Cochlear Implants
by Cochlear Guest Author

Tips and Tricks: How recipients can use the Mini Mic 2+ wireless accessory to stream in-flight entertainment straight to their sound processor

November 21, 2018
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Clinical Quick Tips

By guest author: Skylar Mason

Skylar Mason

Many of your patients will be embarking on flights this holiday season—to visit family, attend a work function or take a vacation.

Their Cochlear™ technology can easily improve their travel experience. With the Mini Mic 2+ wireless accessory recipients can stream audio from the in-flight entertainment system directly to their sound processor(s).

Mini Mic 2+

All they need is the line-in cable which is provided in the Mini Mic 2+ wireless accessory kit. Plug one end into the Mini Mic 2+ and the other end into the headphone jack of the entertainment system.

Turn on the Mini Mic 2+, make sure it is paired to the sound processor and they should be all set! (Learn how to pair Cochlear™ Nucleus® or Cochlear™ Baha® Device(s) with the Mini Mic 2+).

There are benefits to using the Mini Mic 2+’s streaming capabilities:

1) Better sound quality

The direct wireless connection between the Mini Mic 2+ and the sound processor is designed to allow for the clearest, loudest sound available.

2) It cuts out the sounds they don’t want to hear

No one wants to board a nine-hour flight and realize there is a fussy infant in the seat right behind them. However, with their Cochlear sound processor and Mini Mic 2+, recipients can cut out all environmental sounds and stream music or TV shows instead.

While everyone else on the flight is plugging their ears and silently begging for the child to fall asleep, Cochlear recipients can listen to some peaceful songs or catch up on their favorite shows.

The Mini Mic 2+ wireless accessory can do more than just stream audio from the plane.

Check out a TECH talk from Pediatric Audiologist Kali Markle on how it can help your patients in the classroom and beyond.

About our guest author:

Skylar Mason is a journalism student, Baha recipient, and Anders Tjellström Scholarship winner. She is excited to join the team at Cochlear as an intern to tell the stories of other CI and Baha recipients! She attends the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

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Cochlear Guest Author

In an effort to keep our content fresh and reflective of a diverse industry, Cochlear Americas features a mix of employees and professional partners to contribute to Cochlear ProNews as Guest Authors.

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Importance of aural rehabilitation following cochlear implantation

August 6, 2020

By Dr. Aaron Moberly, Neurotology Fellowship Director, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Ohio State University

Cochlear implants (CIs) restore a sense of hearing to adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss. However, broader restoration of communication function requires more than just restoring hearing. Understanding speech through a CI depends on the ability of the “listening brain” to make sense of the degraded auditory input provided through the CI. Fortunately, most adults who receive CIs are able to make sense of this degraded input, but it can take up to two years of practice listening with a CI to reach a plateau in speech understanding. Moreover, for some patients, the process of re-learning to understand speech through a CI is rapid and comes naturally as a result of daily listening, but many (if not all) benefit from intentional, focused aural rehabilitation.

The broad variability in speech understanding among adult CI users and the variable duration of time required to adapt to the degraded input clearly point at differences among individuals in how their listening brains are processing the sound. Even with very similar auditory input through their CIs, individuals’ brains may process the speech information differently, based on differences in previous language knowledge and basic cognitive functions like working memory, processing speed, inhibitory control and nonverbal reasoning. The traditional clinical and research focus of the field has been to try to optimize the quality of the signal coming through the CI by reprogramming the device, or by recommending use of listening accessories. However, it is likely that in many (if not all) cases, there are measures we as clinicians can take to speed up or optimize the way a listener’s brain makes use of the input, particularly through focused aural rehabilitation.

Aural rehabilitation

 Aural rehabilitation approaches – ideally interdisciplinary approaches among the surgeon, audiologist and speech therapist – comprise a combination of sensory management, instruction on device use, counseling and auditory training.  Often, the auditory training component takes a backseat due to logistical issues of time in clinic and billing limitations for audiologists. Patients are frequently left on their own to choose audiobooks or find a useful online training program, which likely does not provide the necessary tailored approach to address their individual rehabilitative needs. Moreover, many individuals do not use any particular active training methods at all, which likely limits or slows their progress post-implant. By emphasizing the importance of auditory training, and by providing a more comprehensive and individualized treatment plan that specifically incorporates training, professionals can support faster and better recovery of communicative functions for adults with CIs.

Auditory training programs

Auditory training programs come in several general forms, from helping the listener learn to identify very basic speech sounds (vowels and consonants) to recognizing complex speech passages in noisy situations. In all cases, the purpose is to encourage the brain to interpret the incoming speech signals more accurately and efficiently. Over the last few years, with the field’s improved understanding of the complex functions of the listening brain, an emphasis has been developed on “auditory-cognitive training.” This method combines various forms of speech perception training with exercises that focus on improving cognitive processing of speech, such as simultaneously exercising working memory or improving processing speed and efficiency. Although studies are only beginning to examine the impact of this broader approach to training on speech understanding, early results are promising, suggesting a powerful means of helping optimize the functioning of a CI user’s listening brain.

