When Hearing Aids Are Not Enough

Transcription

1 ATTN: CONSUMER MARKETING WHANE COCHLEAR AMERICAS E. Peakview Ave. Centennial, CO NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES When Hearing Aids Are Not Enough A Cochlear Implant May Help BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO ENGLEWOOD, CO POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE Cochlear Americas East Peakview Avenue Centennial, CO USA Tel: Fax: Toll Free: You should talk to your physician about who is a candidate for cochlear implantation, the associated risks and benefits, and CDC recommendations for vaccination. Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, and carries with it the risks typical for surgery. For additional information please refer to the Nucleus Freedom Package Insert (available at Nucleus is a registered trademark of Cochlear Limited. Freedom is a trademark of Cochlear Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Cochlear and the elliptical logo are trademarks of Cochlear Limited. FUN1012 ISS1 SEP09 Learn how a Nucleus 5 System can help you reconnect to a world of sound.

2 A better life is out there. Why wait? Whether we lose it suddenly or gradually over time, hearing loss can leave you feeling isolated from the rest of the world, eventually eroding your self-confidence and freedom. While the majority of people with hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids, for some, even the most advanced and powerful hearing aids are not enough. This can lead to increasing frustration with your hearing aids and leave you exhausted from handling all the extra challenges associated with trying to live a full, productive life. Thankfully, with continued advances in cochlear implant technology, there may be a solution for you. More and more adults with severeto-profound hearing loss are discovering how cochlear implants can restore what they ve lost. The fact that you are reading about other options to treat your hearing loss indicates that you are open to considering a solution that offers more than what you are getting from your hearing aid. You re taking the first step towards regaining a fuller life and reconnecting with the hearing world. Little moments like being able to hear a loved one on the phone or to recognize your favorite song playing on the radio. To enjoy the sound of your granddaughter s delight and laughter as she rips open her birthday presents. To fully participate in daily office life, conference calls and meetings. To go to a party and enjoy a fun evening of conversing with friends and making new acquaintances. These everyday expectations are more than reasonable. They are, in fact, what life is all about. You may be asking yourself: How do I gain back what I ve lost? Your journey begins here. This guide was created by a team of professionals who are dedicated to assisting you in finding the right solution for your particular needs. You are not alone in wanting to experience those priceless little moments that hearing individuals take for granted. Research shows that adults receiving Nucleus cochlear implants were able to understand sentences on average almost seven times better than they could with a hearing aid. 1 Philip G. Implantation

3 Every moment matters My cochlear implant gave me back not only my hearing, but my old self. Kimino S. Implantation 2001 Why aren t hearing aids enough for some people? While hearing aids can help the majority of people with hearing loss they can t help everyone. For many people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (sometimes called nerve deafness ) in both ears, even the most advanced and powerful hearing aids may not help. That s because hearing aids simply amplify sound, and making sounds louder does not always make them clearer. You may hear sounds with hearing aids but understanding speech may be difficult. For some people, using a hearing aid if you have severe-toprofound hearing loss can be likened to listening to a loud, badly tuned radio. You experience fragments of the program; it is loud, but not clear. One out of 10 Americans, approximately 32 million, experience some form of hearing loss. 2 I have nerve deafness, can a cochlear implant help me? Most often people who have been told that they have nerve deafness actually suffer from damage to the cochlea, not the hearing nerve. If this is the case for you, a cochlear implant may be a solution. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the ear and stimulates the hearing nerve directly. 3 4

4 More than 120,000 people around the world have already received a Nucleus Cochlear Implant. 3 FDA-approved cochlear implants have become recognized as an established treatment for restoring hearing perception in adults and seniors with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Cochlear implants are covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, cochlear implants have increasingly become the solution for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss who no longer receive benefit from hearing aids. How a Hearing Aid Works The microphone in the hearing aid picks up sound and sends it to the amplifier where it makes it louder. 2 The receiver of the hearing aid sends the amplified sound down the ear canal, causing the eardrum and the middle ear bones to vibrate. Am I too old for a cochlear implant? Age should not prevent you from considering a cochlear implant. Children as young as 12 months and seniors well beyond 80 years of age can be candidates for a cochlear implant. 3 Motion transferred to the cochlear fluids is converted into electrical impulses by tiny hair cells inside the cochlea. 4 These impulses are sent to the brain where they are perceived as sound. Unfortunately, even the most powerful hearing aids may not help people with severe-to-profound hearing loss because making sounds louder does not always make them clearer. 5 6

5 When Hearing Aids are No Longer Effective How a Cochlear Implant Works Experts in the medical field consider a cochlear implant an effective long-term solution for many individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss who do not benefit from hearing aids. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that mimics the natural hearing function of the inner ear for individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss. A cochlear implant system has two parts: an external sound processor and an internal implant. Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants do not amplify sound; rather they bypass the damaged part of the inner ear and send electrical signals directly to the hearing nerve. Discuss with your hearing health professional whether a cochlear implant is right for you. Eiko T. Implantation The external sound processor captures sounds, then filters and processes the sounds. 2 The sound processor translates the filtered sounds into digital information, which is then transmitted to the internal part of the implant system. 3 The internal implant converts the digital information into electrical signals, and sends them to a tiny, delicate curl of electrodes that sit gently inside your cochlea. 4 The electrical signals from the electrodes stimulate the hearing nerve, bypassing cells damaged by hearing loss. The electrical signals are sent to the brain and received as sound. 7 8

