Welcome to the Warren Center

The Warren Center for Communication & Learning received a $9,000 grant from the Rite Aid Foundation in support of the Regional Hearing Aid Bank (ReHAB) program. The grant has allowed the Center to provide 18 hearing aids to members of the community who could not otherwise afford them.

Gayles Rife, Foundation Administrator, wrote in the Warren Center’s grant acceptance letter that, “(Rite Aid) understand(s) how important it is to provide support to people who cannot afford hearing devices and applaud your efforts. We appreciate the opportunity to give to such a worthy cause.”
Mary Poulin, the Warren Center’s Administrative Director, reflected on the grant donation, “We are grateful to the Rite Aid Foundation for once again providing grant funding for our ReHAB program.

Their generosity will allow at least 18 people in our community to receive hearing aids, dramatically improving their quality of life. Combined with previous donation, the Rite Aid Foundation has funded a total of 56 hearing aids through the ReHAB program.”

Since its establishment in March 2002, ReHAB has provided 107 community members with refurbished or new hearing aids.

Warren Center staff has been featured on several TV and radio programs in the past several months discussing the dangers of noise exposure and hearing loss. It is a subject we feel strongly about informing everyone. We only have one set of ears, and hearing loss is irreversible, but it is avoidable.

The current popularity of MP-3 players, such as I-pods have given greater concern to the hearing damage caused by turning the volume up too high. To avoid hearing damage, consider these following tips:

--Keep the volume down. Noise close to the ear drum greater than 80dB can cause hearing loss.

--Avoid prolonged continuous listening to the systems by taking frequent breaks.

--Wear headphones that isolate the wanted music from background noise; headphones that fit over the ears are better than the ear buds that fit in one’s ears because they block background noise.

Suzanne Laidman, WABI-TV, interviews and video tapes, Dr. Amanda Somoluk about our new pediatric WIDEX hearing aids.

The Warren Center for Communications and Learning has been give more than $10,000 worth of hearing aids, which will be loaned out to child clients who are waiting for their own to be build or repaired. The Widex Corporation of Long Island, N.Y., donated the six pediatric hearing devices that will be used as loaners to replace those that are 5 or more years old, said MaryBeth Richards, program director at the center. The hearing aids will be loaned to young people who are waiting for permanent devices.

“Our goals is to have all children who are seen and in need of hearing aids at the Warren Center to have access to a loaner for the duration of the waiting time,“ Richards said. “This donation puts us further ahead in that plan.”

By Warren Center Audiologists
Dr. Amanda Samoluk, CCC-A and Dr. Kimberly Starkey, CCC-A

What are some signs and symptoms that my child may have an ear infection during the winter months?

It is very common for parents to ask "How do I know if it is a selective hearing issue or a true hearing loss?" Ear infections in small children are often hard to detect. Parents should watch if a child is turning up the TV or radio louder than normal, the child him/herself may be louder than normal. Children will often ask for repeats or say "What?" Infants and toddlers may fidget with their ears more than normal. Parents may notice a regression in speech, with the child not speaking as clearly as they had been. Schools, daycares and relatives may also help to identify a hearing issue. If you have concerns regarding your child's hearing contact your physician and ask for a hearing evaluation.

It is importrant to protect children's ears from loud noisies including toys. Some ideas are to cover the speakers with tape, buy quieter toys, or even take out the batteries.