thoughts on ci implant

November 7, 2004

Hi Christa,

Has your candidate been oral or does he sign? Because if he's never

heard at all then he will have a hard time with learning to hear with an

implant. Usually someone that old who gets implanted has a background of

oralism. The reason being the implant will give you hearing, but if you

don't have any understanding of what speech signifies, then it's a waste

of time and effort. The word chair, for instance, won't mean anything to

a person who doesn't know what a chair is by hearing the word. If they

only know it by seeing it, or by having it fingerspelled into their hand,

then the sound " chair " will be meaningless noise.

So I think a lot depends on whether or not your person has any oral

background. An auditory memory is a very valuable asset when implanted.

Because with that, you remember what words sound like and what they mean.

If that is missing, then he is probably not a good candidate.

He is likely to get very frustrated having meaningless noises in his

head, which is what an implant will provide him if he has no auditory

memory. So, again, has he ever spoken, or does he sign?

Good luck, it's a hard choice, but if he's got all the problems you

list, then I'd think he is probably not a good candidate for the implant.

The psychoses especially. He will start to hear sounds and might think

people are talkinga bout him, and he doesn't understand it. Could be

highly frustrating.

____________________________________________________________

Make up to $50 per hour with a career in the healthcare industry. Click here

for more information.

snDukQhaiAxHlbbY3p0tzf6/

April 8, 2009

Hello all,

I work with an individual who is 50 years old, deaf-blind since birth, with

diagnosis of mental retardation and psychosis. He has been referred for CI

implant. I am trying to research experiences of individuals who have received

the implants later in life. (I realize I may not encounter many who have had

the implant with a similar background as the gentleman I support). I would like

to present a view of both sides to his guardian prior to her making a final

decision. My concern is how the implant will affect his quality of life,

(enhance or negatively impact).

Any assistance or opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Christa

Recommended Posts