What is the key of a happy life? Living it passionately, says Karen Putz, author of a new book on the topic.

“My life changed dramatically when I began focusing on bringing passion and joy into my life,” she says.

Karen, who was born with “normal” hearing, became hard-of-hearing after getting sick in elementary school and severely deaf at age 19 after tripping over a wake while barefoot water skiing.

“I spent many, many years hiding my hearing aid,” she says. “It wasn’t until I became deaf as a teen that I began to embrace a whole new different way to live.”

Can TV ever be “good” for someone?

TV often gets a reputation of being a waste of time, or a mindless activity for passive viewers, but TV can actually play an important role in one’s life – especially those with hearing loss.

Tourism Australia recently released a list the most awesome moments that can only be experienced in Australia, which makes us immediately want to go Down Under.

Featured on the list are beautiful locations and animals, but it got us thinking… how would these moments change if we couldn’t experience the sounds that go along with them?

We break down some of these awesome moments you can only have in Australia and the sounds that make them so amazing.

Are you new to having hearing loss, or know someone who was recently diagnosed with hearing loss? 

Some people are born deaf and hard-of-hearing, while others lose their hearing over time. When a person loses their hearing later on in life, communication with family and other hearing people can get challenging.

To help communication go a little bit smoother, Phonak hEARo Jessica Flores has some tips! 

He is completely deaf in one ear and has 35 percent hearing in the other, but that is not what defines Peter Westerling as a person.

He is full of creativity, life and movement. A pioneer in the digital evolution, the Swedish man also has the country’s first Internet bank on his track record.

Peter has a congenital sensorineural hearing impairment with deafness in the left ear and hearing loss in the right ear.

A video of a deaf grandmother and baby girl is winning the hearts of many, especially those raising children with sign language.

Shari Joy McMahon uploaded the video of her mom teaching her daughter, Aria, on Facebook. In the video, Grandma Pamela signs with Aria. The 9-month-old eventually starts to babble and move her little fingers.

A new study on the epidemiology of firearm and other noise exposures in the United States shows lawnmowers and guns are putting Americans at an increased risk for hearing loss.

Firearms and lawnmowers, specifically, produce deafening levels of noise, and very few users are wearing hearing protection while using these items.

A new study shows that certain forms of tinnitus – a persistent ringing or buzzing sound in the ears – may be hereditary.

Men, in particular, may be more prone to experience bilateral tinnitus because of their genetics, according to the study conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the European research network TINNET.

Even though hearing aids share the common goal of providing more access to sounds, finding the right one can be a real challenge. Differences in amplification, size, style or the way a hearing aid is worn are some of the things that need to be taken into consideration.

One of the options available is an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid. This style of hearing aid  sits inside the ear canal and is usually custom fit for the wearer.

There are three types of ITEs; the full shell, half shell and one that sits completely in the ear canal. The full shell ITE is designed to sit perfectly within the outer ear while the half shell fits within the outer part of your ear. The third type sits deep within the ear canal and is usually completely invisible.