Statistics show that people with a hearing loss on average are more likely to be unemployed, under employed or paid less than their hearing counterparts. However with just a little thought and consideration people with a hearing loss are productive employees.

Most people take their ears for granted. After all you were born with them and just like our eyes or mouth your hearing ability developed without you even thinking about it. Most of us never stop to consider what it would be like if our hearing stopped working.

I cannot remember hearing with two ears and now I am considering bi-lateral cochlear implantation. I wanted to know what I could expect by hearing with two ears.

A Cochlear Implant is not an alternative to a hearing aid. It is only an option if a person cannot effectively use hearing aids. It is not a high powered hearing aid and does not amplify sound. It is a serious decision, one which is taken after testing and all other avenues for hearing are explored.

There’s no need to be afraid of taking a hearing test. You won’t be poked with needles or asked to strip off your clothes! A hearing test is simple, has no risks and causes no discomfort.

You just buy a hearing aid and stick it in your ear and you can hear properly again – that’s right isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great if it was that simple, but it’s not.

At the 5th Australian National Deafness Summit in Canberra during May 2008 I was astounded to hear some of the statistics on the increase in prevelance of deafness. While the statistics I quote are for the Australian market they apply to all markets.

For those of us who have experienced late on-set deafness our lives have been turned upside down. Everything familiar has become strange because we can no longer interpret the world as we know it and we don’t know where we fit.

Travelling can pose special challenges for a deaf or hard of hearing person, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go.

Being fitted for a hearing aid is confusing. How can you avoid some of it?