Hearing Center of LI -May 2018

Hearing Center of LI -May 2018

(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com

May 2018

‘Her Way’ Long Island Sound How My Mother Constantly Inspires and Encourages Me

Like many people, I have my mother to thank for most of what I have accomplished in life. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to honor her. Whatever I have accomplished in my life has been based largely on the basic life lessons she taught me and the encouragement she gave me. Though I think she is a little bashful about appearing in a newsletter, I hope she will forgive me for extolling her virtues. My mother grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. Her father was a dynamite expert in the mines, setting charges to clear the way for the machines and workers. It was a dangerous job, but he took pride in doing it well. Her mother managed the home and the household finances and took care of her and her older sister. As a child in that rural community of hardworking people, she developed a practical no-nonsense approach to life and a straightforward manner of speaking. When she was a teenager, she moved with her mom, dad, and older sister to Brooklyn. It was a big change, but she loved it. Almost immediately, she fell in love with the big city hustle and bustle. New York seemed to be teeming with so many kinds of fascinating people and there always seemed to be so much going on. It made her feel energized.

She was glad to leave behind the bucolic surroundings of that small, rural Pennsylvania town. Years later, when my father, who was originally from the Bronx, suggested vacations out to the clear-aired mountains, she would tell him she had already “been there, done that.” Robert Frost said, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” My mom always made me and my younger brother feel that our home was a place where — whether we succeeded or failed — we would not only be taken in, but supported and encouraged. That helped give me the courage to try things even if I knew I might not do well. However, she was blunt when she thought we did something wrong or did not live up to our potential. She always comforted me when I failed, praised me when I succeeded, and criticized me ruthlessly when she thought I could do better! She wanted us both to have happy, balanced lives. She would often tell me to take a break from studying and go play with my friends — or tell my brother to stop playing with his friends and go study. When I first decided I wanted to be an audiologist and pursue my dream of helping people live more fulfilling lives by overcoming the challenges of hearing loss, my mom had no idea what an audiologist was. Still, she

Dr. Larry with his mom on his wedding day

encouraged me to pursue my dream and to keep at it. Today, we often chat about whatever new biography she has been reading. One of her favorites was about Frank Sinatra. Back in the ’40s, she was fortunate enough to see him perform at the Paramount Theatre in Manhattan. Maybe I got my appreciation of music from her. I definitely think she identifies with Sinatra’s classic song “My Way,” and with good reason. Throughout her life, she has carved out her own path with confidence. It is impossible for me to express the value of what I have learned by watching her fierce, dauntless spirit, coupled with her unshakable kindness and compassion. I am endlessly grateful for all that she has given me.

–Lawrence Cardano, Au.D.

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3 Megacelebrities Who Overcame Hearing Difficulty Pushing Past Hearing Loss

It’s no secret that hearing loss can drastically diminish a person’s quality of life. As we begin to lose our hearing, communication with loved ones becomes difficult, ordinary social events turn overwhelming, and we may retreat into ourselves with frustration. But with proper treatment, hearing difficulty doesn’t have to rule your life. Just look at these celebrities who overcame hearing loss to achieve incredible things! Whoopi Goldberg In her younger years, Goldberg loved to listen to loud music. Perhaps her love for blasting tunes was a precursor to her becoming one of a select few to achieve EGOT status — winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony — but it was also the reason she began to suffer from severe hearing loss fairly early in life. Though it clearly hasn’t stopped her

from succeeding, she warns others to “stop [hearing loss] in its tracks.” Stephen Colbert This award-winning talk show host and biting political satirist was diagnosed with a tumor in his right ear as a child. This led to surgery, which left him without an eardrum. “Oh I had something wrong with something in my ear, so they scooped it out with a melon baller,” he joked on Letterman. That hasn’t stopped his steady rise of fame over the last 10 years, eventually taking over Letterman’s job after he retired from “Late Night.” Halle Berry One in three women have experienced domestic violence at the hands of a partner in the United States. A victim of domestic violence some 20 years ago, Oscar winner Halle Berry lost 80 percent

of her hearing in her left ear when an abusive boyfriend struck her repeatedly. She didn’t let that stop her from becoming one of the highest-grossing actresses in Hollywood. Today, she is a regular spokeswoman for domestic abuse victims and uses her story to encourage others to stand up against violence, before it’s too late. Hearing loss is difficult, but there’s no need to let it dictate your success or happiness. Seek treatment today to discover the ways you can overcome hearing dysfunction and reclaim your life.

What Our Patients Are Saying

“I need to hear well in my work as an attorney. It is also important for me to hear well when I am with my family and in social situations. Unfortunately, my hearing aids were not originally dispensed and fit at Hearing Center of Long Island. After I was fit with them, I had a number of difficulties that were not resolved. The difficulty I had hearing on the phone, at work, and with my family, even while wearing my hearing aids, was very frustrating.

Fortunately, I found Hearing Center of Long Island. The

Dr. Larry poses with Mr. Mendelson, Esq.

staff was very friendly, accommodating, and

professional. The doctors at Hearing Center of Long Island took the time to understand my difficulties and analyze the cause of my them. Then they used their expertise to solve my problems. They significantly improved my hearing and quality of life — all while working with the hearing aids I already had.

