One of the first things we lose as we go deaf is confidence. It is fear of rejection, because we might make a fool of ourselves which is the main cause. But there is no need to passively accept it. You can take steps to improve your confidence.

Deafness doesn’t just affect the person who is deaf. It has a profound effect upon all those people we love. Spouses particularly have to develop a level of understanding.

Recently a member of our Cochlear Implant Forum raised a couple of extremely important points, probably the crux of the issue with cochlear implants for people who identify with the Deaf community. These are a sense of community and a sense of identity.

Recently I was asked how a Cochlear Implant works. First of all if you understand how normal hearing works it might help you to understand how the cochlear implant works. (I'm not a doctor nor an audiologist, simply an implantee! so this is not a medical treatise!)

Why is there a variation between the outcomes for some Cochlear Implantess? I'm not a doctor, just a successful implantee and I get asked this question frequently. And what constitutes success?

Navigating the journey of Cochlear implantation in children is new territory for new parents. The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre held a forum to help parents understand their options if their child is found to have a hearing loss.

Hearing aids have come a long way from the analogue aids I wore. My aids were relatively bulky and either sat behind my ear or filled my ear canal leaving me with a hot stuffed feeling. But the latest hearing aids are digital and are far more powerful and adaptable than old analogue aids.

There are many reasons for deafness. Diseases or viruses during pregnancy, in childhood and later life, hereditary factors, exposure to loud noise, head injuries, ototoxic drugs, allergic reactions and aging can all be causes of deafness.

Imagine being deaf for just one day. How would you cope? What would you miss? Wouldn't you do everything you could to turn your world back on?

Surviving Christmas, Easter and other social festivities can stretch our limited hearing and cause us stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Rowena provides some of her top hints and tips to make sure you don't miss out this silly season.