About the author: Aaron C. Moberly, MD, works at the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Neurotology Fellowship Director in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

For further information about aural rehabilitation, download Cochlear’s adult home-based hearing therapy manuals and subscribe to Cochlear ProNews.

This article expresses the experience and opinions of Dr. Aaron Moberly.

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‘It took a lot of pressure off my wife’: Shane explains how Cochlear’s insurance services helped him upgrade to Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processors

August 21, 2018

Nucleus 7

By guest author: Skylar Mason

Skylar Mason

 

 

 

For recipients, the process of upgrading to the latest Cochlear™ technology can be exciting—but it can also seem like a lot of work.

Thankfully, they are not alone. Through insurance and reimbursement services, Cochlear representatives will walk your patients through the steps and answer any questions they may have along the way.

Meet Shane, a bilateral Cochlear™ Nucleus® recipient who says his world changed when he upgraded to the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor.

“All the technology that the Nucleus 7 has is what I’ve been waiting for for the past ten to twelve years,” he said.

The upgrade process

Having volunteered with Cochlear for over a decade, Shane knew about the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor as soon as it was announced.Shane

When it became available as an upgrade option, he and his wife contacted Cochlear’s Reimbursement Services department. A representative helped them begin the process of filling out the paperwork.

Shane’s insurance provider initially denied his upgrade request. He and his wife then submitted a letter of appeal signed by his audiologist, which was approved.

“We were not sure why we had to fight the denial, because we had all the paperwork in order, but Cochlear’s insurance reimbursement program is a big help,” Shane said. “It took a lot of pressure off my wife.”

Shane received his bilateral Nucleus 7 Sound Processors in April, about six months after he found out they were available. He said the latest features have significantly improved his day-to-day life.

Wireless and effortless streaming

Shane said his favorite feature is the Made for iPhone compatibility, which allows him to stream audio from his phone straight to his sound processor.

“I love the ease of connection— when you answer the phone, it’s already connected,” he said. “I don’t have to bumble around with the phone clip. It’s amazing how the connection is seamless.”

Shane

Shane said he also appreciates how Cochlear’s SmartSound® iQ and SCAN* technology are able to customize his hearing for every

environment.

“With the Nucleus 6 Sound Processor, I could tell when sound adjustment was happening,” he said. “With the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, they’ve made it so much better—I can barely tell it’s changing. The processing speed is so much faster that I can’t tell, and it’s amazing.”

Shane added that the upgrade brought him not only better sound, but also greater comfort.

“It has made my life a lot more enjoyable,” he said. “With the Nucleus 6 Sound Processor, I would not put my processors on until noon or after noon, because I had pain from wearing them, they were so heavy. With the new Nucleus 7 Sound Processors, they’re so light that I can barely feel that they’re there.”

Shane is in good company. A study of cochlear implant recipients participating in a trial of the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor found1:

  • 100 percent of users reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor and its components.
  • 94 percent reported the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor as comfortable or very comfortable to wear.
  • 87 percent reported they found it easier to control/monitor the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor with the Cochlear Nucleus® Smart App than with a remote control.
  • 85 percent reported listening to music to be enjoyable or very enjoyable with the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor.

His advice: Be your own advocate

Shane’s advice to other Cochlear Implant recipients considering an upgrade is to be an advocate for their own hearing.

“Don’t accept that Cochlear will do everything—you still need to put in some legwork, call your insurance, see what they say. Sometimes different people will tell you different things,” he said. “But don’t give up. There is a solution.”

About our guest author: 

Skylar Mason is a journalism student, Baha recipient, and Anders Tjellström Scholarship winner. She is excited to join the team at Cochlear as an intern to tell the stories of other CI and Baha recipients! She attends the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

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  1. Cochlear Limited. D1182081. CLTD 5620 Clinical Evaluation of Nucleus 7 Cochlear Implant System. 2017, Mar; Data on file.
*SNR-NR, WNR and SCAN are approved for use with any recipient ages 6 years and older who is able to 1) complete objective speech perception testing in quiet and in noise in order to determine and document performance 2) report a preference for different program settings
The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is compatible with iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Pro (12.9-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini, iPad (4th generation) and iPod touch (6th generation) using iOS 10.0 or later. Information accurate as of February 2018.
Apple, the Apple logo, Made for iPad logo, Made for iPhone logo, Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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©Cochlear Limited 2024. All rights reserved. ACE, Advance Off-Stylet, AOS, Ardium, AutoNRT, Autosensitivity, Baha, Baha SoftWear, BCDrive, Beam, Bring Back the Beat, Button, Carina, Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, 코클리어, Cochlear SoftWear, Contour, コントゥア, Contour Advance, Custom Sound, DermaLock, Freedom, Hear now. And always, Hugfit, Human Design, Hybrid, Invisible Hearing, Kanso, LowPro, MET, MP3000, myCochlear, mySmartSound, NRT, Nucleus, Osia, Outcome Focused Fitting, Off-Stylet, Piezo Power, Profile, Slimline, SmartSound, Softip, SoundArc, True Wireless, the elliptical logo, Vistafix, Whisper, WindShield and Xidium are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Cochlear group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

This material is intended for health professionals. If you are a consumer, please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

 

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