Volume 25 Issue 3

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 25, Issue 3
October 15, 2005

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Table of Contents
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- Article 1: Hearing Loss in Older Adults May Compromise Cognitive Resources for Memory

- Article 2: The Origins of Regenerated Hair Cells - Part 3

- Article 3: Closed Captioning Comments Due!

- Article 4: Hearing Aid Comes Out of the Closet

Our advertisers make it possible for us to provide HOH-LD-News as a free service. Please let them know you appreciate their support, and please mention that you saw their message in HOH-LD-News.

- Advertisers in this Issue
First Premium Placement: New Specials at Harris Communications
Second Premium Placement: Hearing Loss Network: Serving Southern California
Third Premium Placement: IHHD Online Educational Opportunities
Classified Section: One Senior Living Availability,one College Psychology Program, and several Employment Opportunities

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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New Specials at Harris Communications
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Harris Communications has great savings for you! For a limited time only, receive a 10% discount on all of our assistive devices (some product restrictions apply). Now is the time to pick up that new clock, signaler or tty. If you order now, you receive FREE shipping on orders of $50 or more*. Hurry, this offer expires October 23th.

* Free shipping only available for UPS ground shipments within the Continental US.

For more information go to http://www.harriscomm.com/link/?www.harriscomm.com?sr=hlw or contact us at mailto:info@harriscomm.com

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- Article 1: Hearing Loss in Older Adults May Compromise Cognitive Resources for Memory
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Editor: Scientists have known for a long time that people with hearing loss take longer to process a spoken message, and they believe that part of the reason for this is that they are spending so much energy just on the listening task. Now scientists at Brandeis University believe that this extra effort may also impair an older person's ability to remember what was said.

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Waltham, Mass. -- In a new study, Brandeis University researchers conclude that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss may expend so much cognitive energy on hearing accurately that their ability to remember spoken language suffers as a result.

The study, published in the latest issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, showed that even when older adults could hear words well enough to repeat them, their ability to memorize and remember these words was poorer in comparison to other individuals of the same age with good hearing.

"There are subtle effects of hearing loss on memory and cognitive function in older adults," said lead author Arthur Wingfield, Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neuroscience at the Volen National Center for Complex Systems at Brandeis University. "The effect of expending extra effort comprehending words means there are fewer cognitive resources for higher level comprehension."

"This extra effort in the initial stages of speech perception uses processing resources that would otherwise be available for downstream operations, such as encoding the material in memory or performing higher-level comprehension operations," explained co-authors Patricia A. Tun and Sandra L. McCoy.

A group of older adults with good hearing and a group with mild-to-moderate hearing loss participated in the study. Each participant listened to a fifteen-word list and was asked to remember only the last three words. All words were delivered at the same volume. Both groups showed excellent recall for the final word, but the hearing-loss group displayed poorer recall of the two words preceding it.

Because both groups could correctly report the final word, it was reasoned that the hearing-loss group's failure to remember the other two words was not a result of their inability to hear/correctly identify them. The authors interpret this as a demonstration of the effortfulness principle-- the increased effort required detracted from the cognitive processes of memorizing these words.

"This study is a wake-up call to anyone who works with older people, including health care professionals, to be especially sensitive to how hearing loss can affect cognitive function," said Dr. Wingfield.

He suggested that individuals who interact with older people with some hearing loss could modify how they speak by speaking clearly and pausing after clauses, or chunks of meaning, not necessarily slowing down speech dramatically.

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Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the American Psychological Society, presents the latest advances in theory and research in psychology. This important and timely journal contains concise reviews spanning all of scientific psychology and its applications.

The American Psychological Society represents psychologists advocating science-based research in the public's interest. www.psychologicalscience.org

Over the last 15 years Dr. Wingfield and Dr. Tun have carried out extensive programs of research, funded by National Institute on Aging, studying effects of aging on speech processing and memory for spoken language. More recently they have focused on effects of mild to moderate hearing loss, and how sensory changes interact with comprehension and memory for speech in younger and older adults.

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Hearing Loss Network: Serving Southern California
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Looking for hearing loss help in Southern California?

Hearing Loss Network is here to meet your needs. We provide coping and communications workshops, computer classes, a speakers bureau, an advisors bureau, and community outreach. And let us know if there's a needed service that isn't being provided. We'll see what we can do to help!

Email info@hearinglossnetwork.org or
visit us at www.hearinglossnetwork.org

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- Article 2: The Origins of Regenerated Hair Cells - Part 3
by Cheryl Heppner
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Editor: The 2005 SHHH Convention's 12th Annual Research Symposium was on the Origins of Regenerated Hair Cells. Those who are following this research know that scientists are making substantial progress towards the day when they'll be able to regrow hair cells in humans; they also know that day is stills a ways off.

