Eleven months after activation of my cochlear implant I decide to improve its capabilities with a new hearing aid.

The new Naida Link hearing aid that pairs with the Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics

 

I finally took the plunge and invested in the technology that can, and probably will, improve my cochlear implant experience. 

The New Technology

Advanced Bionics (AB) and Phonak are both subsidiaries of Sonova, a company based in Switzerland that specializes in hearing and wireless communication solutions.  In 2016 Phonak created a hearing aid that pairs with my cochlear implant (CI) by Advanced Bionics (AB).  Once paired, the devices can communicate with each other,  improving the hearing quality. Quoting from the site:

…Two Naída devices — a cochlear implant and hearing aid — can now use the same advanced automatic technology and stream the audio signal from one side to the other. This means they can respond and adjust the same way to changing listening situations, as if they are one system… Studies show that this provides a proven advantage for hearing in noise and greater listening comfort compared to using a cochlear implant and any other hearing aid.

The New Hearing Aid

Having just one-half of the hearing assistance equation, the CI, I purchased the compatible Phonak Naida™ hearing aid. Thanks to CareCredit, I could opt to pay for it over 12 months with no finance charge. I purchased it through my audiologist close-by, while the CI, which requires programming to pair with the aid, must be done by the Kaiser audiologist downtown.  It is an average four-week wait to see the Kaiser audiologist   Because I have travel plans that are incompatible with the Kaiser audiologist’s schedule, the pairing between the two devices will not happen until mid-summer 2017. 

However, this did not prevent the testing, fitting, and creation of a new ear mold for the new hearing aid.  The mold will be ready in a couple of weeks. The old mold is doing just fine in the meantime. 

 

Despite the delay in pairing the CI with the new aid,  I am enjoying better hearing with the new hearing aid and looking forward to the day it is linked with the implant!  I’ll keep you posted! 

 

************************