Hearing Loss

Board OKs reading of new health policy The Washington County Board of Education on Tuesday approved 7-0 the first reading of a new policy regarding the requirements that must be in place in order for the school health staff and emergency personnel to honor "do not resuscitate" orders. Corcoran receives Golden Apple Award Washington County Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan on Tuesday gave a Golden Apple Award to Washington County Technical High School teacher Amanda Corcoran.

Michael J. and Kerri Fotta will host the first Michael Kade Fotta Golf Tournament on Friday, July 31, at Black Rock Golf Course, 20025 Mt. Aetna Road, Hagerstown. The event will be held rain or shine. Monies raised from the event will benefit The Listening Center at Johns Hopkins, which helps children with cochlear implants. The Fottas' 7-year-old son, Michael Kade, has had a cochlear implant for nearly six years. When he was 17 months old, his parents were told he had genetic progressive hearing loss.

Nothing can prepare a person for living in silence. After all, the world is filled with sound - car horns beeping, babies crying, conversations and music bouncing off the walls of a noisy restaurant. But sometimes, those sounds disappear, either gradually or suddenly, only to be replaced by frustration and social isolation. According to a study by the Archives of Internal Medicine, there are 48 million hearing-impaired Americans, over 15 percent of the population. Nearly one in six people 12 years of age and older has hearing loss in at least one ear. While there are several options for the hearing impaired, not all devices are adequate solutions, particularly for individuals who want to avoid a more invasive procedure, such as cochlear implants.

Regardless of the weather, ear health is ongoing concern for many parents. While ear infections might be more common in the winter months, they can also occur in warmer weather, or residual issues might cause problems throughout the year. Swimmer's ear is a common problem that can occur at any age.  Dr. Kirby J. Scott of Central ENT Consultants, P.C. in Hagerstown offered the following information about ear issues and treatments. Swimmer's ear, or otitis externa, occurs in hotter months Requires three things to happen: * presence of skin and debris * warmth  * moisture The chances of developing swimmer's ear can be reduced * by the use of a hairdryer to dry the ears after swimming * Careful cleaning with the use of cotton swabs If swimmer's ear does happen, it can be treated with ear drops provided by a prescription Diseases of the ear:  Acute otitis media, the most common ear infection (earache)

Fund set up to help Brody McAfee 1/17 By Bob Maginnis Brody Michael McAfee is a happy little 15-month-old, according to his grandmother, even though he doesn't talk and has just started trying to walk. He's having difficulty with both because he was born with a severe hearing loss in his right ear and only partial hearing in his left. He's been fitted for hearing aids at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, but can't get them until the family raises $5,100.

Cindy Kline cried all the way through her son's graduation from Hagerstown Community College because she couldn't hear what was being said. Kline, whose hearing has been affected by Meniere's Disease, said that experience made her acutely aware of how vital hearing is in life's special moments. In that spirit, she is looking forward to this Sunday's 8 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Halfway, which for the first time will be signed for the deaf and hearing-impaired.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Witnesses on Thursday described a wild melee along the Shenandoah River that ended with a Charles Town man being struck in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. Jefferson County Magistrate Judge Gail Boober found probable cause to send the case of Carl Hearn Sr, who is charged in the incident, to a Jefferson County grand jury in September. Hearn is charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding in the June 24 fight at a Shenandoah River boat ramp near Millville, W.Va.

bonnieb@herald-mail.com Waynesboro, Pa. - Twenty-five Lions club members, 25 Lionesses, plus 500 pounds of sausage, 150 pounds of puddings and 30 pounds of buttermilk pancake mix equaled breakfast for about 900 people at Waynesboro Area Senior High School Saturday morning. The Waynesboro Area Lions Club breakfast has been a fixture since the early 1950s, when the company that made Aunt Jemima pancake mix would send a representative to help with the meal, according to Marty Schorn, secretary of the club and chairman of the pancake breakfast for five years.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Md. 0077 Monday, Jan. 28, weigh in at 7:15 to 9:15 a.m., meeting 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. First Christian Church, 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. Call Patsy P. at 301-582-2292. Gam-anon Monday, Jan. 28,  7 to 8:30 p.m. 33 E. Church St., Frederick, Md. Use side entrance. An anonymous self-help program for friends and family whose lives have been affected by someone with a gambling problem. Call 240-409-2395. Food Addicts Anonymous Monday, Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m., 723 N. Market St., Frederick, Md. For people who have an addiction to food.