Over-the-counter hearing aids, and navigating the mental health system

47:27

October 20, 2022

This is the Radio Boston rundown for Oct. 20. Deborah Becker is our host.

Longstanding issues plaguing Massachusetts', and the nation's, mental health care system include access, understaffing and a lack of resources. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a new book, "You Are Not Alone," containing stories of patients trying to access care and advice for those trying to navigate the system. He joins us to share lessons from the book.
The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing estimates that more than 1 million people in Massachusetts experience some degree of hearing loss. Starting this week, those people will have an easier time accessing hearing aids, thanks to a new federal law allowing them to be sold without a prescription. In the latest edition of Tech Talk with Hiawatha Bray, we talk about what the development means for consumers.
It's a Halloween double feature as we revisit two spooky stories from the archives. We visit caves in the Ashland/Framingham area, where some evidence suggests that in 1693, locals helped hide people accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials. Then, a conversation with independent academic Kyéra Sterling about the emerging genre of Black horror films, ushered in by Jordan Peele's 2017 movie, "Get Out."

This program aired on October 20, 2022.