Adults with cochlear implants may be able to improve their listening and communications skills in daily life with the help of a new self-guided digital tool by Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions.
Cochlear™ CoPilot is a new mobile app to improve hearing techniques. The app is designed for iPhone® to provide cochlear implant recipients with information, personalized support, and practical tips for hearing, listening and communication all in the palm of their hand.
Many adults with cochlear implants don’t actively seek appropriate hearing rehabilitation because of a common belief that the hearing technology alone is enough.1 But while a cochlear implant provides access to sound, research shows that rehabilitation that involves knowledge building and hearing skills training will help recipients improve listening and communication in real-world everyday situations.2,3
With this in mind, the app features articles by clinical experts and cochlear implant recipients with tips on a range of topics – from listening in noise and managing listening fatigue, to reconnecting to music and communicating in the workplace. Developed using the latest clinical evidence and proven rehabilitation practices, Cochlear CoPilot also features interactive skill builders designed to help improve listening and communication skills.
“The app has helped me with my listening skills and rehab,” said Laurie Goodwin, a 58-year-old physical therapist assistant from Florida who says she wouldn’t be able to do her job without her cochlear implant. “I find the skill-up listening practice very helpful in trying to understand words.”
Our brains continue to learn new skills across our life.4,5,6 People who have had their cochlear implant for many years may be able to improve their listening and communication outcomes with focused attention or active practice.1
“Ten minutes, a few times a week, I think it's really made a huge difference in my focus and the way I look at sound. I’ve had my implant for 15 years and I’ve pretty much plateaued with my ability – mainly because I don’t work on it,” said Christine Anthony, a busy mother who runs an IT business in Michigan. “With CoPilot, I love the little listening exercises that help me work on word recognition. I can do them anytime – waiting for a cup of coffee or waiting to pick up a kid from soccer practice. It’s like playing a short game.”
“At Cochlear, we are committed to improving our service and support offerings to help meet the changing needs of our hearing implant recipients,” said René Courtney, Vice President & General Manager, Recipient Services, Cochlear Americas. “As we saw throughout the pandemic, at-home, digital health services are important now more than ever. The addition of Cochlear CoPilot provides cochlear implant recipients with a simple mobile app to help them build their listening and communication skills from the palm of their hand, so they can be better equipped to hear wherever their day may take them.”
Cochlear CoPilot is designed to be convenient and easy to use; it is free for download from the App Store® now in the United States and Canada.
For more on Cochlear CoPilot, visit: www.Cochlear.US/CoPilot.
Originally posted on Cochlear.com/us/ and republished with permission.
About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)
Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss.
Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 600,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear.
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