BTB: Jane Wilkens Michael: Hear and Now!

An award-winning filmmaker on her extraordinary auditory journey - Irene Taylor Brodsky, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning, Oscar-nominated director, producer and writer has been around profound hearing loss her entire life; both her parents are deaf, and her 13-year-old son also has hearing loss. Falling into a unique group of caregivers known as the sandwich generation, due to the role she has played helping both her parents and her child, Irene has turned this experience into two exceptional documentaries. Her first, the Peabody Award-winning Hear and Now, highlights her parents’ choice to receive Cochlear implants to end lifelong deafness. Her latest film, Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements, which debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and will soon premier on HBO, focuses on hearing loss from the three perspectives of her son, his grandfather, and the immortal composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s during the year he wrote this iconic sonata just as he began to realize he was going deaf. On this segment, Irene and Jane will discuss her films in depth, why Cochlear implants were chosen, what to say to someone struggling with hearing loss or had a loved one struggling, and how to find hope and determination to not only survive but to thrive through any of life’s challenging times. Jane will also be speaking with Jessica Van Auken, a noted audiologist who specializes in treating pediatric and adult patients who utilize Cochlear implants. Aside from hearing loss facts and statistics and the benefits of Cochlear implants, Jessica will also recommend tips and tools for proper noise control and lifestyle choices in order to ensure an ability to hear that avoids becoming lesser than before.