How costly is a CI maintenance?...

with all those research on adult CI, they probably won't believe me.

Latest research that people over 65 (I'm trying to remember off of my head) do not benefit from CI. Research like that make it hard for people to get insurances to cover them.
 
A said:
with all those research on adult CI, they probably won't believe me.

Latest research that people over 65 (I'm trying to remember off of my head) do not benefit from CI. Research like that make it hard for people to get insurances to cover them.
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Your audiologist should be helping you with an upgrade. He can write a letter of neccessity to the insurance company and explain why the upgrade will result in better hearing. It may not cover all of the upgrade, but it would help.
 
A said:
with all those research on adult CI, they probably won't believe me.

Latest research that people over 65 (I'm trying to remember off of my head) do not benefit from CI. Research like that make it hard for people to get insurances to cover them.
Click to expand...

I find that statement very hard to believe. I know they have implanted many over 65 years and some as old as 80.
 
faire_jour said:
Your audiologist should be helping you with an upgrade. He can write a letter of neccessity to the insurance company and explain why the upgrade will result in better hearing. It may not cover all of the upgrade, but it would help.
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My hubby's audiologist tried to convince our insurnace and it didn't happen. Audiolgist is totally in favor of CI and didn't know ASL.
 
Audiofuzzy said:
Could somebody please give me an approximate $$ figure
how much does it cost per month, or half year, or whatever to maintain your CI?

With hearing aids, all you pay per month is basically just a bit for batteries, or you buy rechargeable and a charger.
Once in a while (half a year to once a year) you make new ear molds.
The new tubes for earmolds are usually free of charge, or cheap.
If you are lucky, the HA won't break for a number of years.
So, all in all it's not very costly.

What it is like with a CI?

Fuzzy
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That is a great question. I've had my CI just over 5 years. My CI is the Cochlear Freedom (with three batteries).

My main expense has been getting batteries. I estimate for a years worth is about $120. I also had to get microphone covers which cost some $40 for a pack of four (I think I got some on sale).

I must add a caveat though. I was in a study for the Freedom and gotten a lot of freebies for it. So, I have had less expenses than most folks.

I have not had to buy the magnetic coil piece since I had a couple and I have one more. They typically last 1 1/2 year to 2 years.

I debated whether to upgrade or not to the Nucleus 5. Since my Freedom was still working, I knew I didn't want to pay the $5500 or so to upgrade. Also, I have two CIs (In NC, one gets two of them for a side as one is a backup).

I suppose my insurance will allow me to get new ones if my old ones no longer work but I have to follow up on that aspect.
 
sr171soars said:
I find that statement very hard to believe. I know they have implanted many over 65 years and some as old as 80.
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look it up.. it's the latest news.. use the keyword "65 cochlear implant" or something like that.
 
faire_jour said:
Your audiologist should be helping you with an upgrade. He can write a letter of neccessity to the insurance company and explain why the upgrade will result in better hearing. It may not cover all of the upgrade, but it would help.
Click to expand...

I realized that, but it didn't help. But that was couple years ago and I already have an upgrage paid out of my pocket (because I wanted the rechargable battery... I was spending alot of money on batteries... but my rechargable battery gotten weaken within two years- it lasting 7-8 hours- so i have to buy a new one which is the same price as yearly battery supplies just for one rechargable battery) . They do not have N5 for my type of implant so I can't get another upgrade for awhile.
 
Latest research that people over 65 (I'm trying to remember off of my head) do not benefit from CI. Research like that make it hard for people to get insurances to cover them.
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Really? That's interesting. I thought that the HLAA demographic (meaning old people) was NUTS about CIs.
 
It does help them..to them, it is better than no hearing or HA... but you have to read it yourself about it. My point is, because they feel people over 65 are not as fast as younger people, the insurance may discriminate our reasons why we (adults) want an upgrade to hear better. They may think an upgrade would not provide very little benefit for us and we are fine with the current one . Or they may not.
 
In my case the only thing I've had to pay for out of my pocket is gas to get back and forth to the appointments (About an hour and a half drive for me). But other then that I haven't had to pay for anything.
 
A said:
look it up.. it's the latest news.. use the keyword "65 cochlear implant" or something like that.
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I found a link. It did not say they didn't benefit from a CI. Rather, it states that they didn't benefit as much as younger implantees. That would be a logical conclusion as a CI requires mental agility to adapt to it. Still for all that, they still had a significant benefit from a CI. It is more a matter of degree.

BTW - This is not a deal breaker for insurance companies. They will cover for a CI for those over 65 if the situation warrants it.

