During Hearing Awareness Week from August 20-27, RIDBC advises that there is no age limit for a cochlear implant. If you are struggling to hear, even with hearing aids, a cochlear implant may be for you.
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Today, one in six Australians is deaf, hearing impaired or has a chronic ear disorder. As technology advances, there are more possibilities than ever before for Australians with hearing loss to continue to enjoy their involvement in the community and prosper in their workplace.
Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants don’t just make sounds louder, they stimulate the hearing nerves directly providing access to higher quality, more detailed sound at close to normal levels. For some types of hearing loss, cochlear implants have shown significant improvements in speech recognition and can play an important role in gaining your life back.
"The benefits of cochlear implantation are abundant and have been well documented. Benefits include better communication, increased quality of life, improved speech recognition and greater independence for those with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss," said RIDBC Audiologist, Eleanor McKendrick.
"It is important to remember that there are no age limitations for a cochlear implant. This has been proven through the implantation and success of recipients in their late nineties. RIDBC’s SCIC Cochlear Implant Program works to provide outcomes tailored to each individual.”
At 64 years of age, Meerschaum Vale resident, Pam Moreland, decided to contact SCIC Cochlear Implant Program to find out how a cochlear implant could change her life for the better. Pam’s surgery was one of the first cochlear implant surgeries to take place at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and the surgery boasted every success.
Pam described the day her implant was switched on as “exciting” and said, “I have a future ahead of me now, it will be wonderful to hear properly again”.
Pam has already noticed a positive change in her hearing and will continue to attend her auditory appointments to further improve.
“The support I’ve received from the SCIC Cochlear Implant Program has been just fantastic!” she said.
Looking forward into the future, Pam hopes to re-join the workforce as a seamstress and share her experience with others.
SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, an RIDBC service, supports clients to access a range of implantable hearing devices according to their needs. The program provides a seamless, end-to-end suite of services, from early intervention and education; through to specialist assessment; surgical liaison and support; and rehabilitation services, delivering the highest level of care and support to people of all ages.
With 18 sites across Australia, RIDBC enables you to access services from any one of our centres. For those in regional and remote locations, our advanced videoconferencing and device mapping technology enables us to deliver services directly into your home, no matter where you live.
For more information about cochlear implants and the support services available, visit ridbc.org.au/scic or call 1300 658 981.
RIDBC is a charity and Australia’s largest non-government provider of therapy, education and cochlear implant services for people with vision or hearing loss, supporting thousands of adults, children and their families, each year.
RIDBC relies heavily on fundraising and community support to be able to continue to make a difference in people's lives.