Overheard: From the AA Staff

Thankful for the Attention

Frank Visco — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:14:00 GMT

Thanksgiving is upon us, and so it made sense to me to write about something I'm thankful for this week. No, I'm not talking about good health and good fortune, nor am I referring to my fiancé, family and friends. While I'm thankful for all of those things...(read more)

Hearing Aid Burglary Has Happy Ending

Frank Visco — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:46:00 GMT

After news reports showed the local community reaching out to help, a conscience-riddled burglar who stole two hearing aids belonging to 11-year-old Haley Osmond of Edmonton, Canada, anonymously returned one of them Monday. "Shows that this guy at least...(read more)

Two Negatives Make a Positive

Frank Visco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:18:00 GMT

Recent research from the University of Rochester Medical Center has shown that crossing a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing results in a strain of mice who have "golden ears"-meaning they retain great hearing, despite the onset...(read more)

HIV and Hearing Loss

Frank Visco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:09:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are beginning a five-year study on the strength of a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that will compare the hearing of people with HIV/AIDS...(read more)

Benefits of Office Help

Frank Visco — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:34:00 GMT

Although the country is still in the midst of a major economic crunch, it's important not to overlook/undervalue the importance of quality office help. Yes, having that extra employee can be a financial strain on an audiology practice's bottom line, but...(read more)

The Sound of Silence

Frank Visco — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:27:00 GMT

I just became aware of From Silence to Sound , a documentary that tells the story of the first recipient of a bilateral cochlear implant in Oklahoma. The film is slated to play at the New York International Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, and...(read more)

Fun with the Cochlear Cartoon

Frank Visco — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Over the course of the last two weeks, I've blogged about some pretty political stuff, offering up lengthy opinion pieces on government volume control and acoustic warfare. This week, I thought I'd take a lighter approach and focus on something a bit...(read more)

Are LRADs Really Necessary?

Frank Visco — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:14:00 GMT

Is it OK for police forces to use acoustic warfare to disperse unruly crowds and political protestors? That's the question I'm currently pondering, as I'm sure are many in the hearing industry (and, to be honest, the entire country) after the events that...(read more)

Debating Volume Control and Healthcare

Frank Visco — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:44:00 GMT

Here in the U.S., a great deal of talk is swirling about government-regulated healthcare. Over in Europe, they've already got a universal healthcare option, so they're focusing on something else-regulating volume levels on MP3 players. The European Union...(read more)

House Passes Legislation to Reduce Classroom Noise

Frank Visco — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:25:00 GMT

A bill has passed in the House of Representatives that, if approved, will reduce exposure to noise in classrooms and improve acoustics, according to a news brief posted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The bill (H.R. 3221) focuses...(read more)

Passionate Responses Support 4S

Frank Visco — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:39:00 GMT

As some of you may know, every blog and article on the ADVANCE for Audiologists Web site allows readers to give feedback through comment sections. We launch a new top story on our Web site every two weeks as part of our Web update, and it's usually good...(read more)

Politics Aside, Army Aces Hearing Health

Frank Visco — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:15:00 GMT

Audiology has a long history with the U.S. Army and modern warfare. According to the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), "Audiology was born out of the armed forces rehabilitation programs during and following World War II." 1 All these years later,...(read more)

Loud Shirt Day: A Crazy-Sounding Holiday Worth Supporting

Frank Visco — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:32:00 GMT

Peculiar People Day... Lost Sock Memorial Day... Smile Power Day... Winnie the Pooh Day. If you didn't already know (don't feel bad if not; I didn't), these are all celebrated holidays. They obviously aren't in the same league as a Christmas or Thanksgiving,...(read more)

Practices Could Benefit From Getting in Tune With Musicians

Frank Visco — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:26:00 GMT

It's no secret that hearing loss is a major problem for musicians. The lifestyle of a musician--constant concerts, endless recording sessions, and so forth--puts significant stress on the ears, packing multiple lifetimes' worth of sound into small periods...(read more)

Deaf411 Reports on “Deaf-Friendly” Cities in the U.S.

Frank Visco — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Deaf411, a deaf marketing and public relations company, recently completed the "Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S." project, which lists 20 cities culled from four regions throughout the country. A full report of the results from the 15-month survey is...(read more)