Here's Cheryl's report on this very interesting symposium. If you'd like to share this article, please be sure to credit NVRC. (See credit at the end of the article.)

This is Part 3 of 3 parts.

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Development of the Cochlear Sensory Epithelium:
A Crucial Role For Cell-Cell Communication
Dr. Matthew W. Kelley
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,
National Institutes of Health

- There are many cause of hearing loss, but in most cases it's due to the loss of specialized hair cells. Supporting cells are also important in hearing for "potassium recycling."

- People who have mutations in genes that are only turned on in hair cells are hard of hearing or deaf. People with mutations in genes that are only turned on in support cells are also hard of hearing or deaf.

- To restore hearing requires the replacement of both hair cells and support cells. We must discover the instructions required to make the hair cells and support cells, which exist in the form of genes located in every cell.

- Every cell has a nucleus. Inside the nucleus are chromosomes made up of DNA strands. Parts of these strands make up genes.

- Genes that make hair cells have criteria, such as turning on other genes or turning on very early in the form of hair cells.

- Atoh1 is the gene that meets all the criteria. Studies in animals have shown that without Atoh1, animals can't make hair cells.

- In the lab, scientists have used gene transfer to put Atoh1 closer to the cochlea. The cells seem to be hair cells.

- Atoh1 seems to be a very important gene. Earlier this year in a University of Michigan study by Dr. Yeohash Raphael, gene therapy was used to introduce Atoh1 in guinea pigs deafened by chemicals. This has given promising results so far, as some animals had improved hearing.

- So what about the supporting cells? Every hair cell is supported by a surrounding circle of supporting cells. It looks like the hair cells will go ahead and make the supporting cells, so we may not need to find a gene for supporting cells.

- It may be possible to use this approach to restore hearing, using gene transfer of Atoh1 to trick or coerce the development of missing cells.

Q: How can I be a human guinea pig for this experiment?
A: Dr. Raphael will be the one to move forward with that.

Q: Would a potassium deficiency be responsible for the loss of hair cells?
A: Probably not, because a potassium deficiency would cause the loss of many other functions before affecting hearing.

Q: How do you do the gene transfer?
A: An electric charge is applied and little copies of Atoh1 are made. The electrical shock seems to stimulate them. Dr. Raphael uses a modified form of a virus.

Q: Will people who have a cochlear implant be candidates for this?
A: This is best answered by a surgeon, but being less of a candidate might be a concern for those considering bilateral implants.

Identifying Hair Cell Precursors
Dr. Neil Segil
House Ear Institute and Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

- Losing hair cells can happen through a lot of circumstances such as loud music, chemicals, antibiotics, and chemotherapy.

- When hair cells are lost, supporting cells will come up and surround them.

- The problem with regeneration is that it doesn't happen in humans and warm-blooded animals in general.

- Options for regeneration are:
1. To stimulate existing stem cells with progenitors (healing from within)
2. To transplant using stem cells or progenitors -- if we could figure out what the cells and progenitors look like.

- In birds and lizards, when the hair cells die, remaining hair cells grow new ones. Why can't mammals regenerate? The hair cells in our ears don't divide. Scientists are trying to learn why -- do they lack the capacity, are they missing a signal, or are they not there?

- They decided to go back to the embryo stage to see if there are clues that would answer these questions. They looked at how cells know when to stop dividing in an embryo. Every cell, in dividing, has to go through a complicated process where a lot can go wrong. Studies were done with two groups of cells that inhibit or stop cells from dividing.

- They looked at mouse embryos as an ear was forming and found that cells stopped dividing at a very specific time. They now think that a protein called p27(Kip1) controls that and tells them when to stop.

- If you take p27(Kip1) from a mouse, you get an abnormal inner ear with overproduction of hair and support cells. They still stop dividing after one or two more divisions but the effect is still that it's disorganized.

- This seems to indicate that there is a mechanical function involved in deafness. This is a caution for us in hair cell regeneration; it may not be enough in trying to restore hearing if we just get them to come back.

- Prior to these studies, we didn't know if the supporting cells retained the ability to divide, differentiate, etc. Using fluorescent light to isolate it, p27(Kip1) was collected. The cells were from a mouse that had just been born, and these cells were still developing. This procedure showed that the cells were in fact turning into hair cells. Now studies need to be done to see if the same result can be obtained in older animals.

Q: Is any research being done on human fetuses or embryos?
A: This research is still in an early stage. At some point this will be needed, if results continue to be promising.

Q: Is there any sign of differences in non-mammalian hair cell structure?
A: There are many significant ones. Mammal cells are much more derived and have more differentiation and structure.

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(c)2005 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), www.nvrc.org. When sharing this information, please ensure credit is given to NVRC.

