Winter and hearing aids have a complicated relationship.

The constant switching of climates – frigid outdoors with the warm indoors – can wreak havoc on your hearing aids. The temperature shifts can cause condensation to build up in the devices’ inner workings, leading to malfunction.

Audio Help Hearing Centers in New York City, Scarsdale and Stamford offers the following suggestions for protecting your hearing aids this winter:

Charitable giving efforts are often brought to the forefront during the holiday season, but Audio Help Hearing Centers make giving back a year-long mission.

Here is a look at just several of the ways Audio Help audiologists and staff have helped the local and global communities.

Amal Art Show

On Giving Tuesday – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – Dr. Eduardo Bravo and Audio Help sponsored the Hearing the Call art initiative, which helps Syrian refugee children living with hearing loss express themselves through art. A traveling art show – Amal: When Hope Endures – was hosted at TUF Gallery in New York shared stories of survival and hope, and how art is being used to support audiology treatments and overcome traumatic experiences from growing up in war-torn countries. Remaining pieces from the Amal show will be available for purchase through December at Audio Help locations.

Previously, Dr. Bravo spent a week in Guatemala on a Hearing the Call humanitarian trip, bringing the gift of hearing to more than 300 people – many of whom were children.

“The hearing smile is something very special,” Dr. Bravo said. “To see a child’s face light up when they can hear for the very first time, you can’t even put that into words what it means to the parents and to us.”

Selecting a gift for a loved one with hearing loss this holiday season can be a bit intimidating.

The perfect gift may just be one that not only shows you care, but that you want to improve their life by making their listening experiences more enjoyable.

Audio Help in New York City offers the following gift ideas that may accomplish both for your loved one:

Now that you’ve got hearing aids and can hear everything, there’s just one problem: You can hear everything.

The presence of background noise is a big adjustment for most new hearing aid users. They’re simply not used to having to hear it. Even with modern devices’ abilities to reduce background noise, it can still be challenging to hear the intended speaker when there is other noise in the listening environment.

Even if you can hear the speaker, it can be difficult to focus on them with traffic sounds, wind blowing through the trees or other people talking. Fortunately, there are a number of technological advancements and hearing techniques you can use to hopefully yield more productive listening experiences, including:

"Drawing is a way I can express myself and feel safe when I feel lonely or sad," said Suaad, a 14-year-old Syrian refugee now living in Jordan. Her work is part of a traveling exhibit of art done by Syrian refugee children living in camps in Jordan. Suaad was orphaned when a bomb killed her entire family. 

Suaad also had hearing loss which not only makes it hard for them to learn to realize their potential, kids tend to become withdrawn. They end up being cut out of their friends, family and community. When Suaad first came to the Hearing the Call humanitarian clinic, sponsored by Dr. Ed Bravo and Audio Help Hearing Centers, Suaad was quiet and reserved. Art helped her reconnect with her world. 

On Tuesday, November 27^th, Dr. Bravo from Audio Help Hearing Centers will share the stories of these brave children. Many of these works of art were done on the back of old United Nations tent canvases.

Hear how local people are helping to support these kids as well as hearing stories of survival and hope. Learn how art is being used to support audiology treatments to overcome the results of trauma.

One of the hidden workplace hazards in many jobs is the damage that can be done to your hearing.

Most people think of physical injuries requiring immediate medical treatment when they think of workplace injuries. However, statistics show that hearing damage is actually the most common type of employment injury – with hearing loss potentially taking years to make itself known.

With October being National Audiology Awareness Month, Audio Help Hearing Centers in New York City, Scarsdale and Stamford offers the following information about job-related hearing loss and how you can protect your hearing and minimize further damage to your ears.

Audio Help Hearing Centers offers aural rehabilitation classes to help remove the stigma of hearing loss in an open, supportive environment with other individuals in similar situations.

The classes are ideal for patients who purchase new devices or individuals struggling to communicate effectively due to their hearing loss. Audio Help realizes that hearing loss can have a serious impact on one’s quality of life in different areas: personal relationships, employment, hobbies, and more.

The format allows participants to feel empowered by voicing their hopes and fears for life with hearing loss. The classes aim to accomplish this through:

Approximately five years after wireless technology first came to hearing aids, a number of devices have separated themselves from the rest of the Bluetooth pack.

Audio Help Hearing Centers in New York City and Connecticut offer a look at some of the latest technologies offered by the top hearing aid manufacturers:

Seasonal allergies can affect your ears as much as your eyes and nose, leading to pressure, tinnitus (ringing sound) and even temporary hearing loss.

The body produces antibodies as a result of exposure to allergens such as pollen, grasses, weeds, foods, drugs and other substances. The antibodies release histamine, which can cause allergic reactions such as the typical runny nose, sinus congestion and itchy eyes. It also has the potential to affect the outer, middle and inner ear.

Audio Help Hearing Centers in New York City, Scarsdale and Stamford offer the following information about how allergies can affect different parts of the ear:

Getting in a good workout can benefit more than our muscles and heart – it can also do wonders for our ears and hearing.
There are a number of exercises – both physical and mental – that can boost your hearing potential.

Cardiovascular

Everyone knows cardio exercise is good for the body, but the increased blood flow to the head can help hearing sensitivity by maintaining proper nerve function in the ears. As we age, it’s increasingly important for our bodies and ears to make aerobic fitness a priority. Aim for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, five days a week.