Cochlear implants slightly less helpful in the elderly | Reuters
 
I understand. But are they willing to accept an upgrade if someone over 65 say "I think it will help me hear better"

If these people are over 65 and used to be hearing, it kinda suprising that they have to adapt CI that way. you would think a hearing person could recognize/pick up sounds right away from CI but it look as if they are learning to listen with their CI as we are (born deaf).
 
A said:
I understand. But are they willing to accept an upgrade if someone over 65 say "I think it will help me hear better"

If these people are over 65 and used to be hearing, it kinda suprising that they have to adapt CI that way. you would think a hearing person could recognize/pick up sounds right away from CI but it look as if they are learning to listen with their CI as we are (born deaf).
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Remember hearing with a CI is not the same thing as hearing normally. A CI only provides a subset of what a normal person hears. In other words, it is like seeing the world only in black and white. Therefore, you are missing important information such as red on a stop sign in addition to the word "STOP". You have to adapt to it if you had been able to see color all your life. Regardless of age, anybody with a CI has to adapt to it if they had heard before in the past. Those who never heard before have even higher hurdles in adaptation.

A few like myself adapted to a CI very quickly. Others take a while. There is no getting around it but age impacts how a brain functions. Who amongst us hasn't seen how cognitive aspects deteriorate in older folks? Hearing and especially understanding what one hears is a cognitive function. The younger the better but all can benefit.
 
I know about CI because I wore it since 2003.

I just wanted people to get a realistic expectation from CI before they make their decision. Instead of thinking it's very similar to hearing when it is not.

I trying to think if they lose their ability to detect smell or touch if there is nothing wrong with them physically. If so, yeah, cognitive skills they already developed might be deteriorating. I do know that it is hard for folks over 65 to learn new things quickly or keep some skills sharp like typing because of cognitive, but I'm talking about sensory skills like smell, see, touch, hear, taste if there is nothing wrong with them physically. I know for sure that they do feel pain but have that sensory ability to feel pain deteriorate because of age?

If not, that's why I say it require adaption to CI in order for people to benefit from it even if they used to be hearing. Just wondering.
 
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A said:
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I trying to think if they lose their ability to detect smell or touch if there is nothing wrong with them physically. If so, yeah, cognitive skills they already developed might be deteriorating. I do know that it is hard for folks over 65 to learn new things quickly or keep some skills sharp like typing because of cognitive, but I'm talking about sensory skills like smell, see, touch, hear, taste if there is nothing wrong with them physically. I know for sure that they do feel pain but have that sensory ability to feel pain deteriorate because of age?
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Hearing "per se" is strictly sensory but understanding what you hear is strictly cognitive. For instance, the act of deciding what it is you are hearing (let's say) either a car or a truck requires cognitive abilities.

If not, that's why I say it require adaption to CI in order for people to benefit from it even if they used to be hearing. Just wondering.
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I'm not sure what you are getting at here but I will take a guess. If one's sensory ability doesn't diminish with age, then one would still have to adapt to using a CI. Absolutely!!! One is trying to work with reduced input hearing wise as opposed to what the brain is capable of doing with hearing. Hence, the need to adapt.
 
my point (somewhat speaking in computer term) is Hearing people are already preloaded with "hearing data". If CI happened to be as good as natural hearing, they would have been able pick sounds right away as if they never lost their hearing.. because if CI is not as natural, they have to learn new "hearing data" or equal the old preloaded hearing data with the new CI hearing data. My question is since people over 65 have cognitive issues, is it because their preloaded hearing data is slowly deteriorating (or does that never go away?) or is it just because it's harder for them to learn new sounds (or adapt to CI)? It is just interesting.
 
A said:
... My question is since people over 65 have cognitive issues, is it because their preloaded hearing data is slowly deteriorating (or does that never go away?) or is it just because it's harder for them to learn new sounds (or adapt to CI)? It is just interesting.
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Simply because it is harder for them to adapt to a CI. It is a cognitive issue. It is the same problem that older people have with learning a new language. People learn multiple languages best as young ones. As one gets older, the more difficult that gets. It is not impossible just harder.

Of all the senses, hearing is generally considered the last to go. So, the cochlear nerve is good 'til death so to speak. The ear up to the cochlear nerve may be another issue. Age, damage and etc. can take it's toll on one's hearing obviously.
 
yeah, I was thinking about getting a CI

but after trying Siemens Motion 700BTE I decided I will take my time with CI
as I suffer with migraines,
and sound is my very serious trigger.
If I could have a guarantee CI will not bother me, or even better - help me with my migs then I wouldn't blink but nobody can assure me of that, so... better safe than sorry.

Thank you everyone for your input :)

Fuzzy
 
AudioFuzzy, the CI help reduce the number of migraines I was getting. And I was getting some wicked ones .
 
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