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You're Career Oriented... Career Driven...and Hard of Hearing or Deaf
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The Institute for Persons Who Are Hard of Hearing or Deaf (IHHD) is a nonprofit Congressionally-funded agency dedicated to facilitating workplace and career advancement for aspiring professionals like you.

IHHD provides important online educational opportunities to share experiences, access top professional leaders, and develop crucial communication and business skills. Choose from a number of programs that cover all aspects of career growth - from starting a business to leadership and advocacy development.

These month-long courses are delivered online using National University's acclaimed state-of-the-art interactive learning system to provide optimal accessibility. Visit: http://cha.nu.edu/ec/formihhd-careerdev.html?ypd002
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- Article 3: Closed Captioning Comments Due!
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Most of us have been thrilled over the past few years to see the quantity of captioned television programming steadily increase. It'll increase again in January, when captioning will be required for 100% of new television programming (with some exemptions and exceptions).

Now, what are your thoughts on the QUALITY of captioning? Has it kept pace as the quantity of captioning has increased? Are you still missing the last 10 minutes of your favorite show, because the captioning just stops? Or do you miss some content because the captions just don't make any sense?

Just what is the law regarding captioning quality?

I have been unable to find any captioning quality requirements. From what I can tell, a television station is in compliance as long as there is SOMETHING showing up where the captions are supposed to be. You may be willing to trust the future of television captioning to the good will of the providers, but I'm not! That's why I just filed a comment with the FCC on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Caption Quality. This NPRM was jointly filed by several hearing loss organizations including SHHH, ALDA, TDI, DHHCAN, and NAD, and it requires programming providers to maintain minimum quality standards.

The best part is that you can file your comment in about five minutes (maybe ten if you're a slow typist). Point your browser to http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/websql/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.hts
?ws_mode=proc_name&proc_id=05-231 and type away. (If the URL appears on multiple lines, or if you just like shorter URLs, you can use this one: http://makeashorterlink.com/?V25D452FB)

Please use one of them ;-)

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- Article 4: Hearing Aid Comes Out of the Closet
by Jan Roberts
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Editor: We've been hearing for a while that the increasing incidence of hearing loss among people of all ages will soon make hearing loss more acceptable throughout our society, and that this trend will be particularly pronounced among younger folks. We may have evidence of the beginning of that trend!

Read what Jan Roberts has to say, and see if you agree! This story originally appeared in "The Californian" and is reprinted with the author's permission.

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It's been almost a year now since I began a new practice in my life and I'm coming out of the closet.

Gotcha! You probably thought I was going to write about something controversial. Not me.

Actually, the term "closet" indicates any identity or affiliation that a person keeps secret.

Although I have been living with a secret, I am sure that some folks have picked up on it just by looking closely at me.

Last year around this time I started working at a new location. It's my 10th year of teaching, but last fall I started working in the largest classroom I have ever been in. Although I have compensated for my weakness for years, my new environment motivated me to take action.

I got a hearing aid.

So what's the big deal, you may ask. The thing of it is, none of us likes to have weaknesses and I have been living with mine for years. An audiologist recommended a hearing device ages ago, but my mind told me that hearing aids were for "old" folks, not for someone "young" like me.

Through the years, I would clip out ads and make false promises to myself about taking care of "the problem." However, it wasn't until my new device, with a mini-computer chip installed, came about that I finally made the leap.

Let me tell you, it was a difficult process for me. At first, all I heard was background noise, or the amplified sound of me taking each step. In the classroom, it seemed I heard students in the back of the class tapping their pencils more than I could hear their voices.

I wore it at my extended family's Christmas dinner and I heard lots of utensils hitting against plates. It seemed that the "other noises" were much more predominant than the voices I so wanted to hear better. Thus, my new expensive purchase seemed not at all what I thought it would be. And my audiologist wanted me to get two? Yikes!

After several "reprogrammings," I was finally able to hear more conversation than background sounds. In fact, one day I was at a department store and heard an entire conversation between two people several feet away. I was amazed.

To this day, I have only told a few close friends of my endeavor. And, I still take my little microchip out of my ear at the end of a workday, though I was told it was best to keep it in from morning until bedtime. To me, it is still a learning process.

And I learned last week that when I forget to put it in I miss out on something. I forgot it on Monday and I was sorry I did. I was back to compensating.

No, it is not perfect, my one hearing device, but it has made an improvement in my life. And, as both a teacher and a student of life, I am one who is all for improvement.

Jan Roberts writes about ideas, people and events of interest in Southwest County. She can be reached at mizjan@adelphia.net.

