Cochlear implant use at an all-time high, audiologist says
As Hearing Week (23 - 30 March) begins, the number of profoundly deaf children and adults receiving cochlear implants is
at an all-time high with 596 adults and children currently registered with the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme -
compared to 70 in 2003.
The Christchurch-based programme serves profoundly deaf children and adults in the Lower North Island and the South
Island.
Its General Manager, Neil Heslop, says the increase does not necessarily mean an overall deterioration in hearing
health, but does reflect growing awareness of technologies available to people with significant hearing problems.
Cochlear implants are similar in size to high-powered hearing aids and help severe to profoundly deaf people who gain
little or no benefit from hearing aids.
The implants transform speech and other sounds into electrical energy that stimulates auditory nerve fibres in the inner
ear.
Heslop says government funding covers the costs of an implant in one ear and some patients or their families choose to
fund a second implant themselves.
"Approximately 20 to 25 percent of families pay for a second implant for their children. But it is expensive and costs
them between $45,000 and $50,000."
Heslop says cochlear implants change lives.
"We know how effective cochlear implants can be and it is always a delight to see the impact they have on our patients
who, literally, hear things differently for the first time in their lives in many cases."
ENDS