Lack of awareness, gradual hearing loss, and financial concerns are the most common barriers to cochlear implant uptake in older adults. Learn more about how hearing professionals can help overcome these obstacles to improve quality of life for cochlear implant candidates.

Cochlear implantation has been shown to improve not only the hearing of thousands of patients with unilateral deafness, but growing evidence now shows that many SSD (single-sided deafness) CI users also benefit from improved tinnitus control, sound localization, and quality of life. This article summarizes key findings from recent publications, including systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical considerations—that, for the first time, were able to draw on data from a large number of adult SSD-CI patients.

Users of hearing aids and cochlear implants benefit from auditory rehabilitation training. However, following the activation of hearing devices, several barriers to receiving auditory rehabilitation care exist for many users. To overcome these barriers, MED-EL has developed the ReDi auditory rehabilitation app that uses AI (artificial intelligence) technology. Clinicians can use ReDi to help provide personalized and level-appropriate auditory and speech training to their patients remotely in over 155 languages—and cochlear implant users can benefit from immediate feedback while training whenever and wherever they wish.

With endoscopic ear surgery, surgeons can get a wider field of view when implanting passive middle ear prostheses for ossicular reconstruction and stapes surgery. Learn what tips and tricks Prof. Dr. med. Lukas Anschütz has for using an endoscope while implanting tympanoplasty and stapes prostheses from MED-EL.

Hearing loss is a subject encountered daily by many people, but whether at work or in their private lives, some people may not understand how to approach people who use cochlear implants and other hearing devices. The MED-EL Hearing Poster series aims to bridge that gap in knowledge by providing simple, easily digestible bites of information that anyone can understand and incorporate into their daily lives.