Transcript Amys CI Presentation - Arapahoe

Sertoma Club
March 18, 2010
About My Hearing Loss
 Hearing loss first detected about age 12
 Father, uncle and 2 sisters also had hearing loss
 Loss was progressive over the years
 First set of hearing aids at age 19
 By age 35, loss was profound
 Continued to be fit with “power” aids
 Last set of aids purchased in 2007
 Progressive, bi-lateral, hereditary, sensorineural
hearing loss
Effect of My Hearing Loss
 Began playing violin in fifth grade
 College degree in Music Education
 Taught school two years
 Returned to college for degrees in business
 Fairly good career progression, but some limitations
 Difficulty with phones, meetings, noisy locations
 By my 40’s, I became more open about my hearing loss
 Experienced some feelings of isolation and depression
Decision for Cochlear Implants
 Highly recommended by Randy Smith
 Met and discussed implants with other users
 My personal situation allowed for the time off
 Seeing current aided scores against the count-the-dots
 Accessing only 15% of speech sounds with hearing aids
 Effect of hearing loss on family life, especially spouse
Simultaneous Cochlear Implants
 People who had a single implant were having second
 Progression of technology
 Difficulty selecting a single ear
 Only one surgical and adaptive process
 I’m accustomed to hearing bi-laterally and did not
want to be single-sided or have different sounds with
an implant and a hearing aid
 I had confidence in the surgeon and the audiological
team to provide excellent services
After the Implants
 Almost normal hearing; in some cases better
 Can use the phone and conference phone
 Birds! Meetings! Bells! Wind! Plastic bags!
 Music, TV, and radio
 Conversations from another room, restaurants
 Frequent mapping sessions at first
 Adaptive process can take years…
 It will be a great journey!
Hearing Loss Association of America
According to the National Center
for Health Statistics 36 million
(17%) American adults have some
degree of hearing loss making it a
public health issue third in line
after heart disease and arthritis.
Hearing Loss Association of America
 HLAA provides assistance and resources for
people with hearing loss and their families to
learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss.
 HLAA is working to eradicate the stigma
associated with hearing loss.
 Raise public awareness about the need for
prevention and the importance of regular
hearing screenings throughout life.
Hearing Loss Association of America
 Information: Magazine, Web Site
 www.hearingloss.org
 Education: Webinars, Conferences
 Support: State/local Chapter, Young Adults,
Military
 Advocacy: ADA, Airports, FCC, Phones
 Self-Help: Self-Identify
 (Formerly know as Self Help for Hard of
Hearing People (SHHH)
HLAA and Sertoma
HLAA, the American Academy of Audiology
(AAA) and Sertoma/Hearing Charities of
America have agreed to collaborate on an
educational campaign “Get in the Hearing
Loop.”
The purpose of the campaign is to educate
both consumers and professionals on a
national and state level about the benefits of
telecoils and hearing loops.
Walk4Hearing.org
 Largest walk of its kind in the country
 In 2009, held in 21 cities with over 4500
participants
 Since 2006, has raised more than $2 million
 Goals:
 Increase awareness
 Minimize stigma
 Raise funds
th
ColoradoWalk4Hearing-4
year
 May 22, 2010 at Clement Park, Littleton
 Almost $60,000 raised in Colorado for first
three years
 Kickoff event is Saturday, April 10, at the KenCaryl Ranch house, 11:00 – 2:00
 For more info for participation or sponsorship:
www.walk4hearing.org
[email protected]
Thank You!
 Questions? Comments?
 For more information:
Amy Becktell
[email protected]