Hello, my mom is looking to get a CI and I am trying to help her. Is there any advice on how to prepare beforehand to increase the chances of the device working well (aka to do well with rehab)? She has suddenly lost her hearing at age 65 and it’s quite challenging—she’s not a tech savvy person (hence me posting this).
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Welcome to the forum
Where is your mom in the process of getting a CI?
Has she had the CI evaluation?
Lots of good information in the cochlear implant area of this forum.
Also lots of questions asked and answered at the CI evaluation.
Let us know.
Welcome to the forum.
What company has she chosen to go with for her CI? Cochlear, Advanced Bionics or Med El?
I noticed you said she’s not tech savvy, does she use a smart phone? iOS, Android or google pixel? If she doesn’t use one of the above she’s going to be at a disadvantage. You could help her to prepare by becoming comfortable with using one of the above smart phones.
Why? Because most of the rehab programs are in the App Store.
Most of our forum members have Cochlear, a few have AB and a few have Med El
Has your mum started the evaluation process?
Good luck to you and your mum.
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I would disagree with this. It’s not essential. I’m very tech savvy. I’m the tech support person for my house and my business. But my rehab was all person to person. You do need someone who is willing to support you with 45 minutes of rehab per day for the first 6 months, then taper after that. I reduced my working hours by about an hour a day to allow for this as well. Cochlear implants and rehab have been around for decades before smart phones, so there are old fashioned methods available.
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Interesting, I wasn’t given a remote with my N8. But I had one with N7 which I didn’t use.
I was talking more about the rehab side of things above, but with regards to the remote control, there certainly is one available for the N8 for extra purchase. I guess it’s like the USB wall bricks that used to come with phones but no longer do; the companies figured out that it wasn’t necessary but they are still available if you want it.
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Hello all, thanks for the responses. Some background: my mom is 65 and was a primary caregiver for three children (my brother’s children) in Canada. She has had deafness in one ear long standing that she essentially just ignored. A couple of months back, she developed vestibular neuritis/labrynthitis and lost hearing in her other ear (profound hearing loss). Treatment did not work, and a hearing aid is not working well at all. She is currently being evaluated for a CI–a decision will be made later in July it sounds like. She has been asked to look at different devices, and in doing research I found this forum and a couple of threads on deciding on which CI. (My sense is the quality and reliability are similar through all devices, and the choice boils down to preference between on ear and off ear, battery choices, waterproofing, possibly different levels of customer support–correct me if I am wrong!). My mom does not really use a cell phone much in terms of either phone calls or whatsapp or messaging or social media (she seems to figure out youtube videos lol). I think this type of technology (smart phones) will be important for her to learn moving forward as atleast she could text people. I’m really concerned about the possibility the CI won’t work, and was looking for ways to improve the odds in advance as much as possible.
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The intensity of rehab varies greatly with each CI recipient. It can/might depend upon her hearing loss history, and how quickly she can understand speech after activation. And this also varies greatly, for recipients, from day of activation to 4-5 months or longer and anywhere in between.
Rehab can again depend on what suits your mum best. It can be watching old movies with captions @Raudrive did this. I joined my local library and streamed audible books. Others work their way through apps on smart phones or tablet. Others do ESL classes on desk top computer. So there’s really no right or wrong way it’s what suits your mum best and what’s she’s able to manage.
Then you have professional help with Aural rehab if she needs it.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for the update.
Is your mom active? Get out and about a lot? Interact with people? These are question the audiologist should be asking during the evaluation. An active life stimulates hearing. The CI medical team wants every implant to be a success.
I am older than your mom with bilateral CI. Lifestyle is probably more important than age concerning CI.
On the ear processors are probably more secure than off the ear. Both perform the same. Concerns about battery life are probably not worth worrying about. If she can deal with hearing aids she can deal with CI dexterity wise. The most important thing is getting through the rehabilitation phase. Once she learns how to understand speech with CI everything falls into place.
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Thanks! what do you mean by more secure?
More secure means the on the ear processors are less likely to fall off. Off the ear processors don’t have the ear helping to hold things in place.
The only thing I don’t like about the BTE processor is that one size fits all recipients. Everyone’s ear shape is different, some need to use retainers eg hugfit. For me the N7 was a nightmare to get to stay in place. The N8 is a better fit but I still need to use the hugfit.
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