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Quality of Life
Can a cochlear implant really change your life? 60 adults receiving cochlear implants were asked to complete a questionnaire once before their implant and then one year afterwards to examine the impact on their lives. The results are interesting.
Confidence, relaxation and independence all show improvement from pre-implant to one year or more post- implant. Negative factors associated with deafness such as isolation and embarrassment show improvement in that these decrease post-implant.
In terms of speech perception as measured by nationally recognised test materials used pre- and post- implant, results show that speech perception with lip-reading improves greatly post-implant for most adults. Some adults are able to understand speech without the need for lip-reading.
Use of Cochlear Implant 94.5% of those responding to the questionnaire used their cochlear implant for eight or more hours a day and 5.5% use their cochlear implant for four to eight hours a day. None of the respondents use their cochlear implant for less than four hours a day.
Limitations to Use There are limitations on certain activities that could damage or move the implant eg rugby, boxing and squash. However, swimming is possible if external parts are removed.
There are other precautions to be aware of and users can find more information on the BCIG website at www.bcig.org.
Implants and Tinnitus A The degree of relief from tinnitus will depend on individual circumstances. However, many implant users find that the implant and the sounds it produces substantially mask the tinnitus, but this will depend on individual circumstances.