Spacey,
I'm 36 years old and received my first CI at the age of 34 and the second one year later, so age is definitely not an issue when it comes to implantation. In fact, I know one CI user who received her CI at 90 years of age.
As for the success you can achieve with the CI, I think Sheri summed it up best. People who are prelingually deaf can and do benefit from the CI, but it may take some work on your part to receive the kind of results you want (i.e. understanding speech and/or environmental sounds).
Believe it or not, I know one prelingually deaf CI user who was able to understand speech on the day of her activation. She is now able to talk on the phone, understand the TV and radio -- and converse with others in a noisy restaurant.
Even if you're only able to hear environmental sounds, you will be able to hear *so* much more than you do now with HAs.
Yes thats right, thats what I heard the car passing from where Im sitting say around 10metre (driveway of my friends house) with my hearing aids on and it sound like roooar then soft then fade away. Toilet flushin from where im standing! There are lots of environment area like plane, tv on, music, truck passing. Plus a lady did talk to me "Hello, how are you?" (With oral no sign language). I knew what she was talking about. I know the pattern of sound like "Hello" It has got two sound in one word! But I know that it has got lots of different kinds of sound which i havne't heard. I know if i get the CI, I wouldn't be able to straight away to understand the sounds, like talking, phone, etc... It takes time to figure what sound belongs, what it is like, how many patterns, etc... I have so much believe in I will able to hear the sounds and will able to understand it but will get it there for sure!
When I was little girl, 4yrs old, I did have speech training but I couldn't understand and didn't recognise the sound. Until very late age at 18yrs old I started to recognise the sound very first word... mmmmmmmmmmm then hungry for sounds! Car passing, dog woof, door close, drawer open and close, toilet flushing, droppin the fork, knife etc.. music walkman with headphone on (it was just vibration but really doesn't understand what the song was about), cat purring, raining, windy howling, bell goes, tv on, children screaming, talking (blahhhhhh), floor stampin, chair scratches, hearing myself saying "hello", ummm what else i can think of.
I haven't heard the gun shot, mow the lawns, plane taking off lol, helicopter flyin past overhead, phone ringing, fart lol, umm thats all i can think of.
No, In new zealand we only have one hearing house.