AUDITORY
DEVICES
Hearing Aids
The hearing aid is the assistive device used by most
deaf and hard of hearing people. It is an electronic
device with a small microphone that amplifies
sounds. You must have some ability to hear for
the device
to work. And because hearing loss affects people
in different ways, you need to get the right
device for you. There are several types of hearing
aids: behind the
ear, in the ear, in the canal and implantable
hearing aids. Each type offers different advantages,
depending
on its design, levels of amplification, and size. A
certified audiologist can test your hearing and
help determine the best hearing aid for you.
For more detailed explanations, please refer to the
following:
http://www.agbell.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?p=Hearing_Aids
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/hearingaid.asp
Cochlear Implants
In the event that the hearing aids don’t provide enough sound or clarity
to help you to function in daily life, a cochlear implant may be an option.
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device. Unlike a
hearing aid, it does not make sound louder or clearer. Instead, the device
bypasses damaged parts of the auditory system and directly stimulates the
auditory nerve.
Cochlear Implants consist of 2 main components:
-
The
externally worn microphone, sound processor
and transmitter system.
-
The
implanted receiver and
electrode system, which contains the electronic
circuits that receive signals from the external system and send electrical
currents to the inner ear.
There
are many hospitals in the area with cochlear
implant centers. They can tell you if you a cochlear
implant might help you
Manufacturers:
Advanced Bionics (manufacturer of the Clarion
implant) www.cochlearimplant.com
Cochlear Corp. (manufacturer of the Nucleus
24 implant) www.cochlear.com
Med-El Corp. (manufacturer of the Med-El Combi-40
implant) www.medel.com
House Ear Institute – a
history of the CI www.hei.com/cihome.htm
Simulations
Here are some sites that try to
show what hearing through a cochlear implant
sound like:
http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/hesp/Simulations/simulationsmain.htm
http://www.rushu.rush.edu/cds/arl/DEMOS/CIwebdemo/
http://www.hei.org/research/aip/audiodemos.htm
General Info:
http://www.agbell.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?p=Cochlear_Implants
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/cochlear/WhatAre.html
(This
site has a short, but descriptive movie that is well worth viewing.)
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