Clinicians and researchers can use the new “Quality of Life in People with Hearing Loss Questionnaire (HL-QoL)” to assess how hearing loss and treatment affect an individual’s quality of life. As the first validated questionnaire based on the WHO’s international classification of functioning, disability, and health, it is designed to assess hearing outcomes while providing a holistic perspective.

For some people with bilateral hearing loss, a hearing aid may provide enough amplification for one ear, but a cochlear implant may be appropriate for more severe hearing loss in the other ear. Aural rehabilitation can help these users get the most out of both hearing devices.

Play sounds can not only be used capture young children’s listening attention. They can also be a highly effective way to help children learn to process auditory information. By integrating them into your auditory rehabilitation practice, you can help kick-start their listening and language development while having fun.

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.

Many of us take music and the benefits it has in our lives for granted. Music can positively impact many aspects of life, including physical health, emotional well-being, social relationships, and the rehabilitation journey of hearing implant recipients. It can lift mood and alleviate negative emotions such as stress and anxiety. It is therefore important for hearing implant recipients to be able to hear and appreciate music.

Aural rehabilitation is essential after cochlear implantation, but it can also benefit young children with hearing loss while they are still waiting to receive their cochlear implant. Parents and caregivers can use strategies and activities at home to help these babies begin to develop communication skills.