Expertise
Disability Awareness Month is an ideal opportunity to reflect on how far South Africa has come in becoming a more inclusive society towards those with disabilities.
Disability Awareness Month is an ideal opportunity to reflect on how far South Africa has come in becoming a more inclusive society towards those with disabilities.
This year is particularly exciting as South Africa crowned its first ever deaf Miss SA, who has been wearing a cochlear implant since she was two.
In South Africa, an estimated 4 million people experience significant hearing loss, with many facing barriers to receiving adequate treatment and support. Cochlear implants have the potential to change lives, offering users the ability to communicate more effectively and engage with their surroundings.
In honour of Disability Awareness Month, we are highlighting some lesser known facts about cochlear implants. The more we all know, the better we can be when we’re in community with people with disabilities, either as a friend, a family member or colleague.
- A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.
- Suitable for both children and adults who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing, cochlear implants are not hearing aids, which simply amplify sounds to be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve.
- Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and recipients need to relearn how to hear sounds, taking between 3 to 6 months.
- Cochlear implants facilitates better deciphering of sounds without lip reading, as well as listening to technology like television or telephones.
To find out more about cochlear implants and if they are a solution for you or a family member visit your nearest Ear Nose and Throat specialist at Mediclinic click here.