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Hearing aids in but still not understanding words
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Nov 4 4:08pm | Replies (135)Comment receiving replies
@daveshaw I have heard of Envoy. And on a Zoom the other night Dr. Blevins from Stanford (outstanding presenter - knows more about CI's than anyone I've heard speak) also discussed technologies coming down the road . Though his comment was if you need a CI now, don't wait for the next technology. It could be 10 years until it is perfected and approved. Similar to what people are saying about Auracast, though CI's require more regulations to get through. Technology is amazing - there are so many options for us HOH people versus when I lost my hearing 25 years ago. I hope I am still alive for the technology that allows me to go to a loud Sports bar, use Auracast to listen to the game but also be able to program my hearing instrument using AI to only allow certain voices like my wife and daughter to filter through.
What HLAA Chapter is near you?
Replies to "@daveshaw I have heard of Envoy. And on a Zoom the other night Dr. Blevins from..."
For those of us who hear sounds well but have trouble understanding speech even in quiet situations (and there are many) I have long put this down to auditory nerve damage. When my Word Recognition Score in one ear plummeted one year my audiologist sent me to my ENT for a test to determine the processing of the auditory nerve (looking for a tumor I gathered). The ENT doctor found none and said if he had (they are typically benign) he wouldn’t do anything about it. He attributed the auditory nerve damage to age.
So given this knowledge I am not convinced that any hearing aid could make much difference in that ear for me but perhaps a CI that stimulates the auditory nerve directly could. At 84 I still have the usual reservations about undergoing that route though and I am still hoping that using accessories will fill in some gaps. I have a new audiologist who uses PhD students to help with accessories and I could have used help when trying out (now returned) the Roger On in recently.
For those interested this blog article explains the role of the auditory nerve and processing difficulties. https://www.lobe.ca/en/blog/adulte-hearing/hearing-loss-auditory-nerve-damage#:~:text=When%20the%20auditory%20nerve%20is,inner%20ear%20to%20the%20brain.
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My local chapter is right here in suburban southeast Denver where I live.
Love to hear more about your CI experience. I just want the technology to get here sooner rather than later.
Fortunately I can function pretty well with my Signia 7 IX platform behind the ear hearing aids.
Envoy sounds really exciting and it is here right now. I wrote a letter to AARP last night and told them not to forget the millions of their members who are suffering from hearing loss. We are rarely if ever mentioned in all the literature they send me.
Good luck to you and tell me how long it takes for you to relearn how to hear with your CI’s. That is one thing making me reticent to take that step.
Enjoy the rest of your week.