Rehabilitation after implant

The need for rehabilitation after cochlear implant is to help the recipient adjust to new sounds heard through the implant.  Further, rehabilitation helps in learning communication and listening strategies specific to cochlear implantees, device usage and to develop appropriate expectations.  Rehabilitation involves intense auditory training starting from the simple task of detecting the environmental sounds to identification and comprehension of conversation.  Initially, training in comprehension is done with closed set material where the patient can choose from a set of possible responses.  Over time, the patient is exposed to open set material offering no clues or choice.  The implantee would be first trained in the audiovisual mode i.e., with the speech processor on and lip reading and only then through auditory mode.  This would facilitate comprehension of speech in the absence of any visual clues, as in darkness.

Over 10,000 people including children have benefited from cochlear implants worldwide.  Recipients of nucleus multichannel implants have reported that it enabled them to hear environmental sounds and conversation at comfortable loudness levels.  Further, the cochlear implant enhances lip-reading ability and helps in speech production in children.  The benefits of 22 channel cochlear implants  have been better communication, increase confidence, more social interaction, improved job performance and opportunities.  Like any sophisticated medical device, cochlear implants are expensive, costing a few lakhs.  With more awareness and patient’s venturing to receive its benefit, the cost is bound to come down to affordable levels.