(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
February 2018
Long Island Sound
A Valentine’s Pizza
Dr. Larry making his Valentine’s Day pizza
Dr. Larry’s Annual Tradition
to do, although this was much more fun then any class I ever took.
When I first met my wife, it was clear to me that she was unique. For one thing, she had studied karate and was seriously into kung-fu. For another, she loved science and was studying engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. While these interests were fascinating to a guy like me, they also displayed a level of focus and dedication I admired. At the church youth group where we originally met as college kids, I was intrigued from the start. I made it a priority to find out more about her. Of course, that meant that I needed to do some serious listening — something I would learn a lot more about later in my career. Sometimes, this led me to unusual approaches. She likes to remind me of one of our first dates at a park, when I showed up with clipboard and pen in hand, ready to ask her a list of questions I prepared. Call it a result of my academic training in psychology – or just my enthusiasm. When she saw me with that clipboard, she started chuckling, but to her credit, she answered all my questions thoughtfully and as clearly and with good humor. Then she asked me some questions of her own. I took careful notes, as my academic training taught me ENTER TO WIN $10 Visa Gift Card Find the misspelled word in this newsletter and CALL 1.888.700.0633 Or e-mail info@ hearingcenterofli.com
With each new layer of her personality revealed, she reinforced and deepened my understanding of those qualities that had piqued my curiosity at the beginning of our relationship. She was indeed a woman of focus and dedication, passionate and driven to accomplish anything — even if it was difficult or if she did not succeed at first. Her spirituality and her humor impressed me. And, to my surprise, she seemed to care about what I had to say and offer. Before long I was writing her songs that I played for her on the guitar, and she was teaching me kung-fu. Since she was so much better at kung-fu than me that I used to joke that I needed her around for protection. Now, every Valentine’s Day, we make a homemade pizza together from scratch, a tradition that’s been running for almost 10 years. It’s a fun, delicious way to celebrate our relationship. The whole time, we try to accommodate one another. She is a mechanical engineer so I suppose it is not surprising that she starts the process by making an itemized list of everything we need, calculated down to the smallest unit, optimizing for balance of taste and color and how it will fit on the pie. Whereas I, more of the creative type, may throw toppings on as the feeling inspires me, trying to make it good by instinct. We negotiate with each other about which toppings we will
use. She may let me include mushrooms that she doesn’t like much, and I may give in and let her include the anchovies I would rather not have, but that she loves. I trust her when she tells me how long the whole wheat dough needs to rise, and she trusts me to say when it is time to take the pie out of the oven. We never make the same pizza twice. Each year we try new things to keep it interesting and vibrant. In the end, the pizza always turns out delicious. It is deeply gratifying to reap the rewards of something you’ve worked hard to build together — by listening to each other — just like our relationship. I cannot imagine having anybody else by my side throughout my life. My wife not only allows me to be myself, but makes me a better man.
We’re listening to you.®
–Lawrence Cardano, Au.D.
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Invest in Your Grandchild’s Education
Are 529 Plans Right for You?
Prepaid Tuition Plans States and some private institutions have 529 plans available that let you pay for your grandchild’s tuition up front, well before they are ready to head off to college. Some plans guarantee to cover a set amount of future tuition expenses in exchange for a lump sum or payment plan. Other plans allow you to buy “units” or “credits,” which translate to a fixed percentage of an institution’s tuition. Essentially, you pay the cost of tuition today rather than what it will cost by the time your grandchild goes to college. Prepaid plans are far less risky than savings plans, but they aren’t as flexible. They often limit your beneficiary’s options to state schools or select institutions. Though, most plans offer some form of reimbursement option if they decide to attend other schools.
for. Before you commit yourself to one of these paths, it’s worth exploring a third option: 529 saving plans. 529 plans are income tax-free savings plans specially designed to help you invest in a child’s higher education. In general, these are treated favorably by financial aid assessors, meaning you won’t hurt your grandchild’s chances of receiving government grants. There are two broad types of 529 plans: college savings plans and prepaid tuition plans. Savings Plans College savings plans use one or more investment portfolios to grow your grandchild’s tuition fund. Each portfolio contains a diversified mix of investments curated by the plan’s money manager. Most plans allow you to select from a menu of portfolio options that best fit your goals and risk tolerance. Many college savings plans start aggressive and then become more conservative as your beneficiary approaches college age. The downside with these sorts of plans is that there will always be risk involved; there’s no guarantee on investment returns.
There are many strategies out there for folks who want to invest in their grandchildren’s education. Different options may be more attractive than others depending on your income bracket and the needs of your family. Traditional strategies, like life insurance policies or paying for your grandchild’s schooling directly, only work if you have the capital. Furthermore, those methods can often negatively impact how much financial aid your grandchild qualifies
College just isn’t as affordable as it used to be. Knowing your options and finding a savings strategy early in your grandchild’s life can help ensure the avenues of higher education stay open for them. What Our Patients Are Saying
Before coming to the Hearing Center of Long Island, I had significant hearing loss. It was frustrating. From my very first appointment, the staff and reception desk were very friendly and welcoming. The doctors at Hearing Center of Long Island are wonderful. Dr. Jennifer Lazzaro was very sweet and genuinely concerned about my hearing situation. Dr. Lorraine Rein was very pleasant and answered all of my questions. She helped me adjust to my new hearing aids easily.