6 Is a cochlear implant right for you? Every moment matters. Why wait? Ask yourself the following questions: When using hearing aids Do you have to ask people to repeat themselves in one-on-one conversations, even in a quiet room? Do you depend on lip-reading to understand a conversation? Do you avoid social activities because you don t know what s being said and are afraid you may respond incorrectly? Are you exhausted at the end of the day because communication requires such a high degree of concentration? Are you having a hard time keeping up at work? Is it hard for you to talk on the phone and do you avoid calling or answering the phone? Is listening to music no longer fun? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a good candidate for a cochlear implant. Talk to your hearing professional to find out more. A cochlear implant can make a big difference in your life. The sooner you receive a cochlear implant, the sooner you can start to enjoy your personal best hearing experience. A cochlear implant can provide relatively fast improvements over hearing aids, especially in the crucial area of speech recognition: studies have shown that adults can achieve, on average, sentence understanding of 75% after using a cochlear implant for just 3 months and 80% after 6 months, compared to 13% understanding when previously using just hearing aid(s). 4 Then, other improvements can follow, such as talking on the phone and enjoying music again. In a survey of 900 cochlear implant recipients, a vast majority of respondents claimed they could effectively communicate over the phone and enjoy listening to music with their cochlear implant. 5 A cochlear implant can help end the feelings of isolation and loneliness that often accompany significant hearing loss. You can once again enjoy the activities that you may have abandoned and re-connect not just to a world of sound, but to a whole wide world of enjoyment and opportunity. 9 10

7 Common Concerns Does insurance cover cochlear implants? Unlike conventional hearing aids, cochlear implants are generally covered by most insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid. If you need assistance navigating what can be viewed as a complex process, Cochlear Americas offers individual insurance support. Call Cochlear s OMS insurance support at or visit for help getting started. Can I take advantage of future advancements? Yes. A common misconception is that choosing a cochlear implant now will exclude you from future improvements. Rest assured, the more advanced implants and processors are designed to allow you to benefit from future upgrades, without the need for additional surgery. This is a primary consideration when researching solutions you will need to live with for years to come. When choosing a cochlear implant, it is important for you to ask about the company s history of upgrading and commitment to research and development of new products. Cochlear has over 25 years of experience, more than any other manufacturer of cochlear implants. Will the cochlear implant further damage my inner ear? Cochlear implant design is an important consideration when protecting residual hearing is a concern. Cochlear has engineered a unique electrode array which is designed to help protect the delicate cochlear structures of the ear. In fact, research shows the Nucleus award winning curved cochlear implant electrode design is best suited to protect your cochlear structures critical for hearing. 6-8 Ask your doctor about which cochlear implant is best for you. How will it sound when I get my cochlear implant? Once activated, everyone s initial experience with a cochlear implant is unique. Most cochlear implant users say that the sound changes over time and gets better every day. Daily practice and listening patience are important to the process. What can I expect with surgery? Getting a cochlear implant is typically an outpatient surgery. The entire cochlear implant procedure takes about 1-3 hours. Thousands of these surgeries take place every year. Usually the surgery is done in an outpatient setting and the patient goes home later the same day. In some instances, the patient may stay overnight and be discharged early the following morning. Your surgeon will discuss with you the risks associated with the procedure. In terms of recovery time, you may find it surprising to learn that most children and adults are able to return to normal activities in less than a week

8 Taking the next step Step 1 Fill out the card on the right for more information. Step 2 Ask your hearing professional about cochlear implants and scheduling a cochlear implant evaluation. Step 3 Connect with a cochlear implant recipient. Check the box on the card or visit: Step 4 Don t wait another minute to find out if you may benefit. Join over 120,000 people around the world who are benefiting from a Nucleus Cochlear Implant. 3 To receive more information, fill out the form below, detach it, and send it back to Cochlear Americas. No postage is necessary if mailed in the USA. Please send me information Name Mailing Address City State Zip Age Phone References 1. Balkany T, Hodges A, Menapace C, Hazard L, Driscoll C, Gantz B, et al. Nucleus Freedom North American clinical trial. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;36(5): Data on file, Cochlear Americas June The Nucleus Freedom Cochlear Implant System: Adult Post Market Surveillance Trial Results. 5. Cochlear Americas internal survey July Aschendorff, A., Kromeier, J., Klenzner, T., Laszig, R. Quality Control After Insertion of the Nucleus Contour and Contour Advance Electrode in Adults. Ear and Hearing, 2007, 28: 75S-79S. 7. Adunka O, Gstoettner W, Hambek M, Unkelbach M, Radeloff A, Kiefer J. Preservation of basal inner ear structures in cochlear implantation. ORL 2004;66: Adunka, O., Kiefer, J. Impact of Electrode Insertion Depth on Intracochlear Trauma. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 2006, 135, I am interested in connecting with others who have received a cochlear implant Tell me more about the Cochlear Nucleus system Learn more about the Nucleus 5 System at Hearing Health Care Provider Return Address Label Here Yes Yes CI Whane