Event Locator: 2025-AAKBKJ
LIVING WELL WITH HEARING LOSS
*Open to the Public - Membership is not required. This event is in partnership with Learning in Retirement and Nicolet College, Arts & Enrichment
Wednesday, September 17
1 pm
Nicolet College, Lakeside Center Theatre
Instructor: Julie Metternick Olson
Fifty million people in the USA have some degree of hearing loss. While this invisible disability affects people of all ages, it affects people of retirement age most. It often goes undiagnosed and/or untreated. The results can be traumatic, as they include cognitive decline, depression, and more. Join Julie Olson, a Rhinelander native with personal hearing loss, to hear about these ramifications and treatment options.
Julie Metternich Olson, a ‘native Hodag’, has lived in the Appleton, WI area since 1971. She has BS degrees in physical education, health, and public speaking and a MS degree in Community Human Services. She was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss at age 22. After teaching high school students for several years, she became involved in research, advocacy, and providing peer support for the hard of hearing population.
She has served as president of the national board of the Hearing Loss Association of America, Inc. (HLAA), and has participated on various governing boards and committees related to hearing loss. Her experiences have led to writing and publishing opportunities, most recently a book she and her granddaughter published about how hearing loss affects families. She is an experienced public speaker and volunteer. Julie credits the excellent teachers she had at Rhinelander High School for much of her success.