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- Classifieds
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One Senior Living Availability, one College Psychology Program, and several Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

Water Tower View Senior Housing Applications Available
Greenfield, Wisconsin

Ph.D and Specialist Psychology Programs
Gallaudet University
Washington DC

Job Opportunities at GLAD
Various Positions
Various Southern California Locations

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Water Tower View Senior Housing Applications Available
Greenfield, Wisconsin
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Water Tower View senior housing for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind is welcoming applications. This senior housing has been designed with a variety of amenities and is sponsored and supported by the Southeastern Wisconsin Deaf Senior Citizens, Inc. Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. is the developer.

Applicants for this affordable housing must meet certain qualifications, specifically:

- At least one member of the household must be a minimum of 55 years of age
- The household income must not exceed the limit set by the IRS Section 42 tax credit program
- The household must be able to show a good credit rating

Location:
3983 S. Prairie Hill Lane,
Greenfield, Wisconsin
(87th & Howard Avenue in Woodland Ridge)

For more information, and to order an application, please contact:
- Katie Voss at mailto:kvoss@cardinalcapital.us or call VP/TTY 888-532-4135, or
- Carol Comp at ccomp@cardinalcapital.us or call VP/TTY 888-532-4107

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Ph.D. and Specialist Psychology Programs
Gallaudet University
Washington DC
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Interested in pursuing graduate studies in psychology?

The Department of Psychology at Gallaudet University offers both an APA accredited Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology, and a NASP/NCATE accredited Specialist degree program in School Psychology, both of which include specialized training for work with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people and their families.

The Ph.D. program requires four years of coursework plus a one year full-time internship. The School Psychology program requires two years of course work and a full-time, academic year internship. Limited financial support is available. Applicants should possess a bachelor's degree in psychology, or be in the process of completing their bachelor's degree, and have either a psychology major or substantial course work in psychology. Relevant work experience is desired, though not required. Deaf and hearing applications are encouraged. For more information, contact Patrick J. Brice, Ph.D., Clinical Program Director (patrick.brice@gallaudet.edu), or Lynne Blennerhassett, Ed.D., School Psychology Program Director (lynne.blennerhassett@gallaudet.edu).

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Job Opportunities at GLAD
Various Positions
Various Southern California Locations
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GLAD is an Affirmative Action Employer with equal opportunity for men, women and people with disabilities. For more information on the following positions, go to: www.gladinc.org. The status of all positions is: Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Full Fringe Benefits unless otherwise noted. All positions are open until filled.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT/INTERPRETER in Los Angeles
Brief summary: Under supervision of the Director of Health Education/Services, using the guidelines of the assigned scope of work provided by the California Department of Health Service's Community Challenge Grant, the Program Assistant/Interpreter will:

Work closely with the Community Health Educators on activities for GLAD's program including plan and participate in community events and educational workshops as stated in the project scope of work; Provide interpreting services for teleconferencing meetings, collaborative meetings, OFP regional meetings, FamilyPACT clinic meetings, and appointments or any other situations which may arise to facilitate communication for project staff; Make arrangements and schedule with schools, programs and clinics for project educational/prevention activities; Responsible to coordinate Deaf Youth Advocacy Presentation and Mentoring Program; Implement media including articles, publications and GLAD's website; Prepare Collaborative Alliance meeting minutes; Compile and distribute educational and promotional materials to project staff and community; Compile all documents for filing and prepare monthly progress reports; Clerical duties as well as such tasks and responsibilities as may be delegated

JOB DEVELOPER/INTERPRETER in West Covina, Pacoima
Brief summary: Employment services offered at GLAD assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals with job information, job training, job placement and accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Co-located at 5 Employment Development Department (EDD) Offices and at each local office. The programs under employment services are: Job Readiness Training, Workplace Accessibility, Job Development, Placement and Follow-up

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE in Riverside
Brief summary: Under the supervision of the Regional Center Director, the Community Advocate will assist deaf and hard of hearing consumers in the area of communication access via TTY relay, document translation, and other duties, provide advocacy in the areas of social security, education, employment, consumer affairs, and others, record statistics on a daily basis related to provision of services, counsel deaf and hard of hearing consumers with problems related to personal and family adjustments, finances, employment, food, clothing and housing, assists deaf and hard of hearing consumers with independent living skills, educate the deaf and hard of hearing community about various laws and programs benefiting and protecting the rights of deaf persons such as Department of Rehabilitation and Social Security policies and the ADA, etc., work with the Resource Advocate regarding updates of the Directory of Resources, refers consumers to community resources and other organizations, secure information and resources beneficial to the department pertaining to social security, immigration, mediation, etc. through workshops, seminars and through networking with other agencies, some typing and other light office duties as necessary, driving is required as part of the job, perform such tasks and responsibilities as may be delegated.

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- Contact Information and Disclaimers
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