My hearing aids arrived quickly and wearing them ever since has changed my life. I am able to hear things I couldn’t before! They are comfortable and have helped me tremendously. Thank you! -Jo-Ann Lakatos Lynbrook, NY
Dr. Lorraine Rein and Jo-Ann
2 • We’re listening to you.
The 6 Steps to Hearing Satisfaction
6. Post-Fitting Care (How can you be sure to get long-term hearing satisfaction?) At Hearing Center of Long Island, we continually update our implementation of these steps based on the latest research, combined with years of experience helping real people deal with real hearing difficulty. Like any tool, hearing aids must be properly selected, used, adjusted, and maintained to work effectively. That’s the task of your hearing care professional — and the reason these steps are so important. Over the next few months, we’ll break down each step one at a time right here in the newsletter. That way, you can fully understand what goes into a truly positive hearing aid experience and ensure you experience the wide range of benefits that come with properly addressing your hearing difficulty.
When anyone first receives a recommendation to use hearing aids, they almost always ask one of a few typical questions. “How much will they cost?” or “How will they look?” are two that I hear often. However, in my experience, very few candidates for hearing aids ever ask their audiologist the most basic and important question of all: “What are you going to do to ensure I get the best possible results with the most appropriate hearing aids for me?” When answering this question, your hearing care professional should be breaking their answer down into the following six separate steps. These are the six steps recommended as best practice by national professional organizations such as the American Academy of Audiology. At Hearing Center of Long Island, we continually update and fine-tune our
implementation of each step based on the latest research and our experience: 1. Assessment of Needs (What do you really need to solve your hearing problems?) 2. Hearing Aid Selection (What is the most appropriate choice, from among the myriad of options, to match your highly specific needs and preferences?) 3. Verificashion of Hearing Aid Performance (Are the hearing aids really doing what they should be doing for you?) 4. Orientation and Counseling (What guidance should you get to ensure maximum benefit?) 5. Outcome Validation (Are you getting the real-world results you should be experiencing?)
Gina’s Manhattan Clam Chowder
On Listening
Ingredients
• 5–6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced • 6 bacon strips, diced • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 2 celery ribs, chopped • 1 garlic clove, minced • 2 (6-ounce) cans, minced clams • 2 cups water
“You can’t fake listening. It shows.” - Raquel Welch
Patient Care Coordinator (and chef) Gina
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
The Sound of Laughter
Instructions
1. Place the potatoes in a soup kettle or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 10–15 minutes or until tender. 2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels. Drain the grease, reserving 2 tablespoons of the drippings. In the drippings, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic until tender. 3. Drain clams, reserving the liquid. Set the clams aside. Drain the potatoes and return to the soup kettle. Add onion mixture, bacon, and reserved clam liquid. Stir in the water, tomato sauce, tomatoes, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. 4. Once it boils, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 30–35 minutes or until heated through. Add clams and parsley; simmer for 5 minutes.
Boy: Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day? Girl: Yes. February 14th.
Do you or someone you know, have a great recipe that people always ask about? Share it with us and we will place it in the newsletter! You can submit recipes at info@hearingcenterofli.com or by mail to our office. Thanks!
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INSIDE This Issue
Dr. Larry’s Valentine’s Pizza Page 1 Protect Your Grandchild’s Future What Our Patients Are Saying Page 2 6 Steps to Hearing Satisfaction On Listening The Sound of Laughter Gina’s Clam Chowder Page 3 Have You Heard of Ruby Chocolate? Page 4 Chocolate lovers, rejoice! After 80 years, a new variety of chocolate has finally graced the world: ruby chocolate. This naturally pink chocolate, created by Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut, is not milky like milk chocolate, sweet like white chocolate, or bitter like dark chocolate. Instead, Callebaut describes the flavor of his confection as a “tension between berry fruitiness and luscious smoothness.” Unfortunately, while ruby chocolate sounds like a wonderful treat, it is not yet available to consumers. So, as you wait for ruby chocolate to be stocked in your local grocery store or candy boutique, satisfy your chocolate cravings with some sweet facts about your favorite treat. Imposters! The names of certain chocolates can be very misleading. Sample These 4 • We’re listening to you.
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German chocolate cake, for example, is not named after the country of Germany. It’s actually an American dessert that was first baked in 1852, named for its creator, Sam German, and originally called “German’s chocolate cake.” White chocolate also suffers from a mistaken identity. Made primarily from cocoa butter, white chocolate does not contain any cocoa solids, which means it’s not technically chocolate. What’s in a Name? The ancient Mayans are credited as the first people to grow and consume chocolate. However, the word “chocolate” comes from the later Aztec civilization. The Aztecs loved a bitter, spicy beverage made from cacao beans called “xocoatl.” And since we’re on the topic of words, the scientific name for the tree that grows cacao beans, Theobroma cacao, is a Greek word, which
translates to “food of the gods.” This just proves cocoa connoisseurs were right all along — chocolate really is divine. A Sweet Deal Speaking of the Aztecs, their civilization loved chocolate so much that cacao seeds were used as a form of currency in Mesoamerica. During the American Revolution, chocolate was still accepted as payment, sometimes used in soldiers’ rations in lieu of wages. Even today, chocolate remains a valuable commodity. The chocolate industry is pleasures of chocolate for thousands of years. And with so many chapters of candy history left to explore, namely ruby chocolate’s eventual entrance, it’s clear the treat won’t go out of style any time soon. worth around $110 billion a year. Humans have enjoyed the sweet
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