INTRODUCTION
Has water ever gotten into your ears? If not for any other thing, your hearing will be muffled during those few moments and that feeling is really uncomfortable. Now imagine someone being unable to perceive any sound whatsoever because of a hearing impairment. To some people it's one of the worst things apart from losing one's sight.
I witnessed an event sometime in my neighborhood. I had this neighbor, a woman in her mid forties. She was hosting an empowerment program for deaf people, apparently she was teaching them a few hand skills. Unfortunately, she passed away and a funeral service was organized and all of her deaf students were present. During the course of the event, what seemed like fight ensued among two people who were observing the ceremony. The deaf students thought it was something major and started running out of impulse, in a bid to find safety. This reaction prompted a lot of other people present to join them and within few minutes, the whole place became a mess of broken chairs and few were injured. It took some time before everyone was called to order and assured that the situation was under control.
It is possible that you may have encountered a deaf person before and no doubt, communicating with such a person was difficult and most times impossible. Is there some thing that can be done to help people with hearing impairments to relate better with their environment and enhance communication?
Yes.
Over the years, with the advancement of technology, a device have been programmed to help people with hearing problems to cope better.
What is it?
A Cochlear Implant
This small electronic device looks like a typical earbud. It is fitted into the inner ear through a surgical process for the purpose of stimulating sounds for individuals with hearing impairments. This purpose filling device comes with a microphone for picking up sounds within the environment of the receptor,making a way for the processor to do it's work which is converting the sounds to digital codes before transmitting it to the internal component of the implant,which has already been fitted under the skin of the ear through surgical process.
The internal component comes with an electrode array that is fit into the cochlea(innner ear). This electrode stimulates the fibres in the auditory nerve directly bypassing the damaged hair cells in the ear. These signals generated by the electrode are intepreted by the brain as sound. Adopting this hearing aid and perfecting the use takes but it is definitely worth all the efforts. The individual may need to go for auditory rehabilitation to be able to convert these signal in understandable sounds.
The cochlear implant has notably changed or improved the lives of people living with hearing impairments to a much significant degree. However, the decision to take an implant should be based on careful consideration of other important factors like the severity of the hearing condition ,cost and availability and other medical considerations.
The benefits of this technological invention is superb, allowing people who have been battling for years with this problem to have a means of communicating better with other people around them.
Conclusion
While the cochlear implant has not been proven to restore perfect hearing, individuals who have adopted the use of this device have been able to enjoy improved quality of life and improved mental state.