Hear Your Best A Guide to Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation

Helping You to Hear Your Best As you’re choosing to receive a cochlear implant, To get the most out of your cochlear implant you’ll we know there is a lot you might be thinking about. need to practice. The activities that can build your hearing and listening skills are called rehabilitation. You‘re not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people have chosen a cochlear implant to This guide will help you as an introduction to reconnect with their work and social lives, rehabilitation. It describes the different specialists better understand conversations, and enjoy you’ll work with, gives you an overview...

What Is Rehabilitation? Building a Foundation of Sound Learning how to hear with a cochlear implant is like re-learning how to hear. Your brain already has the memories of what some sounds sound like. Now, what you need to do is connect these old memories with the sounds you hear when using your cochlear implant. This is what rehabilitation does. It helps you to build these connections and helps your brain to interpret and understand sounds. Rehabilitation can be done in structured environments, as well as during your daily life. Doing rehabilitation activities is the most important step you...

A Network of Professionals There will be many different professionals who can help you learn how to hear with a cochlear implant. Each will have a different background and specialty. They’ll all work together to help you get the best hearing possible. Here are some of the different professionals you might meet: Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist (ENT) you can get the most out of your cochlear implant. An ENT specialist is a doctor or surgeon who This includes monitoring your progress over time, has additional education to treat the ear, nose, developing goals to help you continue to make positive...

Areas of Rehabilitation Generally speaking, rehabilitation activities will cover several categories that have an impact on your communication. Your rehabilitation might include additional areas, but these are the main ones: Audition conversation. You’ll also learn how to manage Auditory rehabilitation is one of the most difficulties understanding others during important parts of cochlear implant rehabilitation. It focuses on developing your awareness of sounds, and building an understanding of what Practical and Technical Guidance these sounds mean. This means using your cochlear implant’s components....

Rehabilitation Before and After Implantation You can prepare for the next stage of your hearing journey even before receiving your cochlear implant. Talk with your cochlear implant team, because After your audio processor is activated, you should they can give you the right support and answers be wearing it whenever you’re awake. Even if your for your unique hearing. It might help to share this cochlear implant is not the only way you hear information with friends and family so that they sounds, it’s important that you are wearing it can support you as best they can. consistently. Wearing it...

The Best Environment for Hearing The trick is separating the sounds that you want to hear from the sounds that you don‘t. If there is too much noise around you, you may not be able to hear what others are saying and therefore not understand them properly. It’s important to hear spoken words, without background noise, as you begin to develop your listening skills. The best way to do this is by making the important sounds, or the sounds of speech, easy for you to hear.

At Work, School, and Social Environments There are times when you might not be able to At home, the best listening environment is one control your environment like you can at home. where there’s minimal background noise. Poor lighting or background noise can all make it Background noise is any sound that isn‘t who or more difficult to communicate. In times like these, what you are communicating with. This could let others know when you’re having trouble hearing them. outside noises like traffic. If you can, take it upon yourself to make To create a more effective listening environment in your...

What to Expect From Rehabilitation There are many factors that influence how well better hearing with a cochlear implant. Keep in you will hear and communicate with a cochlear contact with your audiologist and other hearing implant. For some cochlear implant users it may rehabilitation specialists, because they can help take a short time to develop their listening, you work on your communication skills. Tell your speaking, and communication skills, and for others specialists how you’re hearing throughout your it may take many months or years. A key predictor day, both in and out of the home....

The Best Rehabilitation Resources for You At MED-EL, we don’t believe one size fits all. We believe that every recipient deserves a customized rehabilitation program based on their individual needs. That's why we've developed the most comprehensive collection of rehabilitation resources for cochlear implant recipients. With print materials, listening exercises, interactive games, videos, and mobile apps, you'll find countless hours of rehabilitation material to help you develop your listening skills. Our resources are designed to be mixed and matched. You and your rehabilitation specialists can...

Glossary of Common Rehabilitation Terms Articulation: The pronunciation of sounds Gesture: Moving a part of the body to communicate. Pointing at an object is a gesture. Assessment: Procedures and tests that identify Goals: The measureable outcomes of therapy someone’s skill level, strengths, weaknesses, and needs for rehabilitation. Assistive Listening Devices: Technological devices that can help enhance your hearing in different listening environments. Audition: Being able to perceive sound. Hearing loss: A partial or complete inability to hear sound. Implicit or Incidental learning: Learning...