KOTTAYAM: Hearing loss is one of the most severe forms of disability and the second-most common impairment in the world. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report suggests around 63 million people in India suffer from either complete or partial deafness.
As part of the World Deaf Day observed in the last week of September every year, Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital, Tiruvalla, in association with Advanced Bionics, a global leader in developing the most advanced cochlear implant systems, organised a programme to highlight the importance of the implants for senior citizens.
Though cochlear implants have become common among young patients, especially those below five years of age, when it comes to adults, lack of awareness prevents many from going in for surgery. However, 75-year-old Haimavathi has proved an exception. According to Dr Vivek Sasidharan, associate professor and ENT surgeon at Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital, Haimavathi, a retired school teacher from Kayamkulam, had been using a hearing aid for the past several years.
“She was suffering from progressive hearing loss. The hearing aid which was useful initially became ineffective and she became completely deaf,” he said.Though Haimavathi didn’t know anything about the implants, she decided to go for it. And now, she has regained her hearing. This, in turn, helped her regain her dignity. he said.