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Cochlear Implants: How well do they work at an older age?

Hearing Loss | Last Active: Aug 7, 2022 | Replies (143)
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@billchitwood

Last week I had an eye appointment and their reception area was overflowing. Noise was terrible and almost impossible to hear. There were 4 reception areas, behind glass with masks so people talking very loudly. I told them I might have problems hearing my name called and the guy was super nice about it (I did hear my name over the noise). When with the doctor I could hear perfectly!

Then last night went to dinner with family group for daughter's birthday (I can't believe I have a daughter 63 and next week a son 62!). It was a Mexican restaurant with a lot of small rooms - formerly their home. We were in a room with two sets of long tables. I was up against the wall in a padded area. The other table consisted of a very large Mexican family speaking Spanish.

The noise was overwhelming. I could hardly make out any of the conversations as it seemed like my CI and HA wanted to listen in to everything! So I picked up a lot of words but no isolated conversations other then if I leaned in very close and they talked into my ear. Daughter Robin was right across from me and I had an easier time of understanding at least part of her conversations.

My Auto Sense either wasn't working well or not helpful.

I did just relax and enjoyed watching my family and we all had a wonderful time - and the food was great!

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Replies to "Last week I had an eye appointment and their reception area was overflowing. Noise was terrible..."
Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Jan 27, 2022

I identify fully with this. In some noisy social settings it's just not possible for us to hear well, even with our wonderful cochlear implants. It's time to sit back, breathe, and relax, and if possible, carry on conversation one on one when we can with someone near us. Even that's hard.

I use the mini mic that works with my CI processor all the time and find it to be very helpful in those settings. Still, it's a reality that I cannot participate fluidly in a situation where everyone is talking at the same time. Restaurants with a group are very difficult. My favorite social 'group' is three people because there can be only one conversation going on at a time. 🙂 Add that 4th person and it gets harder....but still a lot easier than a larger group at a long table.

Are you using assistive devices with your CI processor?

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