Connect Hearing, with hearing researcher Professor Kathy Pichora-Fuller at the University of Toronto, seeks participants who are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids for a hearing study investigating factors that can influence better hearing. All participants will have a hearing test provided at no charge. Qualifying participants may also receive a demonstration of the latest hearing technology. The data collected from this study will be used to further our understanding of hearing loss and improve life-changing hearing healthcare across Canada.

It is estimated that 46% of people aged 45 to 87 have some degree of hearing loss, but most do not seek treatment right away. In fact, the average person with hearing loss will wait ten years before seeking help. By studying people who have difficulty hearing in noise or with television, we hope to identify key factors impacting these difficulties and further understand their influence on the treatment process.

Why participate in the hearing study? Hearing problems typically result from damage to the ear and researchers have spent decades trying to understand the biology behind hearing loss. More importantly, researchers now realize the need to better understand how hearing loss affects your everyday life. In this new hearing study, Professor Pichora-Fuller and her team are trying to find out how people learn to live with hearing loss and how new solutions could help these people take action sooner and live life more fully.

If you are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids, you can register to be a part of this major new hearing study by calling: 1.888.242.4892 or visiting connecthearing.ca/hearing-study.

While many parents worry their children spend too much time playing computer games, Kelcey is happy to see her son Owain turn on his computer. Since Owain had ADHD, the family have taken him to see doctors to help him deal with everyday life tasks. Owain also tried the medicine, but had to stop after the drugs worsened his pain. With ADHD continuing to influence Owain’s school performance, Kelcey was hoping for any other choice. Help came in the end from what seemed very strange — a computer game called EndeavorRx.

EndeavorRx was the first such game to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of ADHD in children. Now it’s only available on prescription (处方) from doctors. When doctors prescribe it, the child’s parents are sent a link that is needed before the game can be played. Though EndeavorRx looks very similar to other games, it’s been developed to improve areas of the brain that play a key role in attention function.

EndeavorRx trains a child with ADHD to do several things together and take no notice of things that take their attention away. It also measures their performance and changes the difficulty of the game in real time according to the user’s needs. Eddie Martucci, CEO of Akili, says, “These can be very difficult to get through traditional means like taking a pill. But it turns out that playing EndeavorRx can directly make parts of the brain function active.”

Fellow UK scientist Lee Chambers says while the use of such video games in the treatment of mental health conditions is still in the early stages, it appears to have potential (潜力). “Playing a game can avoid the feeling like we are being tested,” he says. “These types of mental health games can follow changes in the information that they collect over time. Given this, they have the potential to improve people’s health in a new way.”

It is not easy ta become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into a medical college. More than one hundred and twenty American schools offer study programs for people wanting to be doctors.

People can get advice about medical schools from many resources. One of these is the Princeton Review. The publication provides information about colleges, study programs and jobs.

The Princeton Review says the competition to enter medical schools is strong. American medical schools have only about sixteen thousand of openings. But more than thirty-two thousand students may try it. Many of those are women.

Most applicants contact more than one medical school. Some contact many. An important part of the application usually is the Medical College Admission Test which is called MCAT. The Association of American Medical Colleges provides the test by computer. It is offered in the United States and other countries.

The people who want to enter medical schools are rated（评定）on reasoning, physical and biological sciences and an example of writing. Applicants for medical schools need to do well on the MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.

Some students work for a year or two in a medical or research job before they attempt to enter a medical school.