A Writer’s Journey to Better Hearing feat. Merry Sue Baum | Director of Communications at Audiology Services

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and his father, Dr. Gregory Delfino, Au.D., CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services in Bethlehem and Nazareth, PA. In this episode, Blaise discusses a writer’s journey to better hearing with Audiology Services director of communications Merry Sue Baum, BA.

 The Journey Begins

Ms. Baum started wearing hearing aids at age 50. The audiologist fitted her with only one hearing aid, which wasn’t very helpful. After her husband passed away, she thought that perhaps she could have his hearing aids refitted to her needs. She called a number of audiologists, but they all told her buy new ones. Audiology Services was the only audiology practice willing to refit the used hearing aids. They put new receivers on them and reprogrammed them to her specific hearing needs.

 An Expansive Career

As a writer, Ms. Baum needed to be able to hear very well. Her career was mostly as a writer at a medical university. An interview with a physician would usually only last about 15-20 minutes, since doctors are busy, and being interviewed for an article is at the bottom of their list of priorities. You get on one chance to interview a physician, so you need to be able to hear.

 On the Go

When she wore only one hearing aid and went to a concert, a play or out to dinner, Ms. Baum would take it out. “It only amplified the noise around me,” she says. “I could hear better without it. Basically it was useless in those situations,” she says. “Now with two hearing instruments that can be adjusted in various environments, my hearing is enhanced, and the background noise is reduced. It’s absolutely wonderful.”

 Moving Forward with Hearing Technology

Ms. Baum says she has always wanted to hear and was not concerned what others thought about her needing hearing instruments. She advises anyone who is suffering from a hearing loss to get hearing instruments. As an avid concert goer, she loves having her iPhone synched to her hearing aids. At a concert she can put the instruments on the music setting. That tells the microphones in the hearing aid to focus on everything around the user, which enhances the sounds of the music.

 Fitting Your Brain with Hearing Technology

Most people don’t realize that we hear with our brains, not our ears. Without hearing aids, a person with hearing loss has to struggle to hear and to understand the sounds round him/her, which fatigues the brain. People with untreated hearing loss are also at higher risk for anxiety, depression, cardiac problems, diabetes, and a host of other chronic conditions.

 All About Comfort 

The first hearing aid Ms. Baum had was a custom in-the-ear model, which she didn’t like. “It felt like I had cotton in my ear,” she says. The behind-the-ear instruments she has now are so comfortable that she forgets they are in. She has gone in the shower or to bed with them still in her ears. There is a learning curve, however, Ms. Baum says it’s well worth the time it takes to get used to wearing hearing aids. 

 Misinterpreting Speech

One of the most important things about being able to hear is to not only understanding others’ words, but al

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