My thanks to Dr. Cardano and the staff at Hearing Center of Long Island for all you have done for me. I would enthusiastically recommend Hearing Center of Long Island to anyone coping with hearing difficulty.”

-Norman Mendelson, Lynbrook, NY

2 • We’re listening to you.

Are My Hearing Aids Doing What They Should Be Doing for Me?

The Third Step to Excellent Hearing Treatment Ensuring Optimum Hearing Aid amplification targets are actually being achieved by using special

Performance In the most recent issues of Long Island Sound, we have been breaking down the six-step process we use at Hearing Center of Long Island to ensure long-term hearing satisfaction, as covered in Dr. Larry’s book “Better Hearing With or Without Hearing Aids.” This month we will cover the third step: Verification of Hearing Aid Performance. This is the step that answers the question “Are my hearing aids doing what they should be doing for me?” Hitting the Targets One of the primary goals of any hearing aid fitting is to make soft sounds audible, medium- volume sounds comfortable, and loud sounds loud (but not too loud). Depending on your level of hearing loss, there are targets for the amount of amplification your hearing instruments need to provide for soft, medium, and loud sounds. These targets vary across the range of frequencies.

instruments and techniques. One of these measurements is called “speech mapping.” With this technique, we use recorded speech, calibrated and simulated speech-like sound, or live speech to test hearing aids while the patient is wearing them. We then compare the results to the “target” amount of amplification for different frequencies and different loudness inputs. This is a vitally important process for ensuring best results. It is often the only way to determine the reason for complaints about hearing aid performance. It is the most accurate way to determine adjustments that need to be made to ensure best results. Unfortunately, several studies have suggested that more than half of hearing aid providers are not conducting these measurements routinely. The latest state-of-the-art hearing aids we use have a multitude of adjustable features and settings. For best results, they require careful calibration by a

professional with up-to-date technical knowledge and skill, years of practical experience, and an understanding of your listening habits, preferences, and needs. That’s exactly what you will get at Hearing Center of Long Island. If you are curious about what the latest hearing aid technology and techniques can do to transform your life, call us at (516) 874-3675 for a free consultation and demonstration — and take the next step toward better communication.

At Hearing Center of Long Island, we always measure whether these

On Listening

Word Search

M D R Q C K R E H T O M C Y Y V W B E I Y N X F N T U A R T M M B P W I H B U H L L L A I D X C S H O W E R S I I I M S Y Y Y S Z H L Q T S B P L E M J A N H E G Q F T Z V G Z S Z M U Y T A O M E Q S I X S O K S V O U I V N I B P Z B L R U W F Q K L H H A P R H Z R U M E V B L B G E C V I Z S I Q C U S V Y E E Y A F N R X B A C N Z G V N S D B R G D E I D G C W Z V H O B H D I U K G D G A T Z D I F T O B F N I E J E E A D G C T M V T Y S G V U U

Listen to your mother!

FLOWER HEARING LILAC LISTEN MAY MOTHER ROSEMARY SHOWERS SPRING SUNSHINE

The Sound of Laughter My mother told me a million times not to exaggerate.

FLOWER HEARING LILAC

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46 Rockaway Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11580 (516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com

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INSIDE This Issue

Page 1 One of Dr. Larry’s Biggest Cheerleaders Page 2 What Do You and Halle Berry Have in Common? Hear From Our Patients Page 3 Make the Most of Your Hearing Aids Word Search On Listening The Sound of Laughter Page 4 3 of the Most Formidable Moms in History 4 • We’re listening to you. Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) Before she escaped from New York slaveholder John Dumont, Sojourner Truth had at least three of her children sold away from her. When Dumont went back on his promise to emancipate Truth and her infant daughter in 1826, she took the girl and fled to an abolitionist Quaker family, but she was forced to leave her Moms make the world go round. After running the gauntlet of childbirth, they raise and guide us throughout our lives, shouldering the tremendous burden and responsibility of motherhood. Mothers are in turn formidable, kind, powerful, gentle, wise, fierce, patient, supportive, empathetic, driven, and full of love. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are three historic moms who never stopped fighting for what they believed in. 3 of History’s Bravest Moms Mothers Shape the World

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Irena Sendler

Sojourner Truth

Emmeline Pankhurst

other daughter and her 5-year-old son, Peter, behind. Soon after, she learned that Peter had been illegally sold by Dumont to a slaveholder in Alabama, so she went to court and secured his safe return. It was the first successful case brought by a black woman against a white man in American history. Truth went on to become a prominent abolitionist and a speaker for women’s rights, delivering her famous impromptu speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in May of 1851. Irena Sendler (1910–2008) When the Nazis invaded Warsaw in September of 1939, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old social worker and mother of two, hatched a scheme to rescue Jewish children from the brutal ghettos. Along with many friends and colleagues, she smuggled out nearly 2,500 Jewish

orphans, hiding infants on trams and garbage wagons and guiding kids through a labyrinth of secret passageways beneath the city. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) Despite being a wife and the mother of five children — two of whom died tragically young — Emmeline Pankhurst became one of the fiercest advocates for women’s suffrage in the late 19th century. After founding the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903, she and her cohorts adopted an aggressive strategy to raise awareness for the issue; they began by buttonholing politicians and staging rallies, then progressed to vandalism, window smashing, and arson. She was instrumental in the movement. Pankhurst lived to see women gain the right to vote in 1928.

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