The sounds of Maui

Last week I had the pleasure of going to Maui for a hearing aid business summit. My wife came along and we extended the trip so we could spend Valentines Day in Hawaii. Now that's what I call mixing business with pleasure!
Hawaii is known for its beautiful sunsets and views and this past week did not disappoint. They are spectacular.
I closely paid attention to the sounds of Maui as well. Being a Hearing Health Professional, I try to imagine what it is like for people who can't hear these sounds. What sounds am I referring to?
The sound of waves gently crashing to shore is so peaceful and relaxing. One day as my wife and I were walking along the beach, we passed a jogger who was wearing headphones. My wife said "why would anyone want to block out the sounds of nature?"
It occurred to me that the jogger, like many of us, has taken for granted the power and beauty of sounds from our natural world.
In treating hearing loss, we are mainly concerned with optimizing speech, but we also need to realize that nature provides us with some of the greatest sounds we could imagine and should be appreciated just as much.

My experience at the Hearing Innovation Expo

In early January of this year I was fortunate enough to attend the Hearing Innovation Expo in Las Vegas. It was hosted by Starkey Hearing. They are the last of the big American Hearing Aid companies and are located in Minnesota. The owner of Starkey is Bill Austin. His Starkey Foundation has given thousands of hearing aids to the less fortunate all around the world. This foundation has allowed Mr. Austin to accumulate quite an impressive list of friends and some of them flew half way around the globe to speak to our group. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic spoke and it was fascinating to hear his vision of space travel and deep ocean exploration, the two most mysterious and unexplored areas of our known universe. The closing night of the expo featured Bill Clinton. His foundation has accomplished some tremendous things such as lowering the price of aids drugs in third world countries. He and Bill Austin seem to share similar visions and have the ability to reach out and affect things on a global level.
Next time I will discuss some of the amazing products we learned about! 

My first blog

Hello everyone this is my first blog. My name is Matt Michaels and I am an Audiologist at Arcade Hearing Aid Center and American Hearing and Balance. These are both local family businesses located in beautiful Southern California. My Mother Patricia Michaels became a Hearing Aid Specialist over 25 years ago and purchased Arcade Hearing Aid Center in Santa Monica. I became an Audiologist in 1995 after training at the House Clinic and VA West Los Angeles. My brother , Keith Michaels, is also an Audiologist. Together, we have 7 Hearing Clinics and we love what we do! My plan for this blog space is to give you helpful advise and tips to help you understand what it takes to survive and thrive no matter what level of hearing impairment you or a family member/friend may have. I will try my best to make it interesting and easy to follow. It may contain some interesting facts or just me sharing an experience I have had. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy and welcome to Hear here and everywhere! Matt