3 articles on new sound processor technology and why it can matter to your patients

By guest author: Natasha McDougald

Are your patients getting ready for a wild wet summer?  Share the following tips with your patients for them to HearYourWay™ while getting soaked.

• For Behind the Ear processors use rechargeable batteries while using the Cochlear™ Aqua+*
• For Kanso^®;  the LR44 battery is required for use with the Aqua+
• Always remember to use a safety line with your processor when exploring the ocean or river since processors don’t float!
• Want to hear coach’s instructions clearly during swim club with your Cochlear^™ Nucleus^® 7, Nucleus® 6 or Kanso? Have them use the MiniMicrophone 2+ while coaching from the deck.

Tips for Optimizing Sensitivity and Volume for Aqua+

• Many recipients may prefer slightly increased volume and sensitivity while wearing their Aqua+
• Consider having the patient bring their Aqua+ and optimizing a MAP for sensitivity and volume while they are wearing the Aqua+ to create as a manual program OR encourage recipients to utilize remote controls or the Nucleus Smart App since preferred changes are likely to be minimal and temporary.

Share this instructional video with your patients to help answer their questions about using the Aqua+ with their Nucleus 7 Sound Processor:

About our guest author:

Natasha has worked at Cochlear Americas for almost 7 years partnering with clinicians and surgeons at the University of Miami, UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland to bring cochlear implants to pediatric and adult patients.  Extremely passionate, Natasha is professionally and personally invested in the implantable hearing industry and strives to forward the cause of those affected by hearing loss.  She has presented numerous talks and courses on hearing loss, multiple disabilities, advocating skills and cochlear implantation to audiences in the medical-technology, educational, special needs and family support sectors.

*Nucleus 7 with Aqua+ is water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529. This water protection rating means that the sound processor with the Aqua+ can be continuously submerged under water to a depth of 3 meters (9 feet and 9 inches) for up to 2 hours. This water protection only applies when you use the Aqua+ and LR44 alkaline or nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries. The Kanso Sound Processor with the Aqua+ is water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529. This water protection rating means that the sound processor with the Aqua+ can be continuously submerged under water to a depth of 3 meters (9 feet and 9 inches) for up to 2 hours. This water protection only applies when you use the Aqua+ and LR44 alkaline or nickel metal hydride disposable batteries.

©2018. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, 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.

Introducing the Nucleus® Smart App for iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch®.

The Nucleus Smart App – engineered alongside the Made for iPhone Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor¹ – gives recipients control of the way they connect with the world. This new and innovative app includes highly anticipated features such as Find my Sound Processor, settings control and data logging.

One of the most exciting features of the Nucleus Smart App is the Find my Sound Processor functionality. Recipients and parents can use the Nucleus Smart App to determine the last place the sound processor and Apple device were connected. The app utilizes Apple Location Services – a combination of cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS – to determine the location. This saves your patient from the headache of having to replace their sound processor.

The Nucleus Smart App is revolutionizing how cochlear implant recipients connect with the world by giving them the ability to control their hearing settings across a range of different environments. This provides the recipient with the best possible sound quality at their fingertips.

• Adjusting volume control – your patient can now fine-tune the sensitivity, treble, bass and master volume limit bilaterally or individually.
• Program shift – the sound processor will automatically switch between programs based on environment conditions.
• True Wireless™ freedom – stream from different audio source accessories and adjust volume of each one individually.
• Battery status – verify remaining battery levels.
• Control the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor – parents are able to lock the buttons and lights on their child’s sound processor from their paired iPhone.

Hearing Tracker records and displays data on a bar graph that is easy for the recipient to interpret. This function tracks and plots the following factors separately per side:

• Time in Speech – refers to the amount of time during a day that the recipient is in an environment that contains speech.
• Coil Offs – refers to the number of times in a day the recipient removes their sound processor from the implant.

Cochlear is thrilled to introduce this new app in order to make it easier for your patients to control how they hear and connect to the world. Download the free app! Try it in demo mode to familiarize yourself with all the new features the app has to offer. For an online interactive demonstration, click here.

Reference:

[1] Apple Inc. Use Made for iPhone hearing aids [Internet]. Apple support. 2017 [cited August 2017]. Available from: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201466.

© Cochlear Limited 2017. All rights reserved. Hear Now And Always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited.

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone,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.

Please seek advice from your medical practitioner or health professional about treatments for hearing loss. They will be able to advise you on a suitable solution for your hearing loss condition. All products should be used only as directed by your medical practitioner or health professional.

Nucleus 7 is compatible with 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), iPod touch (6th generation) and iPod touch (5th generation) using iOS 10.X or later. Apple, the Apple logo, Made for iPhone, 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.