I can hear clearly now

Cochlear implants can improve quality of life for the elderly, not just children with congenital hearing loss.

by Thava Rani

Hearing loss in the elderly is a growing concern in Singapore, affecting about a third of those over 65 years old. However, the condition can be improved with a number of options, including a cochlear implant.

Usually associated with children with congenital hearing loss, a cochlear implant is recommended when hearing aids are not enough to correct poor hearing.

“A hearing aid amplifies sound and passes the amplified sound through the external to the middle and inner ear.

The cochlear implant, however, bypasses this usual route and directly stimulates the hearing nerve in the inner ear or cochlea,” said Dr Vanessa Tan, Consultant, Department of OtorhinolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Cochlear implants have been used for more than half a century; at SGH, it has been used since 1997 for both adults and children.

The cochlear implant team — comprising the ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon, auditory verbal therapist and audiologist — then takes the patient through the journey of cochlear implantation.

The procedure is done under general anaesthesia, and takes about two to three hours, with the patient usually discharged the day after surgery. The audiologist will activate the implant about three weeks after the surgery. Programming of the implant, known as mapping, is done to maximise speech sounds heard by the patient. Mapping sessions are performed regularly to get the best outcome from the implant.