Cochlear Implants

Instructions

Go to esteemhearing.com. This is the website you will use to research some background information on the relatively new Esteem hearing implant.

Click on the heading “The Esteem Implant”. Use this section to answer the following questions.

1. What is the Esteem Implant?
2. The Implant is listed as a “solution” for four common problems of hearing loss. List those four “solution”s and how the Esteem helps to solve those problems.

Next, click on the heading “How It Works”. Use this section to answer the following questions.

1. What feature makes the Esteem Implant unique and different from traditional hearing aides?
2. List the four components of the Esteem Implant and summarize what role each component plays. If possible, watch the video in this section that illustrates just how the Implant works.

Click on the section labeled “Frequently Asked Questions” and please find the answers to the following questions.

1. “ How does the Esteem differ from the Cochlear Implant? Are they the same?”
2. “ Can a patient have a cochlear implant after having an Esteem?”
3. “ Is the Esteem covered by insurance?”

For the rest of the questions,go to the article

The Esteem Hearing Implant: An Invisible Hearing Aid Alternative

Use the article to answer the following questions.

1. Read the section labeled “Having Surgery”. What are the benefits of the Esteem surgery?
2. Read the section labeled “Who Can Get the Esteem?”. What makes a person a candidate for this implant?
3. What are the benefits of the Esteem?
4. What about the negatives?
5. How much does it cost to have the Esteem implanted? How does this compare with what you know about the cost of Cochlear Implants?

Now that you know more about the Esteem Implant, you can compare it to what you know about Cochlear Implants. There are major differences between the two including what makes someone a candidate for the surgeries; the surgery itself; the cost & insurance; and the benefits/restrictions of each device. Fill in the information in the chart on the next page.

Finally, think about the problem I posed to you a few weeks ago about your daughter and her hearing loss. Would you change your decision about how to help your daughter? If you had the choice between the Esteem and the Cochlear Implant, which would you give your daughter? Or, would you give her one at all?

Here are some more links on Cochlear Implants

• Cochlear Implant Frequently Asked Questions - American Speech-Hearing-Language Association
• Facts About Cochlear Implants [pdf] - Central Institute for the Deaf