Ashley Milne-Tyte

Hearing loops spread across US

November 25, 2011

Listen here. Aired on NPR's All Things Considered.

I was interviewing psychology professor David Myers for a print piece back in September when he pitched me on his passion: hearing loops. Hearing or induction loops let hearing-aid wearers hear much clearer sound than usual, particularly in cacophonous settings like airports, stations, churches and synaogues. They're quite common in the UK and Scandinavia, but have been installed only in pockets of the US. Myers and other advocates are pushing to bring them to many more locations around the country. I finished this piece in mid-October, and days later this story was published in the New York Times. It's a great piece by science writer John Tierney, much commented on by those with hearing loss and their loved ones.

Photo: New York City subway booth with hearing loop visible around the inside of the glass (it's behind that white tape).

This story doesn't mention the cost of hearing aids, which is considerable. They can easily cost several thousand dollars each and are not covered by health insurance. One more thing: when people lose their hearing they lose their ability to communicate. The better they can hear, the more those with hearing loss can take part in daily life. A topic like this isn't 'sexy', as one audiologist put it, but it is important. 10% of Americans have some form of hearing loss. As baby boomers age, that number will only increase.

Family caregiving - losing our moral bearings?

July 18th, 2011

Having reported on caregiving earlier this year, I was interested to hear this NPR piece on family caregiving this morning. It looks at the issue of caring for a family member in light of AARP's new report on the monetary value of family caregiving. Many of us haven't had to think about this yet, but increasingly the Baby Boom generation is thinking about it, and in many cases already caring for ill or elderly parents. I thought the piece ended with an excellent idea - check it out to see what I mean. The main thing that struck me about this story, though, was the comments. Clearly this is a topic people feel strongly about. Some commenters seem to think society has lost its moral bearings, that voicing even one doubt or grumble about the caregiving routine shows how selfish people have become. But caregiving IS a grind for many. Caregivers are entitled to feel exhausted, depressed and angry at times. An (apparently) totally selfless attitude may have been the norm decades ago, when women, and it is largely women who do this, didn't work outside the home and were expected to perform the role of carer/nurse simply because of their sex. But for many in the 21st century life is a lot more complicated as work, family commitments and long-distance travel are thrown into the caregiving mix. I'm sure some of these commenters would have been horrified by my piece on paid family caregivers. I'm glad to have reported on such an emotional topic.

Stores revamp for older shoppers

May 10, 2011 

Listen here. Aired on NPR's Morning Edition.

I'd never thought about this until I started researching this piece: the older we get, the less fun it is to go shopping. Our joints may ache, and we have less energy to negotiate a supermarket or other big-box store. Older people are hardly a new phenomenon, but the sheer number of aging baby boomers finally has retailers thinking about how best to serve an older population. A highlight of this piece was touring a couple of stores with interior designer and gerontologist Rosemary Bakker - she helped me see the shopping experience through completely different eyes. A version of this story also aired on VOA News.

Getting paid to look after a parent

March 18, 2011

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

Most people who take care of an older relative do it for free - either because they have to, or they want to, or both. It may sound odd to even consider the idea that an older person might pay someone they love to look after them. But a growing minority of family caregivers is paid to do the job. I talked to the Fowler family in Ogallala, Nebraska for this piece - a real treat. Their payment arrangement is informal. But lawyers and the AARP advise family members to sign a so-called personal care contract to avoid running into problems with eachother - and Medicaid - later on. A slightly different version of this story also aired on VOA News.

Recession hits retirement communities

July 10, 2009

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money. 

I was talking on the phone to a lady in Maryland when she mentioned that some residents of her retirement community were strapped for cash. I then found out that in extreme cases people were having to move out of their retirement homes because they'd lost so much money in the market crash, they could no longer afford the fees. And retirement communities are feeling the pinch too: I learned what a big role the housing market has to play in their fortunes. If people can't sell their homes, they can't move into retirement housing. I went up to Connecticut to see how one large community was faring.

Home health aide goes to the Supreme Court

April 13, 2007

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace. 

Evelyn Coke, a 73-year-old lady who had worked for years as a home health aide, was heading to the Supreme Court to petition for federal minimum wage and overtime pay for aides all over the US. Rules vary depending on the state, but in many states home health aides aren't automatically entitled to either. Ultimately, Coke lost her case. More and more people are becoming home health aides. It can be a grueling job, and issues of overwork for little pay keep coming up.