Twenty per cent of hearing aid users in Norway use the equipment for only an hour each day. The reason is often poor fitting and inadequate support. A pilot study financed by the Research Council of Norway was carried out to explore how to improve the need for more two-way cooperation between the user and the audiographer, with better communication providing the user with a deeper understanding of his or her situation and available options.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121030093737.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fhearing_loss+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Health+&+Medicine+News+--+Hearing+Loss%29

Eliminating bacteria’s DNA and boosting antimicrobial proteins that already exist may help prevent middle ear infections from reoccurring. These are the findings from a new study that examined how an immune defense protein common in the middle ear interacts with a structure meant to protect a colony of bacteria. 

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121030101340.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fhearing_loss+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Health+&+Medicine+News+--+Hearing+Loss%29

Nearly half of all U.S. infants are in need of specialty health care but may not receive that care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. University Health System (UHS) is unveiling new technology to speed-up birth no

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/2012/10/university-health-system-using-new.html

Do you know what preparations to make in the event you or a loved one suffering from hearing loss faces an emergency? Follow this link to find out more of what to include in a special hearing loss “emergency kit.”

Link: http://ow.ly/eSGCA

With information for Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and New Jersey, the Disability 101 site provides tools and resources for people with disabilities to take control and understand the programs and benefits available to

Link: http://www.db101.org/

A young Palestinian girl will finally head home to Gaza after surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia where she has spent the last 18 months with surgeons working on constructing new ears for her (due to congenital microtia) and inserting a cochlear implant.

Link: http://ow.ly/eF8EN

Ken Wood wanted his employees to better understand the struggles and frustration people with a hearing loss encounter every day. So about three years ago, at a staff training, Wood outfitted them with custom earplugs and silenced their world. Wood, born with a hearing defect, believes people can sympathize with a physical handicap because they see the person in a wheelchair or the blind person walking down the street with cane. “But it’s hard to understand somebody with hearing loss,” said Wood, who’s owned UpState Hearing in Redding since 1990. The company provides hearing aids and other instruments to assist the hearing-impaired.

Link: http://ow.ly/eHXR2

Last year, when her decade-old analog hearing aid started making popping sounds, Tricia Romano knew she had to replace it. But because hearing aids are so costly and generally aren’t covered by insurance, she put it off. She would soon learn that in the last 10 years, purchasing a hearing aid had become even more difficult and confusing than buying a new car — and almost as expensive.

Tricia has worn hearing aids for more than 30 years; she’s had profound hearing loss in her right ear and moderate loss in the left ear, the one where she has worn the aid, since 5 years of age. This article shares her experiences in searching for an affordable hearing aid and the roller-coaster that many like her have to ride in their hunt for more affordable listening devices and options. 

Link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/the-hunt-for-an-affordable-hearing-aid/

What actually causes hearing loss in humans? And what are the best therapeutic approaches to this problem? Modern medicine hasn’t yet been able to provide doctors with the right answers in many cases, because there has been no way to observe the tissue of the inner ear, without destroying it.

Harvard Medical School and EPFL partner are working to uncover details behind hearing loss and causes in humans.

Link: http://ow.ly/eFXo0

States across the country are improving diagnosis, early intervention (EI) services and support for families with infants who have hearing loss. In the U.S., approximately 63,000 newborns out of 4 million born each year fail their hearing t

Link: http://www.nichq.org/resources/IHSIS-Oct2012.html