fluorescent sound, but there’s a different sound, lower pitched sound then as well, right in the middle of speech, so it’s hard to block out. It often comes with a headache or dizziness and sometimes I feel like I’m not hearing [...] “Also, around eight years ago I was at a yoga retreat where they were teaching meditation, so I thought I’d try it, not even thinking that it could help the tinnitus. I went into the meditation building and sat down and closed my eyes and tried to relax, and all of a sudden the sound started going away. The next day I came back and the same thing happened

out there? The best possible match of a consumer’s needs and a professional’s personality, skills, and service? In my opinion, yes. If the hearing loss stars are aligned, the match will happen soon after a client first reaches out for hearing help. If not, it might take some perseverance, trial-and-error, and self-awareness until bingo, the right match [...] ‘bad mood days.’ So, reflecting on all the passionate and committed practitioners I’ve worked with, do I know what makes an audiologist the best one for me? Yes, I think I do – and I’m not the only person with hearing loss to have this conviction. It’s that compassionate, articulate clinician who goes beyond the hearing aid to help create communication [...] all corners of my life, even if I have trouble articulating it. (But you can help with that.) A hearing professional who can paint the Big Picture. You help me see the reality of the hearing loss journey, including the current limitations of science. You also help me dream bigger and go higher with technical possibilities that can change my daily life

Welcome to the next in our Global Series highlighting the members of the Person-Centered Hearing Network (PCHN) . It’s a unique collaboration of 32 organizations around the world committed to promoting, teaching, and developing understanding of person-centered hearing care. This time, we spoke to Sarah Mason from the Canadian Academy of Audiology . [...] told us about the organization’s commitment to promoting lifelong learning, raising public awareness of the role of audiologists, and learning from other members of the PCHN. How do you and your organization work towards making hearing care more person-centered? CAA is excited to provide education about person-centered care (PCC) through conferences, [...] educate at the clinic level about the importance of understanding and implementing PCC. Many of our members also tell us that they are interested in CAA-endorsed educational programs like Inspired by Ida because they believe in lifelong learning and providing the highest level of care to their patients. Why did your organization join the Person-Centered

it’s tolerable with the end point in mind. In the context of CIs, I’ve moved from focusing on the journey (the surgery, the rehab) to focusing on the end point. In counselling terms, I’m now firmly in the action phase of the Circle. A future with more CIs I feel if someone could have explained how a CI actually works to me seven years ago, I would have [...] assessment under the old (stricter) UK criteria, I remember deep down that I didn’t want one. When I was told I wasn’t eligible, I was relieved. Going through my head was: Major surgery and the risks involved Uncertainty regarding how much my hearing would be improved The long period of rehab to acclimatize to this way of hearing The stigma of wearing [...] picture – potentially better hearing. I was in the contemplative stage in the context of the Ida Institute’s Circle tool (a Motivation Tool that depicts the phases a person with hearing loss typically goes through). I knew I couldn’t hear well with my hearing aids, but I didn’t feel my hearing was “bad enough” to get a CI. That was partly due to my mindset

ambivalence the child may have about their hearing loss. The various questions and tasks were inspired by some of the elements featured in the Ida Institute Living Well for Teens and Tweens tool , which helps clinicians identify and understand the child’s priorities and concerns. The immersive stage The second, immersive stage is centered around the 360-degree [...] decision-making stage In the third and final stage, the focus is on involving the child in the problem-solving and strategy-building process. This is done through a play activity to help Sara hear better in the previously selected and experienced environment. Inspired by the Ida Institute My World tool, a drag-and-drop play activity introduces an environment [...] playground, school/kindergarten, and home. The tool includes various interactive questions and tasks that help the hearing care professional to involve the child in the conversation – and encourage the child to prioritize where and when it is most important for them to hear well. In addition, it gives the hearing care professional an opportunity to

audiology programs need a rethink . This will allow students to develop the skills and competencies relevant for the future. At USP-Bauru, they have worked with data from the Future Hearing Journeys report to substantiate the creation of what they’ve dubbed the ImPACT-Lab. Under the coordination of Professors Dagma Abramides and Deborah Ferrari, this [...] recently completed the Inspired by Ida course and many of them have shown a keen interest towards further enhancing these skills.” Embedding PCC in the UK Charlotte Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Audiology at De Montfort University in the UK, also believes that the key to future practice is embedding support for PCC in curricula and setting the correct expectation [...] Heraclitus concluded that the only constant in life is change, he probably wasn’t thinking of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, remote fitting support, or stem cell-based medicine. Yet, his statement from 500 years BC is as accurate today as ever. Across fields like computing, medicine, communications, and materials science, the world has taken mammoth