(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
October 2017
The Necessity of Empathy Long Island Sound When it comes to health care, many patients assume that the doctors serving them have technical understanding, but many feel those doctors may not have a real appreciation of the impact the patient’s problem has on their emotions or quality of life. In some cases, they may be right. Some professionals work at solving the same problems for so long and are so focused on the technical aspects of addressing those problems that they lose sight of the unique experience of the patient in front of them. This almost always results in a disconnect between patient and doctor, leaving the patient feeling frustrated and unheard. A failure to adequately address a patient’s main concerns is often actually a failure of empathy. After years of ongoing study of audiology
I had a similar experience at one point in my academic training when my professor had us had to wear earplugs for a day, simulating the hearing loss of our patients. It was an eye-opening experience. Not only did I find myself asking others to repeat themselves — causing no small amount of annoyance to them — but I began to shorten my conversations or even avoid them altogether to avoid frustration. In the rare cases I was able to communicate, the richness of that communication was severely limited. And besides that, it was fatiguing. I had to work much harder than usual to make out what people were saying to me and fill in gaps in what I was hearing with guesses. By the end of the day, when I finally removed the earplugs, I was wiped out. It was an exhausting, emotionally taxing experience. And, unlike those afflicted with real hearing loss, I knew I could go back to normal at the end of the day. Thinking of the toll it would to have to cope with hearing difficulty on a daily basis gave me a new appreciation of those who live with this frustration. It’s easy to underestimate the negative impact hearing loss can have on a person’s life. If you break your arm, you get a cast; everyone can clearly
and working as an audiologist — and talking with other audiologists — I’ve become well acquainted with the perspective of an audiologist. But, obviously, that’s not enough. An audiologist’s assumptions about what is important to a patient may not be accurate. That is why, at Hearing Center of Long Island, we take great pains to intimately understand the point of view of those who come to us for help. For example, I recently attended a seminar focused on understanding the unique needs of the patients we serve. In one of the workshops, we put on “arthritis simulation gloves” and tried to perform some manual tasks. The “gloves” restricted movement of my fingers, similar to the way arthritis would, and applied pressure to cause pain similar to arthritis. While wearing the gloves, I found it difficult perform simple tasks, like writing and using scissors. The experience became especially frustrating when I attempted to change hearing aid batteries with the arthritis gloves on. Of course, this was just one hindrance that affects my patients every day of their lives!
Dr. Larry with “arthritis”
see your problem. But with hearing loss, you look fine on the outside. This causes people to misunderstand those with hearing loss. “Why are they not responding to me?” they might wonder. “Are they ignoring me? Are they angry with me? Are they senile?” But when you want to communicate with a person who is coping with hearing loss — or if you really want to communicate with anyone — making a real effort to truly see things from their perspective, to think of what it must be like to live with the frustrations they deal with, often leads to much better understanding and communication. That is a lesson I try never to forget. That is the difference between hearing and listening. That is what we mean when we say that, at Hearing Center of Long Island, “We’re listening to you®.”
– Lawrence Cardano, Au.D.
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4Ways YouMay Be Able to Prevent Dementia Before It Starts
According to Time Magazine, 47 million people around the world live with some type of dementia. Typically, as we age, we’re told that all we can do is hope for the best and bide our time until there’s a cure, but recent research by the Alzheimer’s Research Center paints a different picture. A set of simple lifestyle changes may be the key to staving off cognitive decline as we get older. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 50 percent, according to Help Guide, and it can even slow the onset of already- present cognitive decline. Walk or swim for about 150 minutes each week, along with two to three sessions of moderate resistance training, as well as balance and coordination exercises. Check out eldergym.com for more info on staying active as you age. Heart-healthy eating may also protect the brain. Limit your intake of sugar and
saturated fats and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Replace butter and margarine with olive or canola oil. Two diets that have been linked to heart health are the DASH diet (dashdiet. org) and the Mediterranean diet. Frequent social engagement may help keep your brain sharp. Make efforts to speak face to face with someone you’re close to as often as you can. Try to make new friends, volunteer, join a club or social group, get to know your neighbors, or connect with people over social media. Mental stimulation may also be important to brain health as we age. Study something new to you, such as a foreign language or a musical instrument. Make reading books and newspapers part of your regular routine. Try doing crossword or sudoku puzzles. It’s not difficult to find an activity you enjoy that will also help keep your brain active.
From the moment you wake up in the morning, it feels like a dense fog fills your head. When you drag yourself out of bed and go to make yourself a plate of eggs and toast, it suddenly seems like a much more complicated task than before. You lose track of time, and the smell of smoke enters your nostrils. Frantically turning the burner off, it occurs to you that you can’t remember the day of the week.
What Our Patients Are Saying
understanding and always handle my needs and concerns in a caring and professional manner. “I would highly recommend Hearing Center of Long Island to anyone who needs help with their hearing. Thank you for everything!”
Frank and Dr. Cardano
–-Frank Panariello
Elmont, New York
“It wasn’t until many years later that my own hearing difficulties brought me to Hearing Center of Long Island as a patient myself. Coping with hearing loss can be extremely stressful, but the care and support of Dr. Cardano and his staff has helped me through the years, from finding the right hearing aid for me to making the proper adjustments to give me the best possible hearing. They’ve improved my enjoyment of life. The staff and doctors at Hearing Center of Long Island are
“Hearing loss in my family goes back to my mom, who was the first in need of hearing aids. It was a blessing to come upon Dr. Cardano and Hearing Center of Long Island to help my mom get acclimated to new sounds and enjoy better hearing. His patience and guidance every step of the way made my mom so comfortable and trusting with him.
2 • We’re listening to you.
This month, we’re excited to introduce the latest addition to the Hearing Center of Long Island family: Dr. Lorraine Rein! With over 30 years of audiology experience, she’s certain to be an indispensable part of our practice and our patients’ lives. Meet Dr. Lorraine Rein, Our NewAudiologist —With aWorld of Experience!
Take a Break
Orange-Balsamic Lamb Chops
Ingredients
On Listening “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” - M. Scott Peck, M.D., author of “The Road Less Traveled” medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until vinegar is syrupy. Drizzle vinegar and remaining teaspoon oil over lamb. • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice • 8 (4-ounce) lamb rib chops, trimmed • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • Cooking spray • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, rind, and juice in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add lamb to bag; turn to coat well. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove lamb from bag and add salt and pepper. 2. Heat a large grill pan over medium- high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add lamb and cook 2 minutes each side. 3. Place vinegar in a small skillet over Instructions
Early in life, audiologist Dr. Lorraine Rein, AuD. realized that she wanted to dedicate herself to working with people and making a tangible, meaningful difference in their lives. With a passion for communication and human connection, she decided to study speech and language pathology at Hofstra University. As a class requirement, she had to observe the day-to-day of professional audiologists, working alongside them. As she puts it, “After one observation, I was hooked!” Her past positions include clinical supervisor for doctoral students and Hofstra University and chief of audiology at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Rein has also worked for the Long Island Hearing Screening Program, a nonprofit organization providing hearing screenings to preschool-age children. Now, she uses her extensive experience and sincere compassion to provide the best solutions for those coping with hearing difficulty. Dr. Rein knows better than anyone how easy it can be for her patients’ connections to their friends and loved ones to deteriorate when hearing becomes difficult, so she’s made it her personal mission to keep everyone connected. Outside of work, Dr. Rein is an avid dog rescuer, and she lives with her husband of 35 years, an expert mechanic and history buff who restores WWII military vehicles as a hobby. She’s also a loving mother. Aside from her years of work restoring communication to her patients, she says that her greatest accomplishment has been her raising “two boys who have become kind, honorable men”. Most of all, Dr. Rein is excited to meet all her new patients, learn their stories, and change their lives for the better.
Did you know that hearing loss can effect all ages? Hearing loss can be caused by many factors directly related to overall health. Sometimes medications, diet, fit- ness, or smoking can even cause you to develop hearing loss. Below is a common myth provided by Better Hearing Institute. Myth: Hearing loss affects only “old people” and is merely a sign of aging.Only 35 percent of people with hearing loss are older than age 64. The truth is there are close to six million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 44 with hearing loss, and more than one million are school age. Hearing loss affects all age groups. Everyone has hair cells located in the ear that are responsible for sending signals to your brain. Once they are damaged, they can not simply be re-grown, no matter your age. For the latest information about coping with hearing loss at any age visit Dr. Larry’s blog at http://hearingcenterofli.com/drlarrysblog/ Hearing Loss Myth Busters! Dr. Lorraine and Morgan
The Sound of Laughter
I told my psychiatrist I feel like I’m loosing my grip. He said it was probably due to the arthritis in my hands!
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INSIDE This Issue
The Necessity of Empathy Page 1
Can You Prevent Dementia Before It Starts?
What Our Patients Are Saying Page 2 Meet Dr. Lorraine Rein, Our New Audiologist! Take a Break Page 3 5 Fascinating Facts About Fall Page 4
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5 Fascinating Facts About Fall
The end of summer doesn’t have to signal an end to fun. How about sweater weather, Halloween parties, and football season? The list goes on and on. In fact, fall might be the most interesting season of them all. Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about the season. 1. It was originally called “harvest.” The reasons for that should be fairly obvious. In a world that was far more agricultural, the season was defined by the harvesting of crops. It’s also a reference to the harvest moon, which was essential to farmers during the season. The name “fall” is used almost exclusively in America. 2. Fall babies tend to be impressive. Not only does the world’s most common birthday, October 5, land in fall, but those babies have built an impressive 4 • We’re listening to you.
resume. The British Department for Education found that they tend to do better in school and also tend to live longer. 3. Weight gain is most common in the fall. It’s not only the Halloween candy or Thanksgiving turkey. Researchers believe it’s primarily caused by lower levels of vitamin D. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, we tend to get less sun. It’s another reason to be careful about diet and exercise this season. 4. Autumn is good for the economy. “Leaf peeping,” which is a slang term for fall foliage tourism, is more than just a funny name. It’s also a $3 billion industry in New England alone. So, if you thought winter and summer were the only
seasons that brought along seasonal tourism spikes, you thought wrong. 5. People fall in love more in
the fall. Men and women’s testosterone levels tend to spike in the autumn, which makes women even more attractive to men than in the summer months. A data study on Facebook also found that more people change their relationship status from “single” to “in a relationship” during the fall